Jacquie's Diary Entry for 18th June 2006

Hi everyone,
Well, we have just finished another hectic week. The aid that Lew brought down to Calarasi last week end has been being sorted this week. We should being going to help distribute sometime next week.

Monday, I am afraid I spent most of Monday playing catch up, it took me most of the day, having fed, to write the diary. John and Chip spent the day bringing back the last of the bricks and stacking them to dry hard before we use them. The tractor came in and put the rake through my maize, but John is worried that I will not be able to get the ladies to work the land because of the weed. I was just starting the walk up to see what was going on when there was a clap of thunder above my head. I turned and walked back, not a good idea to be on the land in a thunder storm. Sian said that the lightening, which went with the clap of thunder which turned me back, went to ground on what we call the garden less than 70 metres away from the caravan. The rain was torrential for about fifteen minutes, but about ten minutes after that, we were back to bright sunshine. Some of the bricks had been covered but we hadn't seen the storm coming so the latest ones were still uncovered, luckily they were dry enough to take that much rain but we will have to keep an eye on the weather.

Tuesday, Lew and John spent the day rough rendering the wall in the first pig house, it has become a bit of a race against time. If, I have my timing right Zapada should give birth on Saturday, give or take three days. She looks as though she will give birth any day and we need the new pig run ready for her. Well, she could have them in the old run but the new one would be better. Sian and I walked by to the maize field this morning to see just how bad things are. Anisoara says she has tried to get people to work but they don't want to know because of the weed. Well it is bad, the maize has a great deal of the weed whose seed pods stick to the dogs, sheep and your clothes, it grows to about a metre high. So, left it would cause a problem when harvesting but before that it will take up nutrients and water needed by the maize. We started pulling that weed, we know we can't make a serious dent but every little helps. This afternoon, Sian and I went into town to get the bits she wants to take back to England with her and to take the wedding films in to be developed. The next hour while they were being developed was nerve racking, what would I do if they were no good. The camera was working and I usually take a good picture, but … still my nerves were on edge. I needn't have worried 254 pictures were printed for me, some were not the best and some the content wasn't right but I will fill an album which holds 200 easily, from that Elena and Gabby can choose 60 for the Wedding Album.

Wednesday and after feeding I went with John to take Sian to the airport; Lew collects her, I take her back. At this point I want to make it clear to anyone who has donated money to the charity, that Sian does not use any charity money to fly backwards and forwards, this is funded out of our own money. We feel that you only donate money for the work we are doing, sometimes we have money donated for a specific project and of course that is used only for that purpose. The journey to the airport was fine till we reached the ring road, again. We were queuing for over an hour, it would have been longer, only, at three o'clock when Sian should have been checking in John decides that he had better do something. Other people had been driving on the wrong side of the road and on the dirt track the other side of the road, to over take traffic. John did the same. Sian checked in at quarter to four. It was back onto the ring road for us and the journey home.

Thursday and with Sian gone we had to reorganise ourselves, someone has to take over the things Sian was doing. First job of the morning, give ducks water, they can't have a large container of water because at this young age they can still drown. Their water is topped up every time someone goes past them, which is often. Sian enjoyed dealing with the ducks, she had been talking to them when they were still in their shells and they recognise her voice. Chalky Rabbit produced five babies during the night, all differing shades of grey. Lew and John were working on the house again today. It was warm but cloudy this morning which was ideal for me, I intended working on the maize weeds. I am not even trying to work a whole row, just a small part and then the next row to the same point, it will take time (I might be finished by harvest time) but every weed pulled out is one less to contend with. I can work on small sections at a time, it is the gardener in me, and when I stand up, because my mobile reminder has told me it is time to start another job, I can see where I have weeded. Minty came up with me, I thought the few maize plants she ate wouldn't make that much difference; but she didn't eat any, only the other weeds around the plants (not the ones which stick to her coat). The sun came out at lunchtime and before I went back to weeding I found my sunhat - not very elegant, but essential. The pretty weed flowers are out and I need to set up the flower press or I will be to late. Our sunflowers are doing well and so is our next-door-neighbour's wheat. I had started feeding when the rain clouds started going over us, I looked at them and the way they were travelling, it didn't look as though we would get any of the rain. I said a quick prayer. I suppose I am lucky; I have always had a busy life and it has always been natural to me to talk to God at odd times, while washing up, taking the dogs for a walk, cleaning out the animals, it is just natural to ask for what we need when we need it and thank him for our life as we go through the day. So a quick prayer - 'Can you please dump some of that rain which is at the moment going over us, on top of us'. About five minutes later the rain started, the thunderstorm which followed meant I couldn't go back up to the land this evening, but we needed the water, the weeds will come out easier and the maize plants I have already weeded will benefit from the rain.

Friday and after feeding I walked up to the maize field. It was a 'forget day' today. My phone was as a reminder and at nine-thirty it reminds me to have breakfast, this morning I was busy so I just switched it off. I was working on the maize weeds, when I remembered, I had forgotten to have breakfast and pick up my sun hat. I didn't feel very brilliant when I walked back for lunch, in fact, because Lew and John, who were still working on the pig house, wanted to finish the mixed cement before stopping for lunch, I laid down for ten minutes in Sian's room, the coolest place. What else did I forget, well the breakfast meeting has had to be re-scheduled. I also realised today I hadn't reminded you about the Cycle Challenge - I hope you go and enjoyed yourselves, tomorrow.

Saturday and I wanted a good start to the day, I intended working on my maize again today. It was already warm and sunny, I think it is going to be a hot one. I wondered if Zapada had produced the piglets during the night but no sign of babies when I woke them all this morning. Everything feed I went in for breakfast, but the milk had gone. Lew went down to collect some, but Anna was already out on the land. No breakfast this morning. The ducks had their first supervised bath this morning, then they went to look at the outside world. They had a wander but they all stayed together, as usual. They are just beginning to grow their proper feathers, but they are too small to get a photograph yet. They are still cheeping, not quacking yet. Chip was helping John with the cementing this morning and Lew wanted to get the wood for Spot's pen. I went with him to get the wood, by the time we arrived home there wasn't time to go up to the maize before lunch. I collected more weeds for the pigs and rabbits, they are always happy to have a second helping of weeds. The niggling headache I had this morning decided to get worse. I took the afternoon off and worked in Sian's room it is cooler, I finished getting the wedding photographs ready to deliver them to Elena tomorrow. Two hundred and fifty photographs taken, I selected the best two hundred and put them in a proof album; they can choose sixty to go into the wedding album. Lew finished Spot's pen this afternoon and we tried to move her into it, but she wasn't having any of it; a bit like last time we needed to move her to the new house. After feeding this afternoon, I watered the vegetable plot, well gave it a good soaking as we had water this evening. I thought I might get a shower this evening but when I had finished the pressure had dropped so much that the water wouldn't come out of the shower head. Oh, well!

Sunday and Zapada and Spot have now settled into their new quarters. No, Zapada hasn't produced those piglets yet. It was hot again today, up in the thirties and that headache I couldn't get rid of yesterday is still hanging about. I had a shower in the middle of the day, thinking it might ease my head, but it didn't. Trouble with showering in the middle of the day, I get dirty again when I feed in the evening. The piglets get so excited that they push me with their noses which are of course covered with mud; and I am dirty again. Elena and Gabby collect the proof album this evening, she is thrilled and I am relieved and pleased for her. She says she is not sure how she will chose just 60 for the Wedding Album.

What's been happening in the village this week? Well the older ones have finished school this week. Elena and others at university are in the middle of exam period. The tractors have been finishing the last of the weeding. Doro, father of the bride, has been taken into hospital with pneumonia. He is expected to be in for about a month. He is in one of the Constanta hospitals so we will take Lile into Constanta whenever we go in, it will help.

Well I think that's all the news from Siminoc this week …
So I'll say cheerio for now …