Grandma goes home, and sink installation

As often happens this is going to be a super long update, and as I sit here starting it, late, I'm knackered. Oh well. Onwards.

Early morning pile on with everyone

Buds are starting to appear

Grandma on our little picnic

Rosie laying down on the rug

Xena with the heavy ball

Trimming trees 

Rosie found some flowers

Going back to Saturday it was a lovely family day with lots of time outside. The morning was taken up with a trip to the vet with Xena, and then stopping for some shopping on the way back. It was such a lovely day that we had a picnic on the grass for lunch and then stayed outside the rest of the time, I was trimming some trees with the pruning saw and Rosie got to swing a bit with grandma pushing. She also found some flowers that were just coming up and we did a bit of hide and seek. Xena was having a lot of fun with Louise, and Thelma was barking at her kong.

Rosie helping to mow, with her bubble mower

I do love mowing the lawn

Rosie all bandaged after stubbing her toe

The moon rises through drifting clouds

In the afternoon I dragged the lawnmower out to do a section of the front that was starting to get a bit lush and Rosie was determined to help so she got her bubble lawn mower out and pushed it around lots. After that Grandma took her to play in the sand while I finished up. Later on Rosie stubbed her toe a bit but after she'd finished with her play bandages you'd have thought she was Little Miss Bump! The moonrise on Saturday night was something special and I got a picture to show Rosie as she loves the moon. It was a great day from beginning to end.

Early morning on Sunday

Just a little over frozen

Rosie with the Little Lady and her granddaughter

A mess of spikey branches

Now nicely trimmed back

Louise and Xena on the top bank

Just finishing up the mowing

Sunday started off bright but was forecast rain (though in the end it was only cloudy and didn't rain). Grandma was going to make me some crumble so we dug out the frozen fruit from the old freezer that I think is honestly on its last legs now. Mid morning we headed over to the neighbours for coffee and second breakfast and had a lovely time before we headed back home and Angela took Rosie and Grandma to the shops while I got the mower and pruning saw out again. I did most of the back bank with the mower and trimmed down the saplings at the bottom of my favourite tree and finished up just as they got back. I'm very close to buying a ride on mower to help keep on top of all of this more easily.

Grandma and Rosie bounce

Making crumble for me

The final bedtime story with Grandma of the visit

The afternoon was nap time and after that Rosie took Grandma on her trampoline and they were bouncing together for absolutely ages while I sat on the swinging chair and enjoyed watching and laughing along with them. After this Grandma went into the kitchen and made me the crumbles while Angela cooked an amazing roast dinner. At the end of the day only Grandma would do for reading bedtime stories as it was the last night before she would go home.

Lovely crumble for my breakfast

Angela paints the wall in Rosie's bedroom

Sat in the lovely warm sun for my lunch

Just getting onto the pass

Having a really lovely dinner

Saying goodbye at departures

Xena very happy to see me

Monday started with crumble for breakfast and it was lovely. While Rosie was at school Angela completed painting the shapes on Rosie's wall (she loved them!) and the day was so glorious I sat outside on the patio to eat my lunch and it was great. All too soon it was time to take mum to the airport. Rosie was sad she couldn't come with us and The Little Lady came over to say goodbye as well. The drive was very easy and we took lots of pictures to show Rosie including one of my giving her a thumbs up. We reached the restaurant in plenty of time and had a lovely relaxed and tasty meal before it was time for me to drive her round the corner to the actual airport. A hug, a kiss and a selfie and she went in and I headed home. When I got back I was mauled for about ten minutes by Xena who was super pleased to see me. It was very sad to see Mum go as the visit has been superb.

Rosie misses her grandma

A lovely sky this morning

Tiles piled out of the way

A long drill bit for this job

Halil sticking the metal through

Final violent exit point

Lump hammer to the rescue

Neat pipework

Boiler hung on the wall

Lots of water down these steps

And so finally we reach today. Rosie said morning to Grandma via picture and then headed off to school. It was a lovely morning though the forecast was for very heavy rain. The men were back in today and got stuck in to the fitting of a sink in the workshop. First off they cleared away the tiles and put them into the storage area under the stairs and then they headed out and bought a new drill bit that was nearly long enough to go through the wall but not quite. After first of all starting to drill in the wrong place they measured and put a hole in the right place but then had to resort to a length of metal and a lump hammer to break through the last few cm. With this done it was tidying up, then fitting the drain and then drilling another hole this time to take the water into the workshop. By the time I headed out to go and meet Lyuben the architect the boiler was in place and it was a really good day of progress. The threatened thunder and rain hit late in the afternoon and it was torrential in town. I did manage to pick up a unit that the sink can sit in, however.

So there it is; that was a long update! I should be back tomorrow; thanks for reading.

Hot day and hay fever (or a cold?)

I'm a bit late getting to start this update; I've been getting into the habit of doing a bit at lunch time and then the evening becomes easier but right now it's getting close to "taking the men home" time already and I'm only just starting. I've been sneezing and ill all day which hasn't helped so all my attention had had to go to working.

Rambo settled in the nook

Thelma is not impressed and therefore is huffing

First of all a couple of pictures from last night; I was up in Room 13 doing some hobbying (more stuff on the CD Jewel Case bases and making a start on A's Iron Hills dwarves) while she sat downstairs watching some scary movie and Rambo joined her; he is really starting to settle down a lot more now and was very happy sat there. Thelma, on the other hand, was outraged and huffed until he left.

What another glorious start

Stripy mist in the valley

A gap ready for a plug socket to be fitted

So much dust everywhere!

Awesome Dippy Duck Eggs on the balcony

Double trouble cuddles

Mid shoveling sand

Mid mixing cement

And so to today. It has been an absolutely glorious day today with barely a cloud in the sky all day. I was in town and it was 29 degrees! The sunrise was beautiful while the fog in the valley had laid itself out in lines. While A was out I did my chores and grabbed a couple of pictures, one to show some of the progress as of last night which I didn't get as I forgot and then it got dark, and one to show just how dusty this whole thing is. I also prepared for breakfast as, with it being glorious, dippy duck eggs were on the menu and how awesome they were as well. We sat on the balcony and enjoyed them while down at the sand pit the men were getting started mixing up cement for the day.

Lots of budding shoots

Really pleased with how well these are going

Hikmet continues to work on the units

Bekir is running the ducting around the Games Room now

Mesut laughing at my taking his picture

I stopped downstairs after breakfast before heading up to work to plant out the budding vines into little pots. I'm so excited by these, and Bekir gave me advice to keep them really moist so I'll be watering them often. There are loads, and almost all have already got buds and some have leaves! Very exciting. Inside Hikmet was still working on the large units, this time taking the old mini-shelves out and sanding down the insides a bit more. Bekir was back on with the wiring in the Games Room while Mesut was in the Art Room doing the cement work to fix the cabling out of the way. It was a very productive feeling Old School.

The first time this has happened this year

Hikmet starting to paint, though I switched him to a roller very quickly

Mesut works quietly and very well indeed

Louise sitting like a human, and grinning

It really was an absolutely lovely day and I switched into shorts very early on. Bekir did tease me for how white my legs are but if I can get outside a bit more then that'll change. Hopefully this weather will last as well. Out in the corridor the remedial work had been completed on the units and Hikmet started painting. After seeing him using an old brush for this I went and found some rollers and the results improved immediately.  Mesut is really impressing me and he had quietly completed the cement work in the Art Room. Finally here is Louise sitting on her bum like a human; she is so damned cute and she knows it!

Sat in the sun wearing our sun hats

Cement over the cabling

These really are very big units

More electric work

The Games Room as it was this evening

Lunch was spent sat on the patio and it really was so hot that my shirt came off and we had to put our straw hats on. Such a glorios day. After lunch A had a lie down and I headed out with Bekir to pick a few things up and when I got back I found Mesut was still going and was now working around the walls of the Games Room. He was rapidly catching up to Bekir's cabling work. Hikmet wiht his rollers was getting close to completing the first coat on every shelving unit, and Bekir had found time to fix the broken shelf in the far unit which surprised me as I hadn't known he was doing it. Bekir for his part was in the Games Room trying to stay ahead of Mesut, and channeling out so he could provide power into the extra distribution box I'm putting in to run the Model Railway from. The room is really coming together now and should be finished tomorrow so tiling can begin next week.

Mesut cleans up after Bekir

Bekir doing some final things before the day ends

Hikmet starting on the second coat

Bookending the blog with beautiful sun photographs

The men worked quite late today, but as per usual they tidied up fully after themselves. Final tasks around the wall kept Bekir a little and Hikmet was back to the first unit putting more paint on. They are really starting to look good now and maybe a third coat will see them right. The journey back was eventful enough with some very erratic driving from a taxi driver in front of us who Bekir actually knew, and then when I got back I got to start this update and then break for dinner of Bacon, Cabbage and Potato which we ate on the balcony while the sun went down.

I'm going to wrap this up now and go and play a game before an early night as this cold/hay fever thing has really battered me today.

Thanks for reading.