I am properly on time this morning, doing about fifteen minutes of stretches on my porch…the sun is shining wonderfully when I get up…before I start on the morning rituals and then head for the house. Trin Trin the Monster Boxer is her usual crazy self, while we walk down, tugging on the stick I carry and bracing her paws every which way in an attempt to tear it from my hands.
Once I’ve deposited my luggage, I hang and fold the new batch of laundry and then have a quick breakfast as the coffee percolates. Considering I’m early this morning I’ve already finished my morning meal when big brother and grandpa arrive, and start their usual morning discussion.
I listen to them with half an ear when I set up my laptop and get settled to read what I wrote yesterday. I do only a few alterations, shuffle some sentences around and then remind big brother that we still have today’s edit to do. At long last he joins me and in the following hours we manage about six pages of the manuscript.
It’s a good scene. A character builder, if you will. I think it will give another interesting angle to the hero of the story, making him more sympathetic and ehm…deep. It works well, for as far as I can see, creating a background for him, which was something one of my test readers complained about, and at the same time, humanizing him. Big brother is pleased, and that is always a good thing when editing is concerned.
We start working on the wall a little early today, since afterwards we want to head out into the woods for more rocks, and the sun is shining bright through the sporadic clouds that mark the vibrant blue sky overhead, there’s no reason to postpone it. There is a sweet scented breeze coming from the sea, making the temperatures perfect for heavy manual labor.
I get outside first, taking off my sweater when the warmth beings to seep into my limbs. Without hesitation I start hauling rocks, piling them up on the edge of the old wall, so that when the sibs arrive we can lift them down into the strip of garden that takes up a small section of the courtyard. Fifteen minutes into the chore I exchange my long sleeved T for a top, fully enjoying the sun on my skin.
Since most of the main wall has been brought up to height already–only a small section needs to be build up still–I decide to start working on the old section that needs to be build up another foot or so in order to give it the same height as the rest.
While big brother helps little sister with the section she insists on finishing herself, little brother helps me with the broad section on the old wall by supplying me with the cement middle sister is mixing for us all.
Today I might even get a bit of tan, considering I am standing in full sunshine for most of the building session, it is a viable option. It is actually kind of invigorating, the breeze, the warmth, all in all a wonderful combination, and by the time the sun is lowering towards the southwestern mountain we call it a day.
Big brother left a little earlier, since he has offered to prepare dinner, but he comes out again by the time we have chased the dogs into the courtyard and he and I prepare to head on out to get more rocks for the next few days.
With grandpa joining in, we make it to the other side of the mountain in record time…it is Sunday nonetheless, and traffic is minimal at most…and slowly make our way up the narrow trail that leads us to a section where construction has torn up the ground.
There are plenty of rocks to pick from, and for the next half hour or so we haul piles of them to the truck bed, until it is filled to the top. That done we get momentarily distracted by the multitude of young plants that have sprung forth from the ground during the rather wet winter we’ve had.
Considering that we intend to cultivate the small garden that borders the wall, we’re going to need a lot of plants, and for another half hour we scour the mountainside in search for suitable growths that are young enough for easy removal.
We find quite a few, and dally quite a bit as we admire the beautiful spring greens that have sprouted everywhere.
There is a scent of thyme in the air, combined with fennel, mosses, grass and spruces that grow tall on blackened rocks and thin layers of soil. Grandpa is fascinated by the fact that there are so many young oaks all over the place, especially since they seem to have sprung out of nowhere amidst the somewhat morose spruces.
At long last, when the sun is lowering behind the horizon we start on our way home. By the time we exit the path, and with it the wooded area, the sky is a mix of bright pink and gray, creating a rather impressive view as we drive into the village and make our way around the mountain.
Darkness has fallen by the time we arrive home and place the plant sprouts in water so they’ll make it through the night. Once inside the house we eat a quick dinner, prepared by big brother before we left, and watch a TV show before the night has drawn to an end.
Dogs get cleared of more ticks then, plans for tomorrow are made, and the time for me to head on up to my cabin arrives. With my dogs in tow I make my way up the steep slope and let the dogs rush ahead of me.
I do some quick cleaning, while my dogs eat and then change into my pjs before setting down for tonight’s Blog and messages. I’m pretty exhausted, so in that regard I’m rather happy that nighttime has fully arrived.
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