It feels like we've been saying we are "almost ready to plaster!" for ages now. And by "ages" I mean a few weeks, back when Pete and Natasha finished installing straw bales in the gable ends of the cottage. Ever since, there has been a non-stop supply of tasks that need to be accomplished before we can start plastering. The current phase in the post-baling, pre-plastering process is making curved window reveals.
Like basically everything in this project, the job is turning out to be more time consuming than we thought it would be. So, we've enlisted some assistance. This weekend, our friend Greg came over and generously stayed for hours. We had such a great time talking and listening to music—thank you so much for your hard work, Greg, you were a huge help!
A few days later, Joanna and Jenna dropped by to lend a hand. Tyler was bummed he couldn't join in, and almost played hooky from work to do so. It turned out that he was simply too swamped, so was just the three of us sweaty, smelly, "feral women" as, Jenna put it. It was great! Thanks for the help ladies!
Even with all the extra hands we've had, there is still much work to be done. When Tyler isn't by my side running the electrical wiring in the house, I work alone, listening to audio books like Master and Commander or Dragonfly in Amber while I shape the window reveals. Lately I've been working upstairs, where the windows are smaller and thus easier for me to handle on my own.
While stuffing straw into wire mesh isn't my favorite task (and it's one of the prime culprits for hand-gouging), I don't mind too much—the payoff is so huge! The windows look wonderful with their lovely finished curves (as seen on the left side of the window in the photo below)!