Wednesday, May 27, 2015

New project


We finally had a bonfire to get rid of the accumulated brambles and saplings.  Unfortunately, a lot had been piled up by bulldozer and, besides being wet, we couldn´t unpile it to add to the fire.  Lesson to self - machines faster, not better.  But neither the house, nor the barn, nor the neighborhood was inadvertantly burnt in the process, so we consider it a success.  Permits have been suspended for the near future so the rest will have to wait.


In preparation for the delivery of a few loads of gravel and crushed stone for the drive and patio area, we´re tackling the pile of stone left from the renovation. It´s slow, hot, sweaty, dirty work, but there´s a certain satisfaction in seeing what you get done.  And the stone will be employed all over the property in future projects.


Good for the glutes, hell on the hamstrings.


The Fenosa electrical company people came and scalped the areas under the lines up the road a bit from us.  I understand they need access, but frankly I´m appalled at the damage they´ve done.  The last time they were working, about four years ago as I recall, they cut down a lot of old oaks that had been pollarded for years and left a bunch of scrubby trash.  This time they took it down to bare dirt.


If I were someone downstream of the creek, I´d be furious should there be a sudden storm and it washed into the waterway.  But, being Galicia, they probably figure it will just grow over again eventually.  So sad they don´t appreciate their own beautiful natural environment.

Thursday, May 14, 2015

A place for everything



Yippee for places to put things.

We got it from the same second hand place V got his office set-up.  Chestnut, probably Galician.  It had a cracked countertop, but the shop fixed it.  So now my Grandmother´s well-travelled china has a place to sit.

It smells very, very strongly of old furniture, though.  I´m tryng bowls of white vinegar up top and used coffee grounds in the under cabinets.  Fingers crossed.

Wednesday, May 6, 2015

Spring Cleaning


Passed the first test of a family visit, despite 3 days of rain.  We think everyone had a good time.

We had a guy come and de-bramble the rest of the barn.  Unfortunately, the bulldozer managed to murder the japanese quince, and yet leave the pear stump that is sprouting from the rootstock.  Sigh.


I got the first delivery of wood for next year stacked and undercover before the deluge.


The old pear looks shabbier and shabbier every year.


Had a bit of a wind storm yesterday and a small tree blew over.  I don´t know what it was, the neighbor only said they used to use them to make brooms.  Any thoughts?  Could be firewood, could be some garden structure.