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The beginning.

Workmen and Hell

24/1/2016

25 Comments

 
PictureThe last slice.
There is a special corner of hell reserved for tradespeople, and it’s littered with broken promises and half-finished porches. The flooring (I’m thinking the Devil likes parquet) is paint-spattered, the tools are all over the garden, and the thermostat is still broken. But don’t worry. The heating will be turned down next week. Promise. On my life. Seriously, you can trust me. Next week. It’ll be done.

Nowadays it’s a rare day that I hire help. Over the past four years, (four! Four have gone. Where?) I’ve developed triceps and quadriceps, and many other muscles that sound oddly like dinosaurs, that I’d never heard of. More importantly, I’ve learned the techniques. And yes there’s always a technique for everything, be it rock dragging or machete swinging. There’s even a technique (which Celal showed me - oh Celal you are missed) for hacking out monster thorn bushes involving a rake and a well-applied Wellie, but that’s a whole different post.

This year I called on a labourer twice. Once in spring to cut the grass, and once in autumn to chop my wood. Both occasions drove me nuts. It was akin to dragging a belligerent donkey up a steep bramble-throttled hill. So three months ago, when a certain someone, who out of loyalty and fondness shall not be named, explained he had a few weeks free while the courgettes in his greenhouse grew, I leapt on the possibility.

“Yes I’ll take care of that wood for you, no hassle,” he said.

Three months ago. October came and went. November arrived. My wood shed still gaped hungrily. Eventually, I decided action was necessary, so when I saw the afore-mentioned personage driving to his greenhouse one morning, I blocked his path.

“Hey, I need that wood cutting. Today! Seriously. Rain is coming and I’m woodless.” I yelled.

A tousled head poked out of the driver’s window and the mouth within it yawned. “Hmm, we’re tying the courgettes today.”

I widened my eyes. “But you told me you had time. Like a month ago.”

The afore-mentioned personage revved his engine. I folded my arms and remained put in the centre of the road.

“Alright. But I can’t do four hours today. Just two.”

“Two’s fine. I’ll take two hours. Just cut me some wood.”

So the afore-mentioned personage came and chopped half the wood. Better than nothing, I thought. Winter settled. I threw log after log into the wood burner, and soon enough the wood stack was once more depleted. Here we go again, I groaned.

Thus a month ago, I took a long, deep breath and attempted to wring another two hours of wood cutting from the dishcloth of labourer time. I called at the afore-mentioned personage’s house. He said he’d turn up the next day. He didn’t. I called him that evening, and the next evening. Every time he said he’d be there either today or tomorrow. Two more weeks passed and I was down to about five logs. The trouble was, because the afore-mentioned personage had cut half the wood already, only a two-hour cutting stint remained. No one else was going to trek over to my land for two hours work. I was over a barrel.

And this is it, isn’t it? They grab you by the short and curlies and then you’re stuck. Your foundations are in, but the builder hasn’t shown up for a month since. You paid for the pine six months ago, but the carpenter spent the cash on Rakı. Half your wood is cut and now burned. The other half is waiting, and the weather forecast is showing minus 5 degrees centigrade for the coming week. The sense of powerless in the face of this task incompletion is phenomenal. You need the workman. He doesn’t show up. It’s desperate. I felt a wrecking ball of anger begin swinging inside me; a plutonium pendulum of mass destruction. Fine. Just fine. I muttered to no one in particular.

The next morning I wandered over to the afore-mentioned personage’s greenhouse. I gabbled at him non-stop until he pleaded for me to leave. I did the same again in the afternoon.

“Alright alright, I’ll come at four today. I promise,” he said as he tinkered with something under the bonnet of his car.

“If you’re not coming, you’d better call me,” I said. Or what, Kerry? Honestly, what are you going to do?

I returned home. It was two in the afternoon. I waited. I tried to be patient. I tried not to think the worst or to feel desperate.

Time passed, as it does. Four O’clock came and went. The pendulum inside me began swinging. Quarter past four. Half past four arrived. Snatching my phone from the table, I called Dudu. “Have you seen him?” I yelled into the phone.

“Oh, yes. He left five minutes ago," she replied cheerily. Then added, "Drove clean off he did." Just to stoke the fire a little.

BOOM. The wrecking ball smashed through my frontal lobes, destroyed all synapses related to politeness and reason, it took out every gate of self-control and crushed any self-conscious care. I was well and truly pissed off, as we say in the United Kingdom.

I stormed to the shed, yanked out the chainsaw and roared some words which would even have caused the workmen in their corner of hell to blink. An image of me charging up to the greenhouse with the chainsaw, and driving its steel fangs into each and every courgette plant, bloomed happily inside me. Courgette soup for breakfast, dinner and tea for you lot, I cackled. The fantasy ended with me sawing a ‘K’ Zoro style into the polytunnel plastic, and stalking off.

Back in reality, I exhaled, then walked away from the shed, chainsaw in hand.

Now, you shouldn’t start a chainsaw when you’re fuming. It’s really not a good idea.

Except when it is.

Anger gets a bad name, but it’s like money, a knife, or indeed a chainsaw. It all depends how you use it. If you refrain from fixating on the object of your anger, and tap into the power beneath, it's amazing stuff. As long as you don’t actually transform someone’s greenhouse of courgettes into a massive vegan smoothie, all is well. It’s all about putting the energy to good use. And let’s face it, I had a use for it. It was loitering at the edge of my land in huge, bark-encased stumps.

Instead of heading for the polytunnels, I made for those wheels of pine the afore-mentioned personage was supposed to cut. I’d never cut a trunk that large before, and I wasn’t sure I’d be able to push through it. I started my death beast up. She roared pleasingly. Rage turned to power, and it surged through my body like a mass-produced eighties rock song. The blade churned through the wood. One huge hunk fell away. Then another. On and on.

An hour later, I couldn’t believe my eyes, but I had most of the set cut into slices. The light was failing. I didn’t care. I was so pumped, I yanked out the axe and began hacking right there and then. There is no job better for a bad mood than wood splitting. With every slew the world became better and brighter.

As darkness fell, I charged up and down the land with the wheelbarrow ferrying the cut wood into the shed. And it felt so good. I did it. It cost me nothing. I burned fat, built more muscles with weird names, and expelled vats of negative energy. The wood was ready. I was saved. It's quite marvellous when you look at it. I had no idea the point of the hired hand was to drive you to such a state of fury you managed the task yourself. 

And this is the beauty of home building. This is why you move off-grid and become independent. This is the unparalleled freedom you are granted when you learn a few skills and get in shape. You never need suffer that tradesman torment again. Ever. You are empowered. They can go to their corner in hell (if indeed they can get in, because no doubt the door handle is loose and comes off in their hands), while you sit back, light the fire, and admire your handiwork. 

Sigh (long and contented).

So now it seems I only need a workman once a year.

Hmm. Four months until spring and the grass cutting. Oh dear, I'm feeling anxious already.

Note: Of course, there are many dedicated, punctual and conscientious tradespeople out there, like Celal and my uncle Nigel, who have a their own custom-built corner of heaven instead. I just haven't seen one for a while;)

Picture
Yes, afore-mentioned personage, I'm mad and holding a chainsaw.
25 Comments
Jon J
25/1/2016 07:18:01 pm

Love seeing the wild side of you! Better to do the work yourself then you know its done right :)

Reply
Kerry
25/1/2016 10:24:44 pm

Roar :)

Reply
Denny Michael Hlaston
25/1/2016 07:45:28 pm

To paraphrase Hawkeye Pierce from the TV program M*A*S*H*, "you're angry when you're beautiful!"

Reply
Kerry
25/1/2016 10:25:45 pm

I expect there's a compliment in there somewhere Denny. Anyway, I'll find it, even if it's not:))

Reply
Veronique link
25/1/2016 07:57:41 pm

You go girl! I know EXACTLY how you feel!!! Screw 'em! Do it yourself. :-)

Reply
Kerry
25/1/2016 10:26:36 pm

He he he, yeees same story everywhere, right?

Reply
Carolina
25/1/2016 09:26:28 pm

Next time give him a hand in the greenhouse.

Reply
Kerry
25/1/2016 10:27:24 pm

Making soup you mean? ;)

Reply
Jules
26/1/2016 12:23:55 am

Priceless! And I KNOW you can cut your grass yourself!

Reply
Kerry
26/1/2016 11:38:54 am

My only issue with the grass is a severe pollen allergy, I just can't get near it. So somehow, by hook or by crook, I'll have to drag the workman to do it.

Reply
Kay
1/3/2016 01:29:32 am


In the case of mold allergies/seasons, you can consume various CULTURED cheeses that contain various mold strains (blue cheese, gorgonzola, borgonzola, gorgonzola, etc). However, 'culturing' is best left to professional/experienced food makers for health/safety reasons (unless you can work with them for awhile to learn trade secrets, precautions, testing, etc).

Here are some valuable TIPS/TRICKS for you:
I've learned (fm extensive personal experience) is relatively easy to "desensatize' yourself to (many/most) such allergies by simply (but carefully) exposing yourself (regularily & incrementally) to the offending allergin(s). First you begin with very minute amounts of the allergin of course, ideally in a pre-processed/digested form.
Examples:
In this case (seasonal grass/weed/tree allergies), the regular consumption/use of LOCAL honey products (i.e honey, comb, bee propolis granuals, etc) will (usually within a few months of daily use) build your tollerance to the particular grasses/weeds/trees in YOUR area; so you no longer 'react' to them.
You can also make herbal teas (and salads, juices, stir fry, soaps, tinctures, poltices, etc.) out of many grasses/weeds etc and get the same benefits (making sure the plants/amounts are not toxic/poison of course)! Also, owning your own free-ranging yard chickens (and honey bees) will provide eggs that offer the same benefits! (Or buy/trade for neighbors eggs; the closer to YOUR home, the better!)
Hope this helps!

TRICK: You must start 'dosing' pre-season, to be sensatized for the upcoming allergy season; or better yet, make said 'dosing' part of your regular diet/lifestyle to eliminate your allergies forever!

Jan Zandvoort
26/1/2016 06:22:32 am

Hi Kerry,
Love the way you build your beautiful round house, just finished reading your book, you´re not just a master builder but also a very good writer. Would love to see some more images of the inside of your house. I understand the kitchen is on the outside but where do you cook when it´s freezing for instance?

Reply
Kerry
26/1/2016 11:37:53 am

I freeze Jan:) Winters here are very short. For eight months of the year it's beautiful in the kitchen and after much thought I don't want to shut it off behind glass. Even in winter, most days are fine. It rains about 50 days a year, and freezes about once a year. On those days it's exciting:)

Reply
Merwte
26/1/2016 09:39:52 pm

You just made my evening so much more fun reading this, had a good laugh and I still smile 😄 Thank you Kerry ☺Keep up the good work. You go girl 👍

Reply
Atulya
29/1/2016 10:53:03 am

Glad I made someone smile:)

Reply
mike link
29/1/2016 07:35:04 am

I would also Like to Build my own round house ,but the permits and lack of out of the box thinking here ,does not permit it at this time .I'm only a two hour drive from the Cal Inst. ,and I would like to use raschel mesh tube instead of bags. I love reading your posts keep it coming. thank you

Reply
Atulya
29/1/2016 10:54:39 am

Thanks so much for the feedback Mike. Lets hope one day out of the box moves in the box. Or may be the damn box will just collapse;)

Reply
Olive
6/2/2016 06:33:49 am

Love love love! Next time I get really pissed off about something, I will remember this post and use that fire to power through a solution to my problem!

I could have used that this morning when I got pissed off at my boyfriend for roughly bundling up oak tree branches in zipties, squeezing them together and breaking off twigs and heavenly lichens. I had lovingly collected those branches over the past few months from my three wise oak ladies in the park (whom I talk to the most after my boyfriend, my baby, my dog, and my mother), and they told me to make picture frames and other artwork from them. It has just been too cold and dark outside with a baby to do it until recently. But of course the first nice day out, he goes and cleans up the deck and starts snapping branches. It felt exactly the same as if he had smashed jewels apart to make them fit better into a jar or something. I think it hurt more because they were gifts from my friends.

I didn't channel that energy into anything positive, but perhaps I need to, as they say, "shit or get off the pot" (aka make the art before my boyfriend destroys all my supplies!)

Reply
Atulya
6/2/2016 12:15:33 pm

Oh another tree talker:)) Send us a photo if you do get any made. I'd love to see them.

Reply
Richard Darrah
24/2/2016 10:02:00 am

Ohhh Lady me dear girl That look on your face and the chainsaw in your hand says volumes. I´ve found that anger is not nessesarely a negative emotion. Getting pissed off motivates us to accomplish the impossible.

Reply
Atulya
24/2/2016 10:55:34 pm

:) Indeed it does Richard.

Reply
Richard Darrah
24/2/2016 10:49:08 am

Ohh Lady mee dear! That look on your face with the Chain saw is priceless and speaks volumes. Anger isn´t really a negative emotion. It can motivate us to accomplish the impossible.

Reply
Ed
24/2/2016 10:35:05 pm

I am curious to know what you are burning the wood in, specifically the type of wood stove you are using? If there is a place in your blog or book that I missed, could you point it out to me?
Please!

Reply
Atulya
24/2/2016 10:57:39 pm

No one's ever asked me that one before. I'm burning it in a basic Turkish style wood burner, which I use as a hob and oven as well. I'll post a picture on FB next week when I'm back.

Reply
Ed
24/2/2016 11:01:43 pm

I'd appreciate that !

Reply

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    Back in 2011, I found myself camping alone on a remote Turkish hill. There was no power or water on the land. It was the start of an adventure that profoundly changed my beliefs about what is enjoyable, or possible...

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