I had one of those days ...

... where I couldn't get myself started. At least I had a good night's sleep with the fan going through the night - so much so that I dreamt that I was back working at a job that I hated in a place that I hated with people who I hated. Surprising isn't it, what goes through people's minds.

So this morning in the heat I stirred a few papers around - but I've managed 14kb of notes so far for the radio programmes and that should see us through the next recording session if I can't win back the enthusiasm.

Outside this afternoon another 6 buckets went into the wall but it's slow work despite me standing on the ground today doing the work. I've been filling in two of the vertical cracks, and that has been time-consuming, and also it's not been easy to move some of the old cement pointing that needs to come out. The old metal screwdriver that I use as a chisel is giving up the ghost, I think. I shall have to buy a new one ... "this heat really is getting to you" - ed .

Anyway, I reckon that if I can keep up this schedule, another 5 days will see this wall finished - and then it will be time to start on the long wall and point that. But that should be easier ... "famous last words" - ed ... as I'll be working off the scaffolding and you saw how quickly I did the house wall once I had a scaffolding up there. Nevertheless, I'm impressed with what I've done so far. I shan't know the place when it's finished, whenever that might be;

Two phone calls too - one from Marianne telling me that our walk tomorrow at St Hilaire is cancelled as there's a funeral at the church, and secondly from Rosemarie who wanted a chat.

And I cooked a mega-aubergine-and-kidney-bean doodah to last for the next 3 days and just as I finished, the gas ran out. That's over 10 months (8th October) that that bottle has lasted - just shows you the benefits of having the electric steamer and also the new woodstove. A far cry from when I needed to buy a new bottle every three weeks, isn't it?