The long steps

30 November 2109

More work around the front door.  We had an Albanian friend to help, who is significantly younger and stronger than we are, which encouraged us to work longer and harder than we usually do. 

 The drainage ditch outside the door has become clogged with earth washing down the ramp, and doesn't drain this area, instead we have a puddle forming up against the wall of the Solarium, which is far from ideal.  So the ditch was dug out down to the pipe, the old compromised gravel was removed, and our last supplies of clean gravel were put in.  We can't get any more gravel until the track is stabilised and the ground dries up.

 As the ramp from the proposed car port is long and shallow, we decided to put in gravel steps held in place with offcuts of decking board and pieces of rebar.  This is the quickest and easiest form of step construction, so we powered through it, despite some falls of rain.  We were able to use the old gravel dug out of the ditch, which was handy.

 Dave's plaka-covered pipe trench, with the first covering of soil going on

 By 3pm we had the long steps completed.  The steepness of the slope changes in the middle, requiring us to shorten the central five steps.  Hopefully our brains will be able to deal with this, as it is not a normal thing for steps to do.  It wouldn't be a massive job to re-do this in future if it doesn't work well.

 Dave's trench all filled in and levelled to the ramp.

The drainage ditch forming a tripping hazard outside the front door until we can get more gravel.

Pipe burying and Step making

29 November 2011

While all the track laying excitement was going on elsewhere, we started looking at the route from the proposed new car parking area to the house.  As we have been using the kitchen door for a very long time, the front door area has been neglected.

 Yesterday, we had laid some dry-stone walling along the edge of this low bank running down to the front door - just far enough to start work on two sets of steps.

 Dave started work on burying the water pipes and armoured electric cables that run up the slope to the water heaters and to carry power to the car charger at the shed.

 I started on the short steps down from the bank to the door.  Three treads, for which we found massive rock slabs around 85 by 35 cm at the builders' yard.  The twelve breeze blocks required were scrounged up from various dumping grounds around the land.

 All three treads in place, and one of the slabs (the only one I can lift) tried out on top.  We will make a lime mortar mix to fix down the treads and render the faces of the blocks.

 Dave covered the buried pipes with plaka pieces.  These can be covered in earth and will not be noticeable, but will prevent accidental pickaxing in the future.

By the evening, dry-stone wall with short steps in the background.  Positioning of the first long step worked out, to run along where the board is on the soil.

Cement on the track

29 November 2019

At last, here it is.  Didn't take many photos, as we were busy elsewhere, but the track all down the side of our land has been concreted.  However, it has left the rest of the track hugely churned up by the big machines, so more remedial work needed before we can attempt to bring the car round.
 

 The track freshly levelled, waiting for the cement truck.

Fixing in gate posts

 After the first delivery, fence posts installed.

A mini-mixer was required, as a big one would have been too heavy for the muddy conditions.

Mudlarks

26 - 28 Nov 2019

We are surrounded by freshly turned earth, which is okay when the sun shines, but leaves us behind a moat of mud when the rain comes.

 Looking nice in the sunshine.  The bank will be dry-stone walled, and then more water tanks will be placed at the bottom of the slope.  Not likely to be very pretty, but we thought we would cover them with a frame and grow vines.

 While walking down the track to investigate how the new access will play out, we saw this in the hedgerow.  Apparently a Stinkhorn fungus.  Named in a moment of Seventeenth Century bawdiness, it seems.  It does smell, and it is phallic - surprisingly so. 

 Wellies turn into platform boots in the rain

 Plodding through the mud, working out where we could put salad and herb beds on the top of the bank.

 Chicken update - all six still well and seem happy. 
Laying around 5 eggs every couple of days.

The muddy zone

Digger Day 1

24 November 2019

Finally!  The long-awaited digger day arrived.  We have just had the e-car in for its first annual service (it had to go to Athens, so we were in a petrol courtesy car for about 10 days - shockingly smelly and noisy!) which reminded us that we have been waiting to get the track and other digging jobs done for Over A Year!

So, we were overjoyed to have the matter progressing, even if a large yellow JCB on your land is a fearsome thing.

 That 'Hitch-hiker's Guide to the Galaxy' moment - when you unexpectedly think 'yellow'??

 Ready to go, with the digger having dodged carefully round all of our trees to get in position

 Shelves in the pond get dug out

 The sculpted pond.  Now we have to search out a liner and plants.

 Work starts on the bank below the house.  First thing - move all the old bags of sand and gravel.  When some of them split, we just had to have them spread out where they were.

 The finished bank - much neater, and a little steeper

Widened access to the front door, and space around the Solarium. 
This created a huge soil heap to put into raised beds as they get built.

Marking out the pond and other activities

15 - 22 Nov 2019

More preparation for the digger work needed to be done.  The hedge at the bottom of our land has extended several metres out from the edge, and we would like to recover that area.  So we cut back a lot of brush, and mapped out in rope where we wanted the pond, with its various depths.

 Dave and I dragged all the cut brush up to the shed where we will chomp it into woodchip for paths and mulch

 The pond - outer edge and inner deep zone laid out in easily adjustable rope while we made our minds up

 This is the area we cleared - the tree supported by a brace was surrounded by brush, and was growing at an angle to try to get to the light.  We cleared back about 3 metres (and found Chanterelle mushrooms)

 Some of the piles of brush by the shed, ready for a full day of chipping.

 Meanwhile, Rowan came back to finish the details of the decking,

 ... and to finally install the last two posts that hold the roof up on the north side of the music room.  This has been needed for a long time, and since we want to route rainwater capture pipes down the posts, we finally got round to prioritising them.

 Rowan fixes up the fancy bits of the terrace.

Hurrah!  30 bags of goat manure, ready for when we have the landscaping done and new beds built.

Just before Naomi and Pete went back to the UK, we had a day out in Vonitsa with them.  It was meant to be a day out in their boat, but they developed engine trouble so we went for a walk instead.

 

More stones at the steps

17 - 18 Nov 2019

The weather dawned fair enough for us to get on with finishing the kitchen steps.  Dave made little mixes by hand, so we didn't end up with too much mortar, and I set in some cladding stones to hide the brick base.

 Dave making a mix

 The steps with only the top stones in place.

 The lower step mostly clad.  Lots of mortar, because the stones needed to be so small, and as thin as possible.

 The lower step done - it will need cleaning up to see the stones properly when it has had a chance to dry.

Next day, the upper step completed too, but the lower step now seems too narrow.  Remedial work may be required, to extend it.

Clearing the land

10 - 14 Nov 2019

Naomi was determined to come and do a stint on the land, and spent Sunday helping us clear wood,  piles of brush and other debris scattered around in the potential digger zones.

 Taking a break surrounded by daisies and dandelions

 Naomi being bucolic

 That evening, we decide it is time to light the fire for the first time this autumn.  Cosy, but not entirely necessary.

 Much of the cleared debris needs to go to the bin.  

 Then the rains came - with a vengeance, so the digger work is postponed until the ground is sufficiently dry - two days clear of rainfall.

Lashing down outside the Solarium - nice and snug inside with the glass panels back in.

Off for a jolly

6 - 8 Nov 2019

Nim and Pete asked for a lift up to one of the villages where they needed to see someone, so we took a day off, and went on for a walk around Vassiliki, and lunch.

 The house we visited - where I was very taken by this clump of rosemary in flower by the wall.

 Pete and Dave on the quay in Vas.

 Naomi makes a friend.

 As we had missed Naomi's significant birthday in August, we decided to hold a belated birthday party and housewarming dinner to celebrate.  This was our first real dinner party, which tested the table at full extension.  We managed to scrape up ten place-settings, amazingly!