Back to the Basement

After finishing the Inglenook rear wall and window (Janice's painting jobs aside), I've spent the last few weekends working in the basement.

The main beam has been repaired with a scarf jointed new end piece, and a new oak post to support it, set on a thick slate plinth, to keep it off the damp floor.

I finished lime rendering the walls last weekend(it took a while, with lots of dubbing in big holes) , so this weekend I started re-laying the cobbled floor.
They are layed into NHL5 to give some waterproofing(but still with breath-ability). It's going to take a while (I think I did about a 6th of the area this weekend), but a rather enjoyable and a (somewhat) theraputic process.
I hope you will agree, a really lovely look.

Jan has been continuing to build her dry stone wall around our first garden border, and the new lawn...plenty of photos when it is completed in a few weeks .

Brambles 0 - Davies 3 - They think its all over !!

A long weekend (I took Friday and Monday off), so that I could acheive a few objectives:

1. Finish panelling the rear window
2. Add another coat of rough lime render to the rear window wall
3. Take delivery of all the Oak for the Cellar, from Meriron(Coed Cadog)
4. Depending on weather finish the new lawn area, seeding etc
5. Clear some Brambles :)

Friday afternoon...#1 is complete

The Jali board hides an external air vent pipe exiting under the sill.

When Jan arrived on saturday she filled and prepped ready for sanding and painting next weekend.

#2  completed Saturday morning,...on last coat of fine lime render next week and its done,  (or ready for limewashing)

#3 - Meirion delivered the Oak, which they will start work on next week :)

• A 9inch x 9 inch piece to repair the end of the main beam, and the requisite post underneath it
• A 4inch x48inch x 12inch deep lintel to repair the rotten one over the basement window
• 28 4inch x 4inch - 8ft joists. to lay the new floor , once the beam is reaired

#4 - Jan and I spent most of Saturday afternoon, and Sunday morning preparing the lawn area, layed in the seed, and put in some protection from the birds
(I reckon its the biggest bird feeder around!!!!)

At some point, Jan will put her dry-stone-walling skills to work, and put in a small retaining wall to replace the breeze blocks ....theres plenty of stone !!!!!!!

#5 - Jan left Sunday afternoon, and as the weather was nice...I took on the Brambles !!!!
The top of the orchard has almost completely disappeared under them ..so I took a start at that.
Too much for one weekend, but I made a good start !!

Wanting to do a job that I could actually finish, I then took on the brambles that have infested a large banking area.. ..cleared one half, and half the other side the rest of Sunday ...collapsed completely knackered at 6...was in bed by 9:30 !!!
Then cleared the rest of it Monday morning....did a little more minor clearing elsewhere...then headed home.

Please note the size of the bramble pile !!!!!!!

Meanwhile here a few shots of the new pathway we made across the new lawn out into the Orchard, very pleased with this.

 

Called into a new(newly discovered) cafe/deli/shop in Llanarne, that was declared one the top 40 places to eat in the UK, in the Guardian recently.
Wrights Food Emporium is a fabuloius place...even though I turned up in my work clothes, smelling rather rank, they were really friendly. I ordered a beef and horseradish sandwhich and coffee...both were fabulous (ate in the car..didnt want to scare the othercustomers)

We will definately call in again !!!