I got behind again but never mind.

Sunday 8th August
A do nothing day. Unpacked a few more boxes of stuff but my shed is still full of rubbish (Pams stuff). On the bright side, Duncan the builder, who is the font of all knowledge, says that I can extend my shed by 30 square metres without planning permission. I think that I may check this first just to make sure it is not just another Orcadian tradition of making up their own rules and only telling officialdom what they think it should know.

Monday 9th August
The builders were supposed to start on preparing the footings for the extension today but didn't. Pam phoned Duncan and he checked witht the builders and they will be here Thursday but that is probably Thursday Orkney time not real time.

I got a phone call from Harral boat brokerage to say that the boat is sold. This means that if Duncan is right about the 30 square metres then I can afford to get my shed extended.

I noticed a man from the water company looking for the next door farms water meter with a metal detector so I got him to see if he could find the stopcock for our house. He spent a good amount of time looking and even went to the bottom of the road to see if a separate supply came off from there but no joy so I will have to get them to send somebody out to find it if there is one or to get one fitted.
It seems to be probable that there is no separate supply and that the farm has been paying for our water ever since they started metering it. That could cause fun if we find it to be true. We are not on metered water but the farm is, so I expect that he will be claiming back years of overpayment.


Tuesday 10th August
Nothing much again. Tidied up and got the spare bedroom ready for Peter when he comes up on Thursday. Went to Kirkwall to pick up some probablyhorrendously expensive curtain poles.

I finally managed to find out where the ducks have been getting out of their pen. They have been spending most of their time across the road eating all their chicken food so I thought that I had better stop them.
It has taken a while but I have finally managed to contain them.
You see, there is no way that my superior brain can be outwitted by ducks, not even four ducks acting as a team.
I may have it printed as a family motto (MORE INTELLIGENT THAN FOUR DUCKS)

Babs says that this should be latin so the nearest that I can find is below.

MAGIS INTELLIGO QUAM QUATTUOR ANATES

All you classical scholars may feel free to correct this.