Rock on!

May 2013

Sorry for the long gap between posts.  I've barely had the computer on this month.  We've been working hard on the house whenever we can, with Dave's boats in the yard to be launched and made ready for summer visitors, work on Sundays and frequent visits to the dentist (I went for a checkup and found I needed eight! old fillings replaced - eugh!) all intruding on our time.

On Tuesday 30 April, Dave was working on getting the borrowed mixer going, it was firing up, but not starting, when Pete came round, and said, 'are you sure the string goes that way round the pull cord mechanism?'  After that, it started chugging away like a dream.  

We did a few mixes, and rapidly ran out of supplies, so on Thurs 2nd, this delivery arrived.  Three bags of sand, one big sack of 40 smaller bags of lime and a stack of floor slabs, ready for the bathroom.  Luckily a plumber friend, Simon, came round on a different errand, and said, 'don't lay the floor till the water pipes are in.'  We made arrangements to do this in June, finances allowing. 

These are all wedding presents: sand, lime and slabs - very many thanks to you all x x x

This is our masonry work zone.  At this stage the wall looks like just a scruffy lump of stone ...

 ... but by Weds 8th, it has begun to take form. Unfortunately, Dave had pulled something in his back, being too enthusiastic, and was off the strength.  Much to his frustration.  So progress slowed up again, with just me pottering along.  But the mixer is a godsend.

This is where I started to go round the bend ... !  (Whadderyamean 'started'?)  The big umbrella just visible in the foreground is one more thing that we bought at knock-down price from Joe and Amanda as they divest themselves of everything before relocating to NZ.  It's  got a great concrete base, so it's a devil to move around, but it does let me keep myself and the wall in shade as I work.

Here I am, getting my rocks on, with Naomi on a visit, being a great help collecting infill stones and landscaping the piles of earth around Dave's ditch to improve wheelbarrow access.  I'm struggling to find gloves that can cope with sharp sand, big rocks and caustic lime.  One pair were so unsuitable I got cuts in four finger ends, and my skin dried up like lizard hide.  I spent three days applying hand cream at hourly intervals, and wearing plasters on each fingertip.