17 Dec 09

Time out for...

A little Christmas message to all our friends, family and blog followers....

And now back to work...

After a slow and somewhat windy start we ended up having a blinder of a day this Thursday. We've screwed in about a third of the greenhouse ceiling planks! Yes, I can't believe it either!

The bad news is that we've nearly used up all the prepared planks so we're back to treating and whitewashing planks next week - boo hiss.

We have finally managed to track down some Borax though which we plan to use to treat the wood instead of the nasty vicious (and expensive) stuff we've been using so far - yehay.

After searching high and low here in Spain we found out that there's some sort of directive which states that Borax is not allowed to be sold here in it's powdered, non diluted form anymore, although it's ok to ship it in it's diluted form, therefore shipping water unnecessarily... Is it me, or is this world getting more and more barmey?!! Anyways, we managed to get some powdered borax from the uk, I know, I know, all that shipping, but whats worse? Not sure I know anymore.

Here's Dave finishing off at the end of the day - filling in the holes with lose planks so when the plastic is on we don't collect puddles or fall through.

Plastic Fantastic?

We're using thick black plastic to protect the ceiling planks from water damage until we're ready to put the insulation and final finish on. Unfortunately this tears easily and has left us with a few water stains on our beautifully whitewashed planks. But, with the help of a little gaffa tape, we think we've stopped most of the leaks. Last time we also put in crickets to direct the water off the roof. This worked to a degree, but we still had some puddling - although this all went to water the satsuma tree.

Can't wait to get this section of the roof properly sealed now so our lovely ceiling doesn't get damaged even more.

COP 15

Has anyone been following the climate talks this week? We've been watching it on the news with a feeling of desperation and sadness as the week has progressed.

The good news is that even if a robust agreement isn't reached by the end of this week (which isn't looking likely), the word is out there that change is vital. Keep spreading the word and keep doing your bit. And in the true spirit of the season of good will let's say thank you to our politicians for trying to change a very complicated and ingrained situation. I certainly wouldn't like to have been in the hot seats this week - definitely no pun intended.