The Reveal

More and more scaffolding and dust and rubble came down today as last jobs are completed. The loggetta at the front of the house and two small areas at the back still need their new tiles. The renovated shutters are still missing.

The structure of the house and its various additions and alterations over many years become clearer by the day. My theory that it started its life as a defensive tower ( the local hamlet is called La Torre after all) whilst fanciful is not entirely out of the question.

I got out the old wheeled push hoe - made in the US and called Planet.Jr. I've never had enough ground to use it since buying it pretty much as an antique 15 years ago for £50 in Hampshire. It actually works incredibly well and they are still making them at Tunkhannock, PA.

I quickly broke up the crust on the clayey ground and worked in some fertilise for the long rows of garlic, shallots, onion and potatoes.

Additional tasks included a trip to the local tip and buying lots of veg plants, fertiliser and compost. Later I started work on the septic tank.

Forgot to mention this but a week or so ago we saw a male Hen Harrier quartering the pasture fields up at 1000m near the Consumer Pass. Brief but unmistakable. The only other time I have seen one was high up (450m) in very broken rough grazing below Moel Ysgyfarnogod at the northern end of the Rhinog range in north/mid Wales.