Summer has come early apparently, the temperature has come up a few degrees and the days seem hotter. It is still very comfortable at night though; we just have a cotton sheet over us. There has been no rain at all which is great for building but the vegetation suffers quite quickly, especially our newly planted stuff.

It has been a week of mixed fortunes. We heard the sad news of a friend of ours dying suddenly at a young age. That is always a sharp reminder for us all to make the very best of every day and not put off doing the things we dream of doing.
On Sunday a friend of ours came through. He and a Joint Services crew had been sailing up from South America on a 67ft Challenge boat. They were near the end of their trip and some were keen to get on dry land and never sail again. It was good to see the skipper though, and he was glad to get away for a few hours to come and view the plot and have a quiet beer.

Monday came and it was back to work for Jeff. All of the 18 steel columns are now in place and even as I type the first blocks are being placed. We are about to order our next 1200 gallons of water for the site ready for the big floor casting next week. The electrician and plumber have been secured, after much negotiation and wrangling. The tile order has been sent, we are now just waiting for the granite size and then we can get a quote. The windows/doors quote has come in for upvc; we are now waiting for the hardwood quote and then we shall make the final decision on which product to use. The wood contract will be signed this afternoon and then it can be shipped from Guyana. The house is to be made of a tropical hardwood called greenheart whilst the balconies will be made of purpleheart.

I might have to come back to UK in the summer as we need some stuff to go in our container and the easiest way is for me to have a central collection point and then truck it to the depot myself. It would appear that some places like Home Base have difficulties with sending goods to storage depots. Any way it will be a good chance to see family and visit M&S.

Yesterday, Jeff returned from the site bearing gifts. The bee man had been up to sort out his hives - which are on a plot nearby - and he gave Jeff a black bag with something heavy in it. It turned out to be a large piece of honeycomb with honey dripping out of it. I have got it draining into a Tupperware. The honey has a wonderful flavour and is a light golden colour. The bee man says the colour turns darker later in the year when the bees start collecting pollen from the darker coloured flowers. It’s the first time I have had to deal with honey; is there anything to be done with the honeycomb afterwards?