And Like Magic, They Appeared

We had Isabella to stay the night, after an afternoon of riding and getting to know Mr T. Sunday morning we took the dog for a long walk and when we returned there was a pile of long straight poles at the top of the hill! Fourteen of them. It felt like a gift. Isabella and I immediately got down to a bit of peeling, and managed to do four before lunch, even though there was a blisteringly cold wind from the north. I finished them off the next day and they are now stacked off the ground and covered where they can dry out for a few months.

The men are still cutting the trees down below, so today I went down and asked them how much they wanted and they said they were in exchange for having access to the trees! That made me very happy.

I have been digging more of the trench. Slowly cutting through the rocks.

While it was raining I went down to my house in Sao Luis and started to give it a Spring clean, ready for the new season. It is such a nice house. I whitewashed the kitchen area. And since Laura lives opposite I had the pleasure of her and Olivias company for a while, upstairs on the lovely wooden floor in the sun.

The chickens are doing well, despite the marauding pigs... and R has made a beautiful dresser for the kitchen, using olive wood branches here and there. How lucky am I?