The Night Shift and a Levitating Geranium Petal

We built (I say 'we', but Kevin did more or less everything) the first dormer window last year to accommodate the bathroom basin, but, with other projects taking urgent priority, we left it unfinished on the outside; it was watertight, but 'raw'. We decided to make a 'push' on it before the Autumn rains and chills sneaked up on us. So, up went the tower again, and up went Kevin.



We found a very cheap plastic pale plank-effect cladding material, which I think we just about get away with. The beautiful fish-scale slates, however, are originals.

Our 'terrace' may be a mess, but, look, we have a drawbridge! I don't know why we both thought we would have completed the terrace by this week. I guess we're both optimists/rose-tinted spec-wearers/dreamers. 

 Our surreal world now includes levitating geranium petals!



Okay, now back to the normal world. Cracking on with the guttering...



And then the metal top ridge cap...

You may be wondering what I do while he's up there. The answer is 'everything else'. I'll show you later what's been taking up most of my time and led to me breaking my toe. I did ask Kevin if I could help him at one point, and he asked me to get the 4x4 car and trailer and reverse it into the gap by the terrace-to-be. He was absolutely staggered when I did just that, as I'd never reversed a vehicle with any sort of trailer before. He said he'd been joking. Have faith, Kevin. (I did feel disproportionately proud of myself...)


Ah yes, the fleur-de-lis. You noticed that, did you? There was a tiny weeny gap between the two planks, so Kevin asked me to sketch a design on a piece of wood. I chose a fleur-de-lis for its solid French connections. I sketched it, and Kevin cut it out neatly with his jigsaw. I think it's quite nicely executed! Not at all pretentious...



As the sun started to sink, I put the dinner on and sat down to relax with Natasha Pulley and a glass of wine. Kevin continued to work on the dormer.





And still he worked...




Reading became tricky for me, but drinking wine presented no problems... (My liver may have other ideas...)


Eventually, Kevin decreed the work on the dormer to be officially completed; he came down, we dismantled the tower, and we ate dinner before going off to bed. 

 And the dormer survives the scrutiny of the morning light!


As for me... how did I break my toe? 


The sitting room floor was a filthy, dusty, debris-ridden crust. Apparently, it's chestnut. I've been on my knees cleaning, waxing, buffing, waxing, buffing, waxing, buffing. The buffing process included a lot of hiking-sock-wearing ballet manoeuvres that eventually evolved into the sort of running slides that children do on icy pavements. That's how you can break your big toe- hitting skirting board at speed. My toe is black, but my mood is bright. The downside of my shiny success is that no-one can ever wear shoes in here again! Never! I'm thinking of acquiring some Japanese house slippers for guests to don as they enter. (No, we don't normally keep all of our furniture in one corner. And no, that log burner isn't yet 'plumbed in'; under the TV screen would be a silly location, anyway...)

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