September 12th - Slating & sheeting

Took Ben to catch a train home from Berwick, and dropped in at a builder's house in Norham to look at a shower he has going spare. Not quite what we're after, but at £200 for a £1000 cubicle, it'll certainly do a turn! Need to start maing some economies, as the continuing cost over-runs are going to start biting soon.
Made it to the plot around noon, had a quick ice-cream with Mal and Melvin, then set about moving the scaffold round to the back of the house to resume slating there. It always surprises me how time-consuming disassembling and rebuilding the scaffold is, and today's session was slowed a bit by the fact that there's a dirty great hole at the north-west corner of the house where the water and power will come in. This meant bridging across with some sturdy timbers for the scaffold to sit on.
Finally got it up and reasonable stable, then went through the laborious cutting and re-holing of the first course of slates. Fitted them and another two rows on top by the end of the day. Mal and Melvin pressed on inside with the plaster-boarding upstairs, and should finish up there by the end of the week.
Weather forecast is lovely for the next few days, until the end of the weekend at least, so I'll keep bashing away with the slating. Feel like I could use a few days' break from the build to do some work, run some hills, see the family and generally recharge the batteries and rekindle the enthusiasm a bit. Mild dose of mid-project blues I think.
Spruce planks are cut and ready for drying in Lilliesleaf, and I need to work out a way to get them to Wille Dobie in Abbey St. Bathans for profiling. Also need to get some earth shifted so Mal can get going on the verandah and porches.