Having finished rebuilding the wall under my garden, Jozo Brandić has started the repair of the wall under my terrace. We first talked about it a few years ago, for it was clear that the wall was in need of some attention, but he was too busy elsewhere to do anything about it. There is a large patch in the middle of the wall where there is a visible bulge by now. The outer layer of stone is separating from the thick wall beneath. A few stones have already fallen out, too. It is high time to stop the rot.

Jozo believes that one of the reasons why the wall is in such a poor shape is that the water that comes from the terrace is pouring over it when it rains heavily. There are two long spouts from which the water falls to a long and narrow platform between the house and the garden, but the wind often forces the water onto the wall. South-westerly storms, which are becoming ever-stronger over the years, end up eroding the wall under the terrace. Thus he proposed that we install gutters that would take the water all the way to the garden via the platform.

As the garden will need watering during the summer months, we will place two large barrels under the platform wall. The gutters will stop right above them. With some luck, the barrels will provide enough water for gardening. In short, the solution of the problem upstream will come handy downstream. Which is why I feel doubly happy about Jozo’s second job. Sooner or later my house will be a model of a well-run household economy. And ecology, for that matter. After all, economy and ecology have the same root—the old household.