Hammer Time!

Hello folks,

We’ve been a hive of activity here. 

It’s been non stop measuring, sawing, drilling and swearing! Actually, he’s been pretty good, no disasters, the weather’s been glorious and his language has been such that it’s suitable to be used around a maiden aunt.

Well apart from Sunday after 12 noon. I pointed out that it is considered rude to make noise after lunch, he did get a bit sulky then….

Monday morning though he was like a hare out of the traps, there was no holding him back.

As you know, we had picked up loads of wood from the sawmill last week, enough for Simon to start building the frame of the boiler house.

It really was going up quickly, he doesn’t hang around once he’s got an idea in his head.

We did have a small amount of excitement from the outside world in the form of a parcel from La Poste.

Simon had been having many curse inducing shorts malfunctions! Basically, he’d been hanging his power tools from his shorts’ pockets and they’d been falling down. So as not to completely alienate ourselves from our new neighbours, we thought a pair of braces would do the trick. A quick eBay click and delivery from our friendly post lady and voila, no more embarrassing derriere moments.

Clearly you have to look mean and moody whilst wearing braces.

There wasn’t a great deal for me to help him with, so I got on with digging some trenches for planting potatoes.

I know what you’re thinking, socks and crocs, she’s lost all her dignity. Well yes, I have. I quite honestly couldn’t care less, if you don’t have socks on the mud gets in the holes and a sweaty, muddy mess ensues.

Si was still working away and making tremendous progress.

Told you, he doesn’t hang about, but we needed to wait for the delivery of the cladding for the outside.

Meanwhile, in the animal kingdom there was a world of amazing creatures, just waiting to be discovered, accidentally by me.

Firstly, let me introduce you to Monsieur Cockchafer, don’t laugh, that’s his real name! Although it does sound like it could be quite painful.

These guys are about 2 inches long and when they fly, they sound like a drone going overhead, they don’t seem too aerodynamic either! Quite cute though, not offensive.

On the other hand, their babies, or to give them their correct name, larvae are quite, quite hideous.

I mean, just take a look at this sucker…

You’d think I’d have run in screaming but I didn’t want to draw attention to my crocs…

Anyway, we also have, residing in our garden field crickets. These are really cool, they live in little holes in the lawn and sit there, rubbing their legs together and making that noise you associate with foreign holidays.

Here is one I have christened Francois.

Simon was still constructing, with his handy non-jamming nail gun. That was just for the hammer & nail purists amongst the readers.

So, I thought I’d better do something useful other than wandering around filming insects.

The veggie plot wasn’t really cared for whilst we were still in England and so this means that although we rotavated it, where I haven’t planted anything yet the weeds are growing like wildfire.

I decided to hoe the unplanted sections in readiness for the rest of the veggies we have growing in the cold frame.

I was happily hoeing (I’ll do the jokes thanks) and I flicked up this lump of brown mud with yellowish balls stuck to it…a bit confused I poked it again with the hoe and, before my eye, it materialised into this….

I ran away……

It’s a Midwife Toad, the males carry the eggs on their back, so I’m relenting in my disgust of him because he’s obviously a feminist by nature and that deserves some applause.

We (Simon) deposited him in a hedge so he could go about his business.

After this amphibias interlude Simon got back to his structure of the day, which is very nearly clad in its entirety.

I think you’ll agree with me that he’s done a grand job.

And, to top it all, our worldly goods are all arriving tomorrow from England! 

Hooray, a change of clothes...