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JULY 2010  This thread currently has 12,804 views. Print
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Elsa Peters
July 7, 2010, 3:07pm Report to Moderator

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Wednesday 7th July

Had a day of woodworking which should make one of the projects at least a green by the end of the night.  The sofa is the next one to tackle.  I also cleared up the mess from yesterday and the stairwell is now empty apart from the woodburner and the ladder.  I'm so pleased with the tiles..so easy to maintain.....housework is not my favourite topic....

The men are upstairs resting after lugging goodness knows how many buckets of screed on a hoist upto the first floor.  The unfortunate thing is that the floor has a distinct bow in it so there's more to do than they thought otherwise the tiles would be horrendous to lay.  Sally is flattening it while Bekir is mixing, loading and hoisting.  I also have the pipework in for the toilet and screen under it so that as a temporary measure....my visitors will have their own toilet.  I like the way that they get the level right here with just a piece of plastic pipe and a pencil to mark it on the wall....and it's all underway.



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Elsa Peters
July 8, 2010, 7:03am Report to Moderator

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Thursday 8th July

Weather from the front....I've got my men building an ark and the animals are lining up two by two in the garden.   It's throwing it down and has been for the last few hours and everywhere is sodden....sodden nuisance and it has the odd clap of thunder thrown in.  All the locals are muttering since the tobacco has now been harvested and they want the sun to dry it.  There are polytunnels everywhere and some very sad faces.  My lady from the village was very down yesterday.  Apparently her tobacco has something wrong with it, I don't know what, but I think she has lost her crop and to them that is a massive part of their income.  She was not a happy lady.

So I have a half screeded floor upstairs, a half installed toilet upstairs and today I have set them tasks that are all inside and we'll wait for it to clear.  It's those jobs on that unseen list that I mentioned in and earlier diary entry.  As for picking a good day for it....I set the washing machine off overnight when the electricity is cheaper and now it's......drying on my clothes airer....typical and I believe it's the biggest load I've ever done.  Is that a glimmer of brightness I see on the hillside????   Yes it is.  

The sun is out though I don't know for how long, the washing is blowing in the breeze and the men are screeding....oh joy...
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Elsa Peters
July 8, 2010, 2:30pm Report to Moderator

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Thursday 8th July continued

Just thought I'd add a few pickies...just had a wonderful email from Princess so now I feel good.  Busy girl...  the work goes on and I've realised that the upstairs loo managed to get in the picture.  We were unsure whether to have a loo with a view or facing the wall but I've been told that it can be turned round at a later day after my visitors.....oh such accomodating men.....



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Elsa Peters
July 8, 2010, 7:49pm Report to Moderator

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Thursday evening

Just got back from the last supper with D & A of S.  She goes back to Sofia tomorrow and England on Saturday and back to the dreaded grind on Monday.  A few tears will be shed I'm sure but as soon as she sells the house in Swansea she'll be over with her boots blacked.  Nice evening....and my lady at the restaurant made me promise to go down to her 'gradina' on Sunday and I shall probably be wending my way back with a variety of goodies from the garden.

Just made myself a brandy and hot water.  It's a lovely starry night but there's a distinct chill in the air.  Barmy night inside ....not balmy out.  The BBC weather predicts rain for the next four days so let's hope that it clears by the time my guests arrive....LN everybody...time for bed....
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Elsa Peters
July 9, 2010, 7:53pm Report to Moderator

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Friday 9th July

What a funny day but at the end of it my car exhaust has been welded, the Pajero part has arrived from the UK, Sally my miestor and myself constructed the sofa and Bekir has tiled the upstairs bedroom.  We did have some laughs over the sofa though.  It sort of 'grew' and is going to grow even further tomorrow apart from the fact that it's legs are going to get shorter.  Too high for me....I like to slob not sit or rather stand on ceremony.  I did ask him if he coud do the same again tomorrow and that's when I though he would decide to do tobacco instead

Any way I've swept the lounge and tidied up a bit in general but really need to get all the tools outside, then it will be easy.  Tonight I'm tired and so I'm saying goodnight....another busy day tomorrow.....LN.
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July 9, 2010, 9:47pm Report to Moderator
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my you have been a busy girl.  Looking good though.
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Elsa Peters
July 10, 2010, 7:15pm Report to Moderator

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Saturday 10th July

Today has been a day of up and downs....the men have been working upstairs and I have been trying to work down.  Unfortunately they had their own agenda which didn't coincide with mine and it seemed to get lost in translation.  The upstairs bedroom is fully tiled and grouted but the simple request / job like cutting up a huge piece of wood to make the bedbase went unheaded.  They won't be doing that until monday and I wanted to get the bedroom finished so that it was a job out of the way.  Wrong...the huge timber is sitting in the hallway and in the way and the legs on the sofa are still waiting to be shortened.

I came in from the garden at almost nine tonight and realised that I hadn't eaten since breakfast.  A large local spicy sausage fried off with onions and mixed with chicken and mushroom soup and it was absolutely wonderful.  Because it was so late I decided that I would have it with garlic croutons instead of going for the pasta or potato option.

I've finished tidying the entrance way and all of the old wood that seems to have accumulated has been 'filed'.  If it's not being used in the next 24 /48 hours it gets into the used file although I do have quite a lot of woodwork yet to do.

Sorry everyone...I'm too tired so off to my snuggle down mattress....LN
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Elsa Peters
July 11, 2010, 3:43am Report to Moderator

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Sunday 11th July

Beautiful calm morning...cow bells coming from somewhere in the valley, sun and mist on the hills...really beautiful and almost a shame to disturb it all with a.....reciprocating saw.  Yes, needs as needs must, I have my plan Baldrick and plans must be followed to the letter unless I get distracted by the World Cup later.  Not that I've watched a single game to date but there might be an invitation later.

Onwards, ever onwards and upwards....

Quick update....I have shelves in the bathroom, my printer cabinet is in situ after spending a week outside unfinished while I looked on it with shame and disbelief that I had made such an abortion out of poor wood.  A few good nails and it will do until winter when I can throw it on the woodburner....and I am half way through building my bench so that my guests will at least have something to sit on when I serve up the culinery delights.   Six inch nails work wonders when you run out of screws....
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Elsa Peters
July 11, 2010, 9:00pm Report to Moderator

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Sunday continued

Well it was almost 10.00 this evening when I came in from woodworking.  It was still light which surprised me, I thought it was earlier.  I've cleaned some of the windows today, the first time is always the worst since there are splashes of cement and plaster on them but the bedroom upstairs is waiting for the bed, mattress, sheets, and the sixty minute makeover...just fluff that cushion one more time....and tomorrow....it will be finished and then I move downstairs.  Sally's sofa is still too tall and they just seem to plane the wood until all of the character goes out of it....still, it can always go upstairs as a bed in one of the rooms.  Tomorrow it will be trimmed to a reasonable height and then I shall make another out of chunks of wood and a mattress.  Need two when you have visitors....my bench is standing up for itself but i just need two more lengths of timber....yes there is stuff here but i'm thinking it might go towards the staircase so I'm leaving it well alone.

Guess who dropped her last bottle of Samsara in the bathroom this moring and I shall state it now....tiled floors are unforgiving.  Thousands of pieces but the bathroom does smell good.

On another note LN....i'm shattered tonight.....
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Elsa Peters
July 12, 2010, 7:40pm Report to Moderator

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Monday 12th July

How late am I tonight.  Work, work and yet more work.  Some giggles along the way though.  I went to buy two mattresses for my sofas today and had Bekir with me.  He tried to negotiate discount for me but the lady was having none of it but as a parting gift I was given a fleece blanket.....nice touch.  Did it rain this lunchtime, did it ever....I've told Bekir that all work on the house is to stop and that ark is the priority and I'm not joking.  The leaves are turning yellow on the tomato plants, tobacco is not drying properly so it all is very 'unseasonal'.  

My stairs go in tomorrow....or rather are being made in situ....as I said to my carpenter, the men are still going up and down and a decent staircase would get ruined so I am having a temporary one fitted for my guests arriving on Wednesday on EJ.  I'm heading up to Sofia with D of S....

I've just had an email to say that the Beast is ready....ready for what it didn't say...could be the scrap heap but I'll go and see the cost of the repairs tomorrow.  At least the correct part arrived from England unlike the part that came from Taiwan.  That's in the shop and will probably gather dust.

Good news.....Mikey B is getting me more Samsara.  He'll bring it over on Wednesday and this time it goes nowhere near the bathroom...

Now time for bed.....lots to do tomorrow.  Curtains to cobble together and hanging space to sort out and stairs going in and beds to make.....just tired thinking about it.  LN...
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