No, I'm not on about trusty steeds becoming exhausted during a long journey and needing to be exchanged whilst overnighting at a roadside inn. Of course, the above photo is a dead giveaway, and it represents my day's work today.
It's the first week on November and, yet again it seems, although we are enjoying the wonderful weather, with day-time temperatures hovering in the upper twenties again today, we do find ourselves experiencing mixed feelings, because it really ought to have rained much more than it has done so far this 'autumn'.
Up until today we've had a whole week of almost wind-less weather, which was one reason why the trip up Mount Attaviros was so enjoyable (see post before this one). Today, there was a slight breeze, but still not what any respectable weather forecaster would call a real wind. And we've been enjoying that luxurious feeling of not having to go anywhere. For the first time in several months, we have a couple or three days during which we don't have to start up the car. Apart from emptying a few wheelbarrow-loads of green waste across the lane from the front gates, we didn't venture anywhere outside the garden today, and it was wonderful.
When I ask my trusty Amazon Echo (my latest toy) for the seven-day weather forecast, for the past few days it's been almost exactly the same.
"Alexa, what's the seven day weather forecast?"
"Here is the seven day forecast for Kiotari: Tuesday, 23 degrees and sunny. Wednesday, 22 degrees and lots of sunshine. Thursday, 22 degrees with some cloud and sunshine. Friday, 22 degrees and lots of sunshine..." and so she goes on. Once or twice there's been the merest hint that perhaps in a few days it will rain, or there'll at least be a shower, but as the days tick by and it draws closer it inevitably changes to "23 degrees and mainly sunny."
Ah well, despite the dire state of the island's water supply, I yet again dig out the trusty watering cans and water my new raised beds, to keep our lettuces, onions, beetroot and spinach plants going.
As you will have seen from the photo at the top of this post, the horses to which the heading refers are saw-horses. The one on the left has finally reached the end of its days, after serving its purpose for well over a decade. Constructed as it was from old pallets, it's done extremely well and been out in all weathers for all of that time. I'm no master joiner or carpenter, but my good old Dad's training in all things DIY has stood me in good stead. I built that horse probably circa 2006-7 and it now was time to build a new one before we set out for the woods and hillsides to scour them for more wood for the log-burner, which we'll be doing in around a month's time if the weather follows its usual pattern.
The fact is though, the weather hasn't been playing ball of late. Of course, we all know that. You'd have to be Donald Trump not to see that the climate's gone "all-to-cock" as they used to say. An old Greek told me just a couple of days ago, when we were asking him about whether he'd be harvesting olives this year, "No, not a good year. It won't be worth it. And the climate's completely different now from what it was ten years ago. Too dry."
See, there you are, from the horse's mouth. Another kind of horse, of course. A figurative one in this case.
Examining the old horse recently and noting its sorry state, I was spurred into action and managed to procure a few pallets with suitable planks/boards (what does one call the component pieces of a pallet?) for my purpose, and thus I got stuck in early this morning with my trusty jumbo screwdrivers and Stanley claw-hammer to prize them all to pieces without splintering too much wood and thus rendering it fit only for chopping up for kindling. Fortunately, I was left with enough lengths of decent enough quality to begin the construction of 'John's saw-horse 2' and I even surprised myself in that I got it finished in just the one day.
I had to sacrifice my siesta though. What is this world coming to? Anyway, bring on the chilly winter evenings, which in all probability won't be for three or four more weeks yet, but I'm ready with my trusty timber-steed to do the deed of chainsawing logs for the fire.
Now, back to my novel (the one I'm currently reading, not the one I ought to be currently writing). The one about the pauper girl who becomes a lady of quality and all too often along the way has to change horses on her travels.
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