Yet another day has passed with no doors hung - sigh. I really need to do that soonish. I did, however, get some grass hacked down to a manageable length so the front garden looks as if someone lives here (though not someone committed to weeding the garden beds ...) and the back yard has some areas where you can walk without needing a machete.

Speaking of which, I am rather hoping Wayne can show me how to start the linetrimmer while he is up here on Friday as I can not for the life of me convince the thing to start. I suspect it is all in the way you hold your mouth rather than a particular problem with the trimmer, but it is getting annoying having all that long grass accumulating in places the mower can not reach, or be used, because of subterranean obstacles.

Then her next door went out so I took advantage of her absence to move around to the side of the house and remove some bricks to a more accessible position, and to start carting around rocks for use in the retaining wall for the terrace. This also has the advantage of getting access to the small concrete slab around there which I may yet move down the back to use as a base for the beehives. It would save having to trim too closely to their base once there are bees in residence. And yes, I have to chase up the chap who as supposed to be getting them for me too.

Also gave the woodheater a good scrub with a wire brush as i noticed that bubbles were forming on the surface. Scrubbed and blackleaded, and with the glass clean once more it is now chugging away on some wood I cut up today. I shifted the rest of the pile of heavy timber up to the house and have propped it to dry out as it has been lying out in the rain in long grass and parts of it are sodden. Not good for burning in that condition.

And propped up the log I plan to use to chop off the heads of the cockerals that will be arriving on Thursday - now all I have to do is dig out the roofing nails so I can position a pair for doing the deed. This log is about the dimensions of a telegraph pole in diameter, but only about two and a half feet long, so just the right height for this sort of thing.

While I was working on the stone walling a white, twin-cab ute pulled up out the front, on the other side of the road and the driver just sat there for some time eyeing off the house. This seems to happen fairly frequently around here and I have to say I find it quite disconcerting. I mean, I understand that people are interested in what is going on here, but I do think they could either be more subtle, or more direct - come and chat to me, introduce themselves, that sort of thing. Just sitting in the car watching, knowing I am aware of their presence is just plain rude - if not a little creepy.

No word from the electrician yet ... Still, he has four more days to go I guess.