After staying in town for a week to give my poor ruined hands time to heal, I was on my way back, this time to do the kitchen walls, as I had decided that the creosote fumes still so strong, and the assistent at the co-op saying that it would take two years for that to lighten, I would have to get the main house in some sort of state so I could sleep there. So, chissel and hammer firmly clutched, I started working away on one of the inside walls to get the loose plaster off and it was going well indeed when suddenly, with a big sigh and a huge hiss, all the plaster decided to part ways with the wall, coming down in a thick cloud of dust and pieces of plaster! Gasping for breathe and coughing and spluttering, I managed to find my way out from under this mess,  and I sat down on the broken front door step, and I cried.
When after a long time I had worked up enough courage to look at the scene of disaster, I cried again, as it would take a lot of hard work to clear away the mess,  so I made a cuppa and polished a whole packet of buttery biscuits, which really was not a bright thing to have done! But that at least perked me up something awesomely, and I managed to clear away the debris by the end of the day! It took quite a few loads on the wheelbarrow, and between my back that was feeling as if it would never straighten up again, and the nausea from the rich biscuits, I felt real sorry for myself.
I had decided to sleep in Irma's house, as Sheila had guests, and I did not want to drive back to George in the dark and feeling so far from perky! So I had a cold shower, and barred myself in Irma's place by propping up the plate that was to keep the baddies out, then tried to pacify my complaining stomach and liver with some sausage and egg, but feeling a lot worse after, and sat reading until I felt tired enough to brave the mattress.
There was a lot of scuffling underneath the floorplanks, and trying to sleep with only a piece of hardboard and a camping mattress between you and the beasties, was well nigh impossible, and after again reading myself almost into a coma, and about ready to drop the book, I was rudely awakened with the suddenly frantic  screeching and shuffling of whatever lived in the dark beneath the floor. In my mind I saw all kinds of things happening, as it sounded like huge rats as big as cats being chased by a thick ten foot snake, and I started hyperventilating from pure stress. A plan had to be made! So scouting around for something to lift me off the floor, I  came upon Hannes's kitchen chairs, so I lined them all up and put an old door that I found in the ruined bathroom on top of that, and I felt a glimmer of hope for a night's sleep, but it was very rickety, and every time I moved I could feel the whole lot move under me, and knew that I would never fall asleep! I then remembered that Irma had two tresles on the veranda, but it took a lot of pepping up for me to open the back door. Sheila's house was about half a kilometre from this one, and it was DARK!!! But after some hard talking to myself I built up enough courage, and sprinting like a young doe, I was out and in with the tresles in a trice. I now put the door on the tresles, and at last I had a reasonably stable bed where no beasty could nibble on me! I read again for a while, and on hearing some noise, I lifted my eyes, and that is when I saw the face at the window. Must say, I would have outdid a hundred cats caterwauling together, but reason returned, and I ran for my ax that I have put strategically, just in case. The face at the window was still there, and I could hear voices, and I thought to myself: 'you aint getting me without a bally good fight',  then jumped about five feet high when a torch was suddenly shone into the room! Then a friendly voice penetrated my anxious mind, and I looked at the window again, and the face was trying to tell me something, so, there being thick bars for burglar proofing, I opened the window a teeny bit, and saw that it was a smiling woman. She explained that they are the community watch, and just came to see if I was ok! Lord but I had a fright!