Fravill

12th June 2206. A red letter day. The official start of the pool. The digger arrived and for the next 4 days hammered and dug into the mountain to prepare the base. By Saturday the 17^th, we had the footings for the walls in and a floor layed in the first barn. Mark came out for two weeks and his expertise has proved pretty essential because I hadn’t fully realised all the intricacies. Sas arrived on the 19^th and Jus and her baby came the next day.

Ryan and his mate George have come out to help and the walls are going up.

// posted by Sifi @ 2:14 pm 0 comments

I was having tremendous trouble getting the town hall plumber to move the water main from under the pool. There was always something more important for him to do. At one point we went and turned the mains off at the pumping station and were then summoned by the mayor for a dressing down. As it turned out it was a good thing because she promised to help us get the thing done. Two days later the main was moved and the Planning App was finally approved.

At last we can begin.

// posted by Sifi @ 2:12 pm 0 comments

Mith died. Grief and relief. I felt that PB was in the room; a strange dichotomy between my heart and head.

The twins and I decided to go ahead with GM’s b’day party in Spain and have the funeral afterwards.

Nic, Tash, Ollie and I arrived at La C. on the 23^rd April. There was a bit of a kafuffle with the keys but luckily they were not left hanging around in the dark trying to get in.

P&Wen arrived on the 1^st May: Sas, Mark and Rene (2^nd) , Tash and Olli went home on the 3^rd, Gillian & Sandy came on the 4^th as did I&M. Lil, Tom, Shane and Katie arrived on the 5^th and Jenny and David on the 6^th. Rory and Karen couldn’t make it because R’s back was too bad to travel. A sad but sensible decision. The grownups stayed at La Palloma, which seemed to suffice although the bedroom walls were disconcertingly thin. I thoroughly enjoyed myself as, I think, did everyone else. The waves and eddies of family politics were mild enough so that noone was too seasick. I&M had a great time and seemed keen to repeat the experience.

By the 9^th, everyone had left except P, Wen and me.

I flew back on the 14^th and stayed at Lil and Tom’s rather splendid new house and then the next day we drove down to Reading. The funeral was a rather rushed affair. A conveyor belt of hearses and mourners and clock watching ushers. I gave a rather garbled eulogy and then we all retreated to the Bull at Streatley. All the Fraser aunts and uncles turned up, as did many of the cousins. It was lovely to see them all after so long.

Thanks to the twins, the whole affair ran smoothly and was as enjoyable as these things can be.

P&Wen flew home on the 17^th and we met up briefly before I returned to Spain the next day.

P.S. does anyone have any pics of the B’day party?

// posted by Sifi @ 2:04 pm 0 comments