I hope you're all well ... I'm OK and back in the desert after a lousy road-trip during which I suffered a rear-tyre blow-out which damaged the body of the car.
The weather in the North was great, lots of sunshine and rain ... in fact, floodwater from Angola is presently threatening the northern border areas of Namibia.
Despite having to dodge rain showers and hide from the burning sun, I managed to get good bit of work done - a few pics:
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My aim was to finish as much as possible of the outer rock-wall of the en suite bathroom.
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I took the rocks up as far as I could before I need to install the roof.
I've formed an idea that I'll put corrugated-sheeting roof over the inside wall and then take the outer rock wall up another 1 to 2 meters.
There will be holes in the rock wall for rainwater drainage and the top of the wall will be wavy and uneven so that it looks forever unfinished - the completion left to the imagination of the observer ...
... I'll see ... I often change my mind as ideas progress ... :)
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No, Spirit's not jumping for joy - he's trying to catch a butterfly - more about him in a future post.
He was a bit of a pain at times, jumping up on the wall and knocking over rocks that weren't set yet.
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I built a secret cavity behind the big rock - (Ok, so now it's not secret anymore) - concealed behind a removable smaller rock - I want to make it a 'time capsule' with a few small artifacts ... and a vial of toenail clippings, in case some cleaver scientist discovers a way to bring a Mammoth back to life ...
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A view of the work-in-progress - I sometimes have to use timber to keep the rocks in place before they're set.
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Stoffel inspecting the work and giving Spirit the evil eye - I take her for a walk-about in the evenings and she loves to eat small pieces of wet concrete ... I don't know why ... she eats the most disgusting bugs too ...
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... and this is as far as I got.
A small piece to complete, plus the slate around the window frames and then I have to think about finishing the top and building a new septic tank ... it never ends ...
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It is so great to have you back, I really miss your posts when you are away.
ReplyDeleteThe house is looking fantastic and I love your idea of the secret cavity He He.
Fantastic photo of Spirit and I am sure Stoffel was happy to see you.
Hope you are around for a while, but I also want to see the finished house so I know that you have to go back to do that! Diane
Hi Diane - thanks for your words of welcome - yeah, I'll be on-line for a month or so then I'm off on a camping trip and back north ... are you back in France? - There's so much to catch up on and I haven't yet got around to visiting my friends' blogs ...
ReplyDeleteThe boss is back, welcome! Missed your photos and tales as well. So, why is Spirit ticked off, did you have his jewels removed?
ReplyDeleteWelcome back Graham..the house and friends are looking great!!
ReplyDeleteIt's a real work of art - I'd love to live in a house like that. (Minus the snakes, spiders, scorpions, things that go bump in the night...)
ReplyDeleteGlad you're back. Get reading!!!
Caroline
Hehe - thanks Dave - no Spirit is still a Tom - he's scheduled for the scalpel at the end of April - I'm not sure who's stressing more about it, him or me ...
ReplyDeleteThank You Monica - it's great being online again - hope all is well with you ...
ReplyDeleteThank You Caroline - what can I say? One gets used to living with Creepy Crawlies (except spiders) ... I've learned to shake my shoes out before putting my feet in them ... :)
ReplyDeleteI was so happy to see a new post from you this morning. It's always so much fun to read about what goes on in your world. Your work looks great. Can't wait to hear more about Stoffel and Spirit.--Inger
ReplyDeleteThank You Inger - you guys make me feel special - yeah, I'll post more pics of Spirit (and some other critters) soon ...
ReplyDeleteWelcome back, Graham! So good to see you back and at it. Like the others, I always miss your posts too. The house is looking great and it looks like you had some good company while you were away: Spirit and Stoffel. I like your quirky idea of the time capsule. Sorry to hear about your car problems.
ReplyDeletegreat to see you back - great pictures
ReplyDelete"vial of toenail clippings" that's just weird.
The cat picture could be a winning shot - very funny.
Thank You Penny - the car incident could have been a lot worse ... when it happened the car started swerving into oncoming traffic but thankfully I was able to control it and bring it back ...
ReplyDeleteThank You Lisleman - I'm glad you appreciate the toenail clippings idea - it is possible to extract DNA from them hey?
ReplyDeleteThis is so wonderful! You are so terrific!
ReplyDeleteI will have to become a fan and follower here :-) especially with that subtitle to your blog "Hookah Caterpillar" as I am the greatest caterpillar fan of all.
I feel as excited as when a jet revs up its engines to take you down that runway. I am beginning a new adventure and journey here with you, OneStonedCrow.
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Wow ... what a nice surprise to wake up to - thank you for your visit and kind comments Kat ...
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed the little I've seen of your blog but I shall return for more ...
I'm glad that you've decided to visit here more and hope that you'll enjoy my posts ... thank you ...
Hello guy! It´s my second time around here, enjoying a lot your writtens and photographs. First time you were on the go to North.
ReplyDeleteIt is wonderful to come here to know your tales. They are fantastic and addictives. I´ll be back to read something new. Regards from Caracas, Venezuela!
Hello Oswaldo - thanks for visiting and your kind comments ...
ReplyDelete... for a person who has never been out of Africa it's a great feeling to know that people from all over the world are reading my blog.
Weclome back Graham! I love your building and of course, the cats and fur people too. LOVE the award-winning photo of Spirit. Don't stress about his procedure due in April. It's just that: a procedure. We've just had an old cat (we inherited) done here in East Africa and he's becoming playful, fat and sleek. Thanks for your visit and kind words on my blog. I realise that the very day I commented on your blog (18 Jan) was the day my husband was offered this job in Kenya. Oh wonderful that you're also heading for 60. I hope you post about the great day. Grant celebrated his big 6 here in the valley. Mine is still many years away (in 2013 lol!) We will return to Nam on our motorcycle sometime again. We did a trip in 2009 and I wrote about our adventure and sold the article to an adventure magazine earlier this year. Have a great day. Jo
ReplyDeleteThanks for your welcome back and reassurances regarding Spirit Jo - I'm thinking about 'doing' Mutt too because he really looks a mess when he returns from his wanderings and battles - when I arrived home he was covered in ticks and bit me badly on my arm when I tried to restrain him to remove them ...
ReplyDelete... as for turning 60, well, I won't be celebrating and am trying to think about something to write without sounding like a cry-baby ...
Wow!
ReplyDeleteYour house is growing beautiful!
I love your Spirit picture:it's not easy to capture a cat while playing...
Welcome back.
Bye
Thanks Andrea - I have a few pics of Spirit in action but, you're right, I've had to throw away many because they were blurred ...
ReplyDeleteSo happy you're back, missed your words and photos. The Spirit picture is great and you're doing a fantastic job on that en suite bathroom!
ReplyDeleteThank You for your kind welcome back Theanne
ReplyDeleteYour stonework is absolutely beautiful! I love your time capsule idea although if i was an alien spaceman I am not too sure how I would feel about finding old toenails :) hehe
ReplyDeleteI really didnt realise Stoffel was a girl - your pets look great too - i can see they are looked after really well while you are not there.
Thanks for your kind comment slowvelder - yes, I can imagine a gang of alien wise men being puzzled, especially if they don't have toes themselves ...
ReplyDelete... yup, Stoffel is female a and she's always regarded me as her monkey-husband - she's very jealous and doesn't like any woman to approach me ...
A vial of toenail clippings, I pity the discoverer;)
ReplyDeleteThe bathroom suite is looking luxurious. The grass looks nice too. That skinny tall plant, we have here but the ones we have are stumps and bushy.
Welcome back Graham. I look forward to "more" pictures, if you are not too busy with anymore wikileaks;) News now of course is about Libya. Japan is already taking a back seat.
Thank You Fazlisa - I'm trying not to get too involved in Wikileaks this time 'round ... I hope that Japan doesn't take a back seat in our consciousness because there are so many people suffering there ... and of course, the nuclear drama continues ...
ReplyDeleteThe skinny plant you refer to is strange ... when it gets too tall I cut the stem into short pieces, plant them and the pieces just continue growing, each one a new plant ...