Robin and Pirate...both building

 

Nest tidied and rebuilt....and sitting tight.

Making the workbench level and fixing it so that it doesn't wobble!

Windy day

 Yesterday was good. 

A low key get together, friends chatting and remembering and talking of the future.

Then JP's teammates recent and from former times had a session on the boards.    Just right.

Today is Mother's Day here..so himself made us tea...and no alarm this morning!!

The building progresses slowly as the wind is really getting to us, gusting over 30 mph..and as it channels between buildings it gets faster.

Still the brick surround is nearly all down. Oggin next.

I have been giving a hand and getting ready to sow more seeds in the greenhouse.

The onion sets, shallots and broad beans are already in and room is getting short! They will have to move out to the polytunnel very soon, but that is sheltering building materials at the moment!!

One bonus of mixed weather.

A split second and that was all that was left!

Building progress

 No, the bricks at the front ARE level...we measured them! Tablet camera and camera angle, probably!!

You will be glad to know that I am assisting where possible and that he is taking breaks!!

Too busy! And bad news

 For photos..so you will have to take my word for it!

Brick building almost done, nine to mortar in. wood painted and tried..it fits! Now to wait until tomorrow and use the leftover mortar to point between paving slabs.

Loads of washing done and mostly dried, ironing all smooth...

While waiting to be useful and give a hand or opinion, I started trimming the edges of the paths where the grass was encroaching.

So no art work but still busy!

Bad news.  Our friend that we normally stay with near Oldham had a stroke..so was in hospital in Bury... expecting to move to Oldham for an op and then home.

Picked up the Sars Cov2 virus in hospital.... positive but no symptoms although the stroke had knocked the stuffing out of him. Pirate had been phoning him and he was chatting happily.. explains the lack of response to calls.

Just two years older than Pirate, we call him Our Dad as he looks after us so well.

All we can do is hope.

Planning ahead

 Garlic planted

Foundation for one side of the greenhouse wall laid. ("You've got me on my knees!!")

Equinox

The youngsters flew off this morning, following in their parents' flight path.

The wind was up over the equinox, and still is down the East coast of England. Here we had a still starry night and all the shed roofs were white with frost in the morning.

We had a quieter day today after some hard work removing glass from a greenhouse from a neighbour over the road. Her sons are buying her a new one! This one has been there for about fifty years!!  Then it was carried over, including over her side fence and our side fence and gate...by four people, suitably distanced, one at each corner!

 Now the sums are being done..it will be on three courses of bricks to give a decent growing height...and of course we have bricks but not quite enough. At least bricks won't cost too much, compared to glass. Most of the glass is good, just needs a clean.

A good day to tick along quietly, finishing jobs started or just queueing to be done!

 Another small batch of fresh fig and date chutney, this time with some ripe tomatoes from the garden instead of apples.  Three half price punnets of mushrooms sliced and dried, and the dehydrator refilled with one layer each of pineapple pieces and halved dark cherries (grown in Scotland) and the rest full of sliced pears. 

Three punnets of cherries are now three mason jars of cherries. I might go back to the street stall in town tomorrow to see if they have more! They are the misshapes, the split and regrown...but just as tasty as the perfect fruit. There could be more to dry, and a few bottles of cordial to make..and fresh cherries to eat of course!!

Pirate has been busy sorting bike things and doing construction sums.

We would love to get on with my workshop verandah, but can't have our friend to stay...and we need his muscle and building know-how. Let's hope that when we can get together more, we will have the weather fit to do outside work.