After the Plaster - the Limewash

6 - 13 November 2017

We are waiting week by week for the arrival of our two big purchases, the new solar electrics and the monster stove.  The electrics appear to be being delivered by continental drift, while the stove is continually being postponed because the weather forecast is poor.  However, this is, for the moment, a Good Thing, because both these arrivals will cause disruption and use up space.  While we have all the furniture in the middle of the room is not a good time for this.

So the pressure is on to get the living room walls finished, and the room reorganised.  Three coats of limewash coming up!

 First coat on the first four panels that were plastered (left end). Luckily the weather has been warm and sunny to help speed up the drying

 And coats on the panels over the stairs, which were plastered before Mum and Richie came to stay, but there was no time to paint them then.

 The living room, showing the obstacle course between one end and the other.

 Three coats completed on the stairs, pics above and below - showing how nice the wood looks when the masking tape comes off.

 The two big panels by the bedroom, fresh and sparkly white.

 Only the last two big panels in the living room still waiting for coats.  The weather has turned cold and wet, and I rushed the first coat of limewash onto not-quite-dry plaster, which probably put the drying process back a couple of extra days.  (Tut!)

 Finally, Monday 13th - the wall is pronounced 'done' and the masking tape comes off.  It looks lovely.

 The little corner over the arched window has also been plastered and limewashed.

Furniture back against the wall (mostly).  A bit of space to move again.

Starting the 'Trombe Wall'

1 - 8 Nov 2017

While Dave and I worked on the interior wall, Rowan and Jade were starting the framework of the 'trombe wall'.  A trombe wall is a passive solar heating mechanism where an area of thermal mass has a glass wall placed in front of it in a sunny location.  When the sun hits the glass, it superheats the air and the wall behind it.  This warm air can then be cycled through vents in the wall into the house, and back out as it cools. 

We have two challenges: one is that we didn't take the time to build the south wall in cob - in the end, we had enough bales and just wanted to get the job done - so the wall is insulated but doesn't have much thermal mass; and the second is that we don't want this heating system to operate in the summer - we would boil!

Not too sure what we're going to do about the first problem - maybe build a floor with a lot of mass, or store some water in old radiators painted black?  As for the second, we have decided to have a glass wall that can be deconstructed.  So Rowan is designing and building what is effectively a very small conservatory with removable glass panels.

 The basic structure goes in: there will be wood panels below the lower bar, and fixed glass in the top section.  Six big wood-framed glass panels will go along the front, to be removed when the weather warms up in spring.

 Rowan and Jade at work

 First stage complete.

 Painting on wood-protector - our favourite shade of orange!

 While doing the plaster, I realised there was one small area of the wall that couldn't be finished, over the little arched window, as it needed an arched trim to plaster up to.  So Rowan took a moment to fashion one for us, so this corner could be completed.

 The mini-conservatory from the east, with lots of wood stacked up ready for the next phase, and glorious sunset.

Living Room Plaster - the final wall

1 - 3 Nov 2017

The last few areas of the living room have been lathed and ready for plaster for a couple of years.  Somehow, they've never been 'the next thing to do', something else has always taken precedence.  But, as of today, they have finally reached the top of our priority list, and Dave started Wednesday morning by making mixes.

One tiny section to do on the turn of the stairs, where I ran out of plaster last time.

 The main stretch, including the area behind the tool dresser, swathed in a sheet in this photo, to keep the tools from getting plastered!

 So the work starts (after masking off the electrical fittings).

 When we moved the tool dresser, we found these two sections that had never been lathed, having been lost behind the dresser; and on removing the 'temporary' plasterboard above, which we had put in to protect the straw bales stored in the living room from the risk of fire from the kitchen (back in 2012), we found a third unlathed section.

  By this point, the last few laths strewn amongst our offcuts were nearly exhausted, and it took some scrabbling around to get enough wood of approximately the right length and width to finish the section.  Luckily the plaster will hide all the bodging.

 Work proceeds ...

 and is completed. 

Recently I found a roll of 4cm wide masking tape, which is ruinously expensive, but makes it a doddle to mask off our 7cm wide beams.  As this was a small area, in a high profile location, we decided to try masking the wood, which we haven't bothered with before.  Unmasked wood requires a lot of washing down, and remains 'limewashed' looking.  We'll see how this turns out in comparison.

Fixing up the Gate

31 October 2017

With the new bridge looking so smart, I then turned to making a better gate.  The big problem was to have something strong enough to hinge the gate from.  We had some rebar posts in the neighbour's fence, so I constructed a ladder frame between two of those.  Dave turned up to help me keep it square, and, him being wise in the ways of metal, suggested screwing the aluminium frame (a surplus bit of the scaffolding) to the wood.  I was going to tie it, so this was a great improvement.

 My ladder-frame fence post to the left, with Dave fixing in the aluminium - needed to keep the sheep out - which is why we have a gate at all

The finished product, very much more stylish than the old version, and much easier to use. 

With a tie back to keep it open.

Building Bridges

Monday 30 Oct 2017

Home from  Kastoria, and planning a quiet day's vegetation, but the emails started arriving to apologise for the delay in deliveries.  We now expect the solar panels and the new stove to arrive at the same time, probably next Tuesday.  It suddenly occurred to me that our foot access from the field has become very rickety and is missing some planks.  If people are going to be bringing heavy items in that way, they deserve a better bridge.  So I rebuilt it, using a piece of the old decking that used to be around the camper van.

 Before

After

Just need to improve the gate, now.

On tour - The Choir goes to Kastoria

28-29 October 2017

Back in June, when Rosa decided we should do an impromptu open air choir recital in Lefkas town, it turned out that two choir enthusiasts from the north Greece town of Kastoria happened to be passing, and were impressed.  So they invited us to perform at an 'Ochi Day' charity concert in their town.

Kastoria is quite a tourist attraction, a pretty old town situated on the neck of a promontory in a large lake.  Our invitation included free accommodation and an evening meal, and husbands/partners were included if they wished to come.  So 12 choristers, 4 partners and Rosa piled into a minibus early on Saturday morning, and we went off to see a bit more of Greece.

 A first look at the theatre where we will perform, and time for a quick warm-up and practice.

 Our travelling fan club: Yiannis, Pete, Dave and Laurie

 Evening, all glammed up, waiting for the show to begin

In action!

 The view from our room on Sunday morning

 An outing to 'The Dragon's Lair' - a fabulous cave of incredible stalagtites and -mites.

Group photo

 The walk back to town, along the lakeside, through an avenue of trees, 

watching the pelicans on the lake

Hauling the boat

26-27 October 2017

We were hoping for a couple of days rest and practice before the weekend choir trip, but the boatyard rang and asked when we were thinking of hauling the boat.  Next week? we suggested.  Tomorrow? they replied.  So suddenly we were boat moving.  Thursday morning is our Lefkogaia recycling volunteer slot, so we were in Lefkas in the morning; then we were lucky enough to be able to borrow a Nisos rib, went out to the boat, checked it was working, drove it down to Vlicho and left it outside the boatyard; then I just had time to shower and change before shooting back into Lefkas for our last rehearsal before the big gig in Kastoria.

 Early morning stillness

Boat in her winter home some little time later

Good Neighbours?

25 October 2017

We took Mum to the airport on Wednesday for her return flight, and arrived back at the house after lunch, to find that the neighbour in the top field had taken exception to our new sheep fence, cut it in half and thrown it down the bank.  We went to discuss this, and were informed that they owned the top and bank of the terrace, we owned from the bottom.  As usual, the only way find this stuff out is to put up fences and see who gets annoyed!

So, to protect our newly purchased cabbage plants, we spent the afternoon reinstalling the fence, at the bottom of the bank this time.

 The method involves Dave climbing precariously up on the end of the bendy ladder, while I try to hold the pole straight and stay well clear of the sledgehammer at the same time

 This was a bit of a compromise with the neighbour - sort of halfway up the bank - the olive tree to the right is definitely one of ours, so the fence had to go above it. The bank was thick with brambles, so most of our time was chainsawing and secateuring our way through it.  Probably pretty sheep-proof as it was, just there.

 Finishing off - joining the cut sections.

 Thru' the wire - some little plantings I'd done a few days before - in the grass are some spurs from a big prickly cactus that I thought might help with the sheep-proofing.  The neighbour didn't notice or didn't mind when he strimmed through here.

 And on this little shelf, which has really nice soil, I had planted one of my precious caper seedlings, brought back from Tinos with great care.  I didn't want to move it again, and it didn't quite get trodden on while we were fence-fixing, so I left it where it was.

 We finished just at dusk, but I had bought a droopy bougainvillea on the way back from the airport earlier in the day, and wanted to plant it without delay, so that too was done.

Quite a tiring day, in the end, but the bougainvillea looked brighter the next morning, and had kept its flowers, which was a result.

Richie's 'Flying' Visit

22 - 24 Oct 2017

It took my son, Richie, three days travelling (after he missed a connecting flight and had to divert via Athens) to get here for one and a half days, for the first time in four years - so the time seemed very precious.  We did all the touristy things with him, then dropped him back at the airport where he managed his connections fine on the way home.

Mum, Dave and I having lunch with Richie on the way back from the airport on Saturday

 A little later, cramming a week's holiday into two days, Richie relaxes with a pint after a quick swim

 Later that evening, we have a very wonderful meal at 'Ta Kalamia' - having picked Nidri's only vegetarian (and fish) restaurant for Richie, who was surprisingly vegetarian (with a little fish).

 Sunday morning, I find him on the bench by the veggie garden

 Going through a box of old stuff of Richie's to see what he wanted to keep, we find this treasure - the time we met Alan Rickman in New York - just when you want the camera to take a decent shot!