Cobbing Along

Constructing the library

19-20 October 2017

On Thursday, the plaster in the library had dried sufficiently to be whitewashed, so I put three coats on in a day, while also managing to get to the beach for Mum's swim. On Friday, as well as helping Dave fix a gelcoat nick for Jonathan on a friend's boat, I also managed two coats of white paint on the library shelves.

Everything drying in the sun ...

... while Mum and I go for a swim

The library - ready to be shelved

The studio, needing to be cleared to be Richie's bedroom on Saturday ...

... with everything relocated to the first four library shelves, in the nick of time.

It's not very clear, but Dave and I fixed up some bamboo roller blinds from the ceiling in the studio, so that they make a guest room wall that can be lowered when needed. I finished making up the bed with 20 minutes to spare before leaving for the airport - which was when Richie rang to say he'd missed his connecting flight in Dusseldorf ...

Big piles of brush

Tuesday 17 October 2017

Panos and Dmitri came back for a half day and brought a friend, they had decided to collect the brushwood from the next door field, which we had asked for, back in February, but had not had the time or energy to collect in the intervening months. The lads worked like crazy, and left us with this huge pile of olive wood prunings.

I swanned off to the beach with Mum, while Dave worked solidly for two hours and produced this small heap of wood chips. Must get a faster chipper.

Week of work - Friday

Friday 13 October 2017

Not an inauspicious day. Lots more got done. Panos and Dmitri had finished painting the house, and moved on to more fencing - this time to sheep-proof our field, as we're sick of the cabbages and kale disappearing down sheep throats.

P&D wrestling the fence into postion

Our sheep-proof gate

Rowan's state of play, a lot of the frame in, but now he's off to the UK for ten days

The second big panel complete ...

... and all the small sections over the stairs. So that's it for now. The area needs to be cleaned and swept clear of sheets and plaster droppings, to make it fit for visitors on Sunday

Week of work - Thurs

12 October 2017

The limewashing continues, Dave keeps making mixes, and inside, the laths are disappearing under plaster, just like we've wanted for months

The remaining upstairs areas: outside the bedroom - two large panels

and over the stairs, tricky to get at, so Dave built a platform to straddle the turn in the stairs (I only bumped my head twice)

First big panel done

At work on the platform, plastering and stuffing the cracks between olive wood corners and the wood frame with pillow fluff for insulation

Week of work - Weds

Weds 11 October 2017

Panos and Dmitri came back on Weds to start on the limewashing - they've undertaken to do the annual lashing on of whitewash all round the outside of the house.

Dave finally gets to put a mix of plaster on

Panos at work

Dmitri at work

and, at last, on day three - I get some plaster on the wall (while still providing lunches for all)

and by tea time the library area is plastered, hurrah!

Week of work - Tues

Tuesday 10 October 2017

Panos and Dmitri had agreed to come and help get some urgent jobs sorted out, so, before the plastering could begin we talked them through building a chicken run extension, to give the girls more space. We have been free-ranging them, but they eat all the salads and herbs, so they need an exclosed exercise yard. Then there was lunch to make for five, then the plastering could begin ...

Panos and Dmitri forcing their way through the undergrowth to measure for fencing

Dave and Rowan discuss roofing ideas for the trombe

Dave fixes plastering mesh over some lathed areas on the mezanine

and I, finally, have the last lath! (Probably)

Later that day, the chickens explore their new territory

Lots to do

9 October 2017

Now we have a week, and then my Mum arrives for ten days. It would be nice to get some of the plastering done that we've been looking at all year, but it would need to be done and all cleared away before Mum arrives (too many tripping hazards otherwise).

We agreed that the 'library' would be the first area to tackle. It could then be shelved and some of our storage problems would be fixed. So first it had to be cleared - into the studio.

Adding to the clutter in my poor cluttered studio

but a nice clear area of operations in the 'library-to-be'

Meanwhile, Dave finishes painting the remaining window frames. These are all for high up windows and will need to be glassed before installation to make life easier.

Before the interior plastering can begin, we remembered we hadn't yet grouted the little bit of floor we've laid in the entry - so that came first.

Rowan arrived, and started work on the conservatory/greenhouse area

(apologies for stupid photography error in foreground)

And what do you do with a big barrowload of grout when the little job is finished? Find a big job to use it up - so the front step finally got its grouting, years after the stones were put down.

Barricaded out!

Friday 6 October

We had the most amazing journey back across Greece after the PDC - starting on the 0830 ferry to Rafina, and catching the early Lefkada bus by the skin of our teeth, arriving back in Nidri before it was dark. Only to find that a delivery of logs in our absence had been dumped across the path:

Some hours later, we had stacked the log store, but still with lots to do

Permaculture Design Course

Saturday 23 Sept to Thursday 5 October
Tinos Eco-Lodge

We have been interested in Permaculture for quite a while, but all the information that we are easily able to access is written in English and deals with Australia, the US or the UK. As our interest is in Greek plants and conditions it made a lot of sense to take the Permaculture Design Course (or PDC) in Greece.

So on Saturday we crossed the country by car, bus, taxi and ferry, arriving at the eco-lodge on Tinos in the dark. The next morning, a spectacular sunrise greeted us in our east-facing room, and the course started. It was intensive, fascinating, well-taught and engrossing. We were 12 students with two teachers: Elena Symeonidou from Paros island and Andrew Jordan from Ireland, and we were very grateful to find that all the teaching was in English, although a huge amount of local knowledge was available from our fellow students as well as the teachers. In all, a very worthwhile and fun thing to do, although it couldn't really be called a 'holiday'.

We have returned home determined to install rainwater capture tanks, and get some ducks to build a pond (apparently they will do that!), as well as plant even more trees! A few of our many photos are below: