Tuesday 25 July 2023
Yesterday, my friend Becky and I finished digging over the area where the cabin will go. It does not look like we have done anywhere near as much as it felt like we did. The ground is full of stones and roots. By the time we finished, on top of the mud from the day before, we were muddy and tired but very, very pleased with ourselves. Annoyingly though, I had forgotten about midges, it having been so windy for the past few weeks. I have been bitten on my forehead, left cheek and left forearm. A lot.
Chris, Becky and I went to Selkirk, Galashiels, Melrose and Hawick yesterday, reconfirming that Scottish Borders towns are not exciting places for visitors. However, the scenery in between the towns was, as ever, lovely.
Our water supply did not let us down for the duration of Becky’s stay and there were no problems or challenges to deal with while she was here.
Today, I have the kind of low-key aches I know are as a result of having spent a few hours digging yesterday. As with the previous day, surprisingly satisfying. I even had two nights where I know I slept really deeply; well-earned sleep is a wonderful thing.
The kitchen extractor fan mouse is very much still active. This morning, there was no solitary dropping, but there were a lot of white plastic extractor fan shavings.
Becky heads home to Birmingham today, a friend of Chris’s is staying on Friday night and on Sunday, Chris and I are driving down to London, just in time for the next heatwave in London and the southeast. Not the best timing for a trip to London but we both have things on the first week in August.