Restocking

I whiled away the morning washing off the external terracotta with dilute acido tamponato. It didn’t make a huge difference. I may need to reset to the pressure washer.

Then I restocked the balcony wood pile - needs doing every four or five days when the stove is burning all day. Mainly Downy Oak and hazel coppice today with some plum that was killed by an insect attack.

I finally took the sun loungers down to the old stable. Ever since the tar paper blew off in a storm - we managed to get it back up there - the food has been less than watertight. It’s a big job to replace it and left to myself I’d probably set barn or self afire ‘welding’ the tar paper together with a flame gun. So it’ll just have to drip for a bit. Which is less than ideal.

Later I returned to continue painting the gates but I’d left it too late in the day. By 4 o’clock it was hovering round 5c with a fierce northerly. The paint was getting stiffer by the minute. So I jacked it in and did a few bits and bobs. And sat down in front of the fire before making the tea for The Boss’ return over the pass from Florence.