Ginger Nuts And Ants

It was a year ago this week that all in the one day, we laid the first block for the garages, the area was swarming with police because Sarkozy was visiting a farm up the road. far more important visitors were staying with us – my Dad and Fiona and Madame X stopped by and told us to stop building because she still owned the land!  We are still here, Sarkozy now goes down into the annals of history, Fiona has sold up and moved to Wales and after a letter from our solicitor we haven’t seen or heard from Madame X again.

Curiouser and curiouser

Back to the birdy theme.  When we have brought up blocks from the stacks and gone to lay them we have found 4 nests amongst them.  One looked old, one was a mouse’s and two were birds’ nests made up of the usual twiggy, grassy bits and……………....ginger hair!  Not mine, as sadly I no longer have any ginger/auburn/strawberry blond hair (it may return from a bottle in the near future).  It is quite bizarre that two separate nests have been furnished with the same hair.  It looks like it could have come from a hairdresser’s floor but there are no hairdressers for miles.  I haven’t noticed any ginger nuts either. Well, there is one but it is out of a bottle and a very different red.  I wonder how far a bird flies with its building materials?  Answers on a postcard please.

This week we have put the winter duvet back on, sweltered in very high temperatures and been in and out of the caravan like a fiddler’s elbow sheltering from the downpours.  What a bizarre summer.  However, that aside we are nearly up to roof height on three sides of the house.  Suddenly it all looks very tall. The fourth side is being left open to allow us to get the trusses in for the roof with the help of good old Daisy the Digger.

Side view of the house

                                            

I spied a lovely piece of furniture outside Elben’s house. I told his Mother how lovely it was and she said they were throwing it out.  I am now the proud owner of a French bureau which was functioning not as a writing desk but as a high rise habitat for thousands of ants (hence it’s appearance outside Elben’s house).  The top drawer wouldn’t open because we thought the key had been lost.  However, Brendan did get it open and in fact it was locked shut by the ants’ nest.  It was a strange mud like structure and was covering many internal areas.  It is now sat on the terrace covered in white ant powder.  Another little project for those days when I am twiddling my thumbs!  The next picture you see of it will be in situ in the house!  Could be a long wait!                                                                                                

Ant nest in the corner

Blackie and Ginger

Some of you will know that Brendan's nickname since he was a little lad is Blackie.  Many people in Northumberland still call him Blackie.  His nickname for me is Ginger.  You are now wondering how we got these nicknames.  He had black hair and I had ginger hair - simple.  Of course these days Trading Standards would be after us for misrepresentation or not matching the description on the packaging.  I mention this because when I saw this picture it reminded me of the two of us and how dog tired I feel!  Sorry had to remove the picture of two cute dogs, a ginger one and a black one.