Awesome weekend, and storage

Once again we reach Monday and I'm back with an update. It was a great weekend so let's get into it.

Family outing about to kick off

Rosie wishes these were real sweets

About to tuck into our lovely lunch

Starship about to go to space!

Rosie looking at me through her magnifying glass

Rosie's big eye!

Saturday was a long anticipated and planned  trip to JUMBO for some Christmas shopping. This is a nice family tradition we have started mainly to get out as a family and also we wanted to pick up some decorations. We had a lovely day, Rosie was very good and enjoyed it a lot. We spent more than we should, but bought more awesome than we should (but you'll have to wait until December 1st to see it) and then went for our lunch at the Italian restaurant which was lovely as always. I drove us back and we got back five minutes before Starship's launch target time so Rosie and I sat on the sofa, and Angela joined us as well to watch the launch. There was much cheering and excitement as it took off. Great memories made! After that there was lots of play time (I went onto the treehouse with her, had some swing time and other fun) and she also played with one of her purchases which was a magnifying glass. Great fun.

Rosie with our new reindeer and sleigh

The new posters are getting framed

Sunday I have few pictures however it was another good day with a trip out with Rosie around lunch time to pick up a Christmas Decoration that Angela had seen in town and wanted. There was time for swinging and play time, and Rosie and Angela had some lovely time together as well. I took some time to prepare my posters for framing on the roof stairs and they are all set now to be put up.

Filling up our gas bottles

Halil does some final touching up

A space cleared for the shelving units

Shelves fitted and unit secured to the wall

Halil gets paint on the walls finally

Finally we get to today. The morning felt like very little happened with the men, but then I was super busy with various meetings and going to the bank. About the only thing I caught was Halil patching up some more of the gaps where they fixed the cracks. Bekir cleared away by the wall in the playroom and then me and him carried the three new units down to check the fit and work out where the extra shelf is going to go. For the rest of the day Bekir was working on securing the IKEA shelving, and also putting up an extra shelf above. There is now loads of storage for Rosie and her toys. Halil was assisting and also doing some painting in the playroom. I think we really are close to finished now, thank goodness!

Painting pallets for Christmas

Lots of cuddles

Beautiful sunset as we swung

After school me and Rosie were out on the patio as I painted some pallets. I'm making a solid heavy base to strap the reindeer and sleigh to so it won't blow away. I began by trying with spray paints but that really didn't work so Angela grabbed some external paint from the little shop and we got two coats done before finishing up. Rosie was cuddling Dutch while watching me and then we went for a swinging session and enjoyed the amazing sunset before heading inside for some book time before dinner.

So there it is. That was the weekend and today. Thanks for reading and back tomorrow.

Daddy Weekend and Digging

It's been an awesome and busy weekend over here, so lots of pictures and let us get this blog written.

In the car ready to head off

Rosie in the trolley about to go into JUMBO

A huge dolly, and a new favourite

Picking out what we want to eat

Rosie with her new slippers

Angela took herself off on a very well deserved break for the weekend leaving me with Rosie which was brilliant. On Saturday we got ourselves into the car (with Bombur the giant teddy) and drove all the way to JUMBO to do some toy shopping, and buy some clothes for me amongst other things. Rosie was very good the entire time, had a great time looking around, and picked one thing to buy (though I sneaked a few bits in for Christmas) which was a dolly that is bigger than her! We then went on to a restaurant I've been to a fair few times and had a nice lunch and after that back in Thomas to drive home. I was exhausted by the end of the day but Rosie was still going strong. I'd picked up some new slippers for her to wear at home and she loved them and modelled for a picture for Angela.

Rosie on the trampoline with new dolly

A little time on the swing

Walking the puppies up the hill

A very very deep trench

Playing in the sand

Sunday started with trampoline time and Dolly Boy (or now, Big Dolly Rosie - she's not yet settled on a name) had to join her. She had a great time. It was a cool enough day but we wrapped up warm and went into the garden where she swung on her swing for a bit before declaring she wanted to walk up the hill to the echo pipe (the new gas pipeline that is being laid). We got the puppies ready and headed off up the hill. It was good apart from when Louise tripped Rosie with her lead but that got sorted out and we made it to the pipe, shouted down it a bit (Louise was most confused by the dog barking back at her that sounded the same as her) and then went and checked out the trench that has been dug to bury the pipe. It's huge, such a deep trench. They are making great progress. After that it was back home for lunch and to wait for Angela to get back, which she did safely and she had had a great time. What a lovely weekend, and such a pleasure to have Rosie being so good all the time. Thankfully!!

Halil gets started on the grouting this morning

Looking down at the hole we dug

Getting to the end finally

Shovelling and digging

A trench for the water pipe

More fun for Rosie

And so to today. The men were in on time and went onto the roof terrace where they had more grouting left to do than I realised however they got stuck in and got it completed soon enough. There's a little more cleaning up to be done tomorrow and then that job is finally finished (though we will need to put up some barriers, and put the wooden seats around the walls, soon enough). They then went downstairs and got the pickaxe and shovel out and dug out a deeper trench to put the new water pipe into. This took the rest of the day and shows just why I am thinking about buying a digger. More on that in a minute. Rosie came home from school and came to see what was going on then after a little Peppa we went onto the balcony for more jumping then play time before bed. It was a nice evening, and we really are regularly contemplating just how lucky we are right now.

So to the digger. I'm still not convinced whether a large digger is what we need; we're now thinking about getting a smaller tracked back hoe and a small bobcat style loader. It's a big thing, and we know we NEED one for all the jobs up at the mountain house (and around here) so getting it right is very important. There's no rush, now the digging here has been done, so we'll talk and consider and listen to advice and make a decision when we are fully happy with it.

Thanks for reading, and see you tomorrow.

A wonderful long weekend

 As the title of this update suggests it has been a lovely long weekend indeed. Sunny and very enjoyable, though not relaxing.

Rosie places a feather behind the fairy house

Such a lovely display

The vine is growing well again

Saturday is Daddy Day and I was up with Rosie, though Angela didn't end up having much of a lay in anyway. Rosie and I were in the garden early, playing "catch you" and she moved her fairy house to a new location and then started to collect feathers behind it. The garden really is slowly coming together; when we have the new raised beds done it'll be awesome but already Angela's flowers by the path look so stunning. Rosie and I played in the sandpit and she also helped me while I checked the vine and clipped up some of the new growth to encourage it along the right path. After her nap we got to play on the balcony again. It was a good day all round.

This sapling must go

Rubble dug out while removing the saplings

Tortoise garden starting to be removed

Hacked back the weeds here

The never ending mowing of lawns continues

Sunday is Mummy Day for Rosie and I did a small amount of hobbying but mostly was out in the garden. My first task was to take the pickaxe and remove a number of saplings that were growing in the wrong place, like really close to the house. This didn't take long and then I set to with the sickle and did a load of clearing around the entrance to the fenced garden. Rosie and Angela started trying to take the tortoise garden apart but it was too solid (go me, who built it 5 or 6 years ago) so then they went next door and I followed once I'd cleared even more by the gate out of the garden and behind the spud towers. It was very tiring indeed and I was very hot. After this I pulled the mower out, while Rosie was having her afternoon nap, and got the next section of the lawn mowed. While I was doing the first clearing of the day I unconvered a toad hidden in the undergrowth. After this video I covered him up and let him be. He'll keep down lots of pests, they are noisy but good to have around.

Rosie spreads her pizza around

Climbing the back bank

Tasty cheese (and pizza)

I was pretty exhausted and very hangry by the end of the day and Angela planned a lovely meal with shop bought pizza bases that we could build our own pizzas on. Rosie got completely involved as she added her tomato base, spread it around, and then scattered all the toppings for her own. She then helped build mine. While waiting for these to cook we went on a lovely walk around the village and up the back, as is traditional, and then it was time to sit on the balcony and eat (which I was VERY pleased about).

Halil shifts the last of the firewood

Rosie at the cement company

Lots of drainage

Hot hot today

Shifting the blocks

And so we get to today. It was a long weekend for me but the men worked the holiday, which is good. First thing this morning Halil finished off the moving of the wood from the outside woodstore and I went with Bekir (and Rosie, who insisted on coming with me, though I was going to take her anyway) to order the stones and cement for the patio. We got that resolved then went to the normal builder's merchant to get toilet pipe (it won't come until Wednesday) and to collect all the drains we've ordered. Lots and very expensive materials are going into this project. It was a very warm day today indeed. When we got back Bekir and Halil got stuck in to shifting the blocks that were stacked on the patio and these are now very neatly piled up by the green building.

Circling bird - what is it?

Halil starts to lift slabs

Quite a substantial stump I dug out

Continuing the trench

Burning  up the old cement bags

Front lawn all mowed

Lunch was on the balcony again and while we were eating a bird flew over that I couldn't identify. I only had my phone so the pictures and video are rubbish, but maybe one of you can help me with what it is? After lunch Rosie had her nap and I went outside to continue the mowing. Bekir and Halil were getting stuck in to digging trenches for the toilet pipes which was very hot and very hard work. I also did a bit of digging as I swung the pickaxe to lift roots and stumps as I came across them. Bekir made a little bonfire of the used up cement bags which was a good idea and I pushed on and got the whole of the front lawn mowed before needing to go in and rest. It is pretty hard work but so satisfying and worth while.

Digging in the hot sun

Rosie watches the tractor drive past

The trench extends towards the downstairs toilet

I rested after this and Bekir and Halil kept digging. What hard work it was for them today. They finished the trench that will bring the pipe from the upstairs toilet and then got started on the one going towards the downstairs. With the pipe being delayed we may have to delay the stone delivery due tomorrow but we shall see. After Rosie's nap I took her to the front lawn for a picnic on the rug and she was thrilled by a tractor that drove past down the side path - we don't see many of those type things around here. She also got to wave goodbye to Bekir and Halil, and wave at Hus and the White Car Driver from the farm. We did catch you and hide and seek and sandcastles (Angela got me to pour water onto the sandpit which made these much more successful) then it was dinner time and then Rosie bedtime.

Lovely sunset

I'll leave you with this sunset shot taken while writing this update.

Thanks for reading, as always.