It’s been a long day and it’s also been a while since I’ve written a daily update … and so here goes 🙂 Some days are, like this one, really long and don’t leave much space or energy to write … other days are long and restful/sleepy and also don’t leave much space or energy to write 🙂

Yes, we’ve finally found some long overdue rest … the rest we were looking forward to but couldn’t find during winter has arrived in these long and hot summer days. Mornings and evenings are good time for working outside … the rest of the days is either indoors or in the workshop.

Most mornings I spend in a new foundation practice … chopping wood. We purchased 12 cubic meters of hardwood … it’s a lot … as is cutting it up. It can’t be put off too long because (a) we want the wood to dry well and (b) as weeks go by it does dry and harden up and become that much more difficult to cut. Cutting involves three jobs: chainsaw slicing, axe chopping and piling for storage. I’ve gotten much better at using and sharpening the chainsaw. For every session of chainsaw cutting I am left with 2 or 3 sessions of chopping and storing. I am also getting more creative in my chopping approach … I have different approaches depending on the size and shape of wood. I am not yet cutting the pieces to their final shape … long and relatively thin pieces suitable for rocket stoves … but stopping at thin enough slices which in the future I can slice into thinner strips as needed. The reason is that the current task is quite challenging and the additional slicing would make it even longer.

After a break we drove to a nearby forest andcame back with a car full of sacks filled with leaves. They are intended as mulch for the raised beds … which are suffering from lack of water (due to them having been built in late spring, not enough proper mulch available when we built them and hot days with no rain).

We came back and I went to the workshop. I completed preparing all the pieces for our bed headboard. It isn’t too complicated a project but it has some firsts. It includes fairly long boards and curves. Tomorrow (if weather permits) I can get started with finishing.

Then I joined Andreea and we went to the raised beds. We did some more weeding and mulching … using a combination of sheeps-wool and the leaves we brought from the forest. They weren’t enough for all the beds … but the part we did looks great. We wet it a bit (since our well is running low too) … and let’s hope for the best. We focused on the peppers which were looking the saddest.

We’ve showered – it was relatively easy to heat the boiler since it still had hot water from yesterday. The chickens and ducks are settled in for the night … going to feed the dogs. Andreea just handed me a slice of freshly baked bread … they are getting better every time 🙂 Soon dinner … and … good night 🙂