Interlude

It has been a far longer interlude than planned, in more ways than one. I have over 350 pictures and videos taken since the last time but I'm going to just pick a few, do a short explanation of what has been happening, and then tomorrow the men are back and normal service can resume.

Bruce doing his thing

She's not scared to mix it with big kids

A storm approaches

Such a stunning red moon

Sat on the patio playing with chalks

One of the few tortoises we've seen this year

An incredibly vivid rainbow

Carefully positioning the Fairy House

So first of all, before Angela and Rosie headed off we had a lovely busy time. The pool was still up and we did swim a bit, but not as much as I wanted to, however Bruce the Pool Vac did arrive and proved to be a mixed success; I think with practice, and putting him in from when the pool opens rather than so late in the season, he'll do good. We went for lunch at our favourite restaurant and Rosie had a great time in the park particularly bouncing with the big kids. There were storms and an amazing moonrise and we drew on the patio with play chalks and saw a tortoise and then there was the most amazing rainbow and made sure the fairy house was well positioned but all too soon Angela and Rosie climbed into her car and they drove off to the airpot for a planned two week holiday back at her parents.

Cleared the weeds next to the path

A seriously lovely day

Gammon egg and chips; dinner of kings

Spud towers gone

Emptying fifty cubic meters of water

Another stunning start

Labourious pool process

The trampoline for Rosie is up

Patio cleared (and rained on)

I got stuck in to my alone time with a list of jobs I wanted to achieve around the place before Angela got back. The first was one I've been looking at for ages - clearing the weeds by the front path. It did not take long, though I was COVERED in burrs - I've actually thrown away the old clothes I was wearing they were so bad. The weather was lovely for a while and on the whole while I've fed myself well, though I have taken my book down to the fast food place a few times which has also been nice. Another task was to clear the spud towers as we look to make that into a nice plantable area and then I began the very difficult task of taking the pool down. It took a long time to empty completely and then was really hard work to fold and pack (as you can tell from how spread out these pictures are) but I did get it all done eventually and The Other Brother helped me carry it inside just before that rain. Oh and I bought and assembled the trampoline for Rosie on the balcony - I cannot wait for her to see it!

For various reasons Angela's return has been delayed by two weeks which has been very tough on both of us, finally she is very nearly home as I type this. This has meant that I've got more to show you about being alone than I expected.

Thelma's amazing shitty neck

The shed for the generator

The woodpecker did this!

Missing Mummy

Snuggled up for warmth

Thelma returning her ring

Thelma returning her kong

Moon behind the clouds

A beautiful Black Satin spider

Raised in a defensive posture

Such a beautiful sunset

A really messy attic

What is this insect?

Collecting leaves for the toilet

So... there are the pictures, and here is a very quick run down of what has occurred. Thelma got an incredible shitty neck, but it cleaned up quickly. I ordered a small shed to put the generator into and it arrived really quickly and went together pretty well - it was very very hot work though. I then got The Other Brother to help me lift the heavy generator into the shelter. I have been fighting woodpeckers all the time, and they have done some seriously terrible damage to the insulation which will need fixing. Thelma and Louise have both been missing Angela and Rosie, at least as much as I have, and they have, and the weather has been up and down though cooler at night and recently very much warmer during the day. I have spent as much time as I can playing with Thelma, throwing her kong and ring but not as much as I should have done. The puppies have woken me early a few times, but the benefit is seeing beautiful moonlight behind clouds. Another thing that happened the other way was this amazing spider came to visit - it turns out that it is actually poisonous and it also disappeared so that was interesting. The other night was the most amazing sunset, just stunning, that I spent ages photographing from the roof terrace. Talking of the roof I actually finally got into the attic to start tidying it which was a mission and I barely scratched the surface. And so to today, with Angela and Rosie on their way finally, I saw two beautiful bees (or insects of some sort anyway) around the flowers while I was raking up leaves.

So there you are; it's so good to know they are nearly home and I can't wait to welcome them back, and tomorrow to get the men back and the tasks done that are desperate, like chopping firewood and fixing the roof terrace leak and repairing the downpipe that blew off in a strong wind, will be great.

Thanks for reading.