mutant cucumber

I was going to write this earlier but with the amount of painting that’s been going on and the very high temperatures coupled with the computer playing up has slowed me down even more than usual. This has even resulted in us not getting pictures of the latest batch of WHOOFers although with luck a friend has some and if we can get our computers and various leads and connections to talk to each other we will put them on later. Just the same thanks to Tam, Lorna and Sam without whom I probably would have still been painting on Christmas day. Apart from the amount that needed to be done the local valyog walls (a type of mud brick) proved uncooperative when it came to being painted. The problem was the old oil paint stencils which kept bleeding through the coats of new paint on top and making it look like Sh*t. We had asked advice from a local painter and decorator and he suggested putting wall sealer on. We did this in the first room and it actually seemed to make matters worse. I would have had him do the job for me but he was too expensive. After about three coats on the various rooms things were looking decidedly grim. At this point I changed paint brands and this seems to have done the trick, be it after a total of five coats. My friend Lois who is visiting from Australia and who is a veteran of house renovations gave sound advice throughout including “just bloody get on with it”.
Now, for the kitchen(s), because there is going to be a separate scullery kitchen as well as the main one. I’m going to recycle the water from the main kitchen and use it to flush one of the new loos when there’re in. It will be nice to start doing a bit more work towards sustainability rather than just doing bog standard building work. I’m waiting for the weekend before tackling the growing amount of weeds as its supposed to cool down then, the thermometer on the front veranda has shown +400C for two days running. (Alan)
And I feel guilty about not picking the sorrels, spinach, oregano, and those tons of peas, but one just cannot in this heat. I managed an hour of sweet-corn weeding this morning from 6: 30 and it was like working out in a gym, got totally soaked with sweat, but managed to escape before –all- the flies and mosquitoes woke up…
One can see some advantage in those weed-killers other people use… So far though we seem to have surprisingly minimal insect-damage to the crops.
The clover needs to be chopped, too. But Sam helped us to make some hey from
grass chopped in the lane. (Eva)

It has been really good fun watching all my friends and WOOFERS work their respective butts off while I have been playing the ‘guest’ although I am going home to my own renovation completion in Australia in a few weeks time.
Neither Alan or Eva mentioned Eva’s brilliant use of their own local produce in keeping up the health and strength of the all the help. Seeing kilos of fresh salad and freshly picked and shelled peas transformed into marvellous meals and soups disappear down hungry young throats has been a real treat and has had appreciative mention in the guest book. The puppies have grown heaps since I have been here with Gus starting to look like a mini Doberman while Bonzo continues to be an ankle biter aspiring to be top dog. This status can change daily. What Bonzo lacks in size he makes up for in (possibly misguided) courage hurling insult after insult across the road at a neighbours dog at odd intervals during the night. Should he continue to keep this up he may not live to grow much bigger. Guess i had better go and shell a few more kilos of peas. (Lois)
picture wouldn't show again dammit, it's a giant white cucumber