Autumn Action

As Autumn creeps up on us, we savour any day which recalls the warmth of summer before the handover to chilly winter.

I love experimenting with growing plants from cuttings during this cooler period. They don't dry out so quickly.

Colours are always so much more intense. 

We stayed up at the plot for almost the entire first week of April. We first overnighted in Pringle Bay and visited friends as we did last year in September. 

The next morning, it was cold and rain clouds were about.

At the plot, we spent time attending to small chores. Attending to one chore left over from his last building session, Roy now covered the painted board of the platform above the door with malthoid, sealed the joins with membrane cloth and then painted with roof sealant paint. This should ensure protection and waterproofing of the structure. 

I am still not able to get up onto the deck as there are no steps yet on the stairway and I have a fear of climbing a ladder.

We visited friends nearby who have hand-reared an abandoned Barn owlet into a beautiful specimen. He flies in every evening for his dinner. 

What a hoot! 

The Cape honeysuckle on the fence is starting to spread nicely.

We added a shade-cloth cover above the top windows for protection against NEXT summer's sun. It is supposed to be a temporary measure until we install something sturdier. 

We will probably leave it there until it perishes!

A different perspective of the plot, without the usual mountain backdrop.

On our return to Cape Town we were delighted to spend a day with our dear friends who emigrated to Australia about 14 years ago.  We took them to the Spice Route Farm in Paarl and then on to the Hillcrest Berry Orchard Farms. 

It is so difficult to be the ones left behind when most of your family and friends move far away. Please come back soon!

Birthday Build

After our trip to the plot in early February, Roy returned two weeks later, a day or two after a major milestone birthday of his, and he moved into the caravan for the next two weeks. Our brother-in-law joined him for the weekend before the builders were due to start on the Monday. He was of invaluable help as cook and bottle washer, as well as passing tools and materials to Roy as he built a platform over the door and wedged the staircase into position for the builder.

Brother-in-law was sad to see how many metal decorative tools had been removed from the Gomo Guti Gate since he last saw it a couple of years ago. 

This staircase was purchased second hand in 2011 and we sanded and painted it with NS4. It has been stored since then in the main room of the building so this means there should be less clutter now.

Brother-in-law departed on the Monday as Roy  went to fetch the builder and his helper from Suurbraak. 

The builder is 65 years old and usually only builds for 3 days of any week but as he was feeling energetic, he ended up working a full five days and then three days of the following week. Roy values the skills of this old timer who has such a wealth of experience and Roy gives him a free rein.

Firstly, after chipping away at excess bits of concrete, the screed, which had to be thrown in two sections, was laid, one half on Monday, the other half on the following Monday. This allowed for transfer of items from one side of the room to the other, once the first half had dried and been polished. By throwing a screed on the floor, as already done in the bathroom and little bedroom, the final finish would mean that we can move along with building cupboards and installing a sink.

The second half had to be mixed by hand because overnight rain had played havoc with the concrete mixer's spark plug. The texture has to be just right, producing a mixture which does not run but which compresses into a moist, pliable texture. 

The staircase was not tall enough.   Before the staircase could be installed, the water tank on the stoep had to be moved to it's now permanent position, in order to make space for a  stepped brick platform which would boost the staircase.

Next on the to-do list was to extend the pillars above deck-level. Preparation entailed throwing bricks expertly onto upper deck and carting up buckets of cement. 

Once the pillars were set, Roy installed metal railings. These railings do seem overly extravagant for this building and it's purpose, but we didn't pay a cent for them. The seller of the staircase was anxious that he would "get stuck" with these railings that he had ripped out during his house renovations and we were only too happy to take them off his hands. 

Unbelievably, they were a perfect fit and were used without any need for resizing. When we acquired them, the footprint of the building was already established, so it is quite amazing how suitably they have served us.

You can see the mark on the concrete surface where the water tank used to stand.

Roy finished off the platform with wooden planks, covered it with thin plywood, material and sealant.  Next time, he will cover this with Malthoid and finalise with another coat of sealant.

The next chore was to use up the last of our bricks on a project for the future. Can you guess what it is for? It is along our back boundary fence at the highest spot. (which is not very high, and we do need height for the purpose) 

Besides the inside coloured screed, in order to use up the last of our current building sand, a start was made on the outside stoep screed. 

After a celebratory lunch at the local Wimpy with the team, with arrangements made for next time,  Roy and John spent the last day finalising some unfinished items as far as possible.

Before setting off for home, Roy delightedly snapped these March Lilies, which are growing from seed, harvested in my Cape Town garden.