A beautiful Winter weekend...and lots done too !!

Last weekend in November was stunningly sunny, warm(ish), with little wind. Perfect for the job of the weekend...fitting our new backdoor.
Buily by our wonderfull carpenter Neil. The door looks stunning.
We arrived early on Saturday morning, to pull out the old door and frame. Chisel out the old lime around the door opening, and lay in the new door step, made from a rescued piece of slate. (also needed to bury the electric cables or the Shed and the well)

Before....

During....

....spot the old cobbles under the cement slab outside the back door....one day we will expose and renovate these !!!

Neil arrived mid-morning and started fitting the new door.....

Meanwhile I finished off a job ive been at for a few weeks. We are having a family Chirstmas dinner this year (the first !!!)...so I've been making a dining table from the old floorborards that have been employed as my wheelbarrow ramps up&down our outside steps..for the last few years. Suitably worn and aged, they look great when sanded down as a table top (9ft x 3ft). So I finished the top this weekend and (with help) moved it into the house, (weighed a tonne!!). Jan will find a suitable paint/varnish/wax finish for it. For now it is sat on two tresstles, until I can make the base.
I must say that I really like it...going to be a great addition to the house, and a place for entertaining, eating, laughing,  playing games...even dancing if I know my sisters !!!

Hope you like our 1950's kitchen cabinet...another find !!...and sooo practical


More progress, Jan completed the first(rough) course of lime between the oak timbers in the lower hall, which will look great after another (smooth) coat and limewash.

Also took a delivery of fire-wood for the winter, and stacked it in the Inglenoook....ready for Christmas :)
How an Inglenook should look at the beginning of Winter................

Finally, with light fading, and time to head home on a Sunday...I started dubbing in the wall around the new back door....always have to use up that last half bucket of Lime !!!!

Closing up the cellar (for now)

The first job to be Workshop-assisted is the start of the lower hallway work, and preparation for the new backdoor, and of course work on the Library.
The lower hallway had the old entrance to the Cellar. In the future the entrance would be via a hatch in the Library floor, and eventually a step down from the planned extension(which would require knocking through the end wall...a huge job)

Anyway the first job was to close up the cellar doorway from the lower hallway. So I took some of the better oak joists i've been saving, trimmed, shaved and cut them into size to make a frame to block up the doorway. Then battoned and bisquit-boarded the spaces between...ready for Jan to lime between the oak.

Also put some temporary flooring across the floor-gap in the library...safety first !! (let not mention the time i fell through that hole!!!)

Meanwhile Jan has been preparing the chimney wall in the Library, dubbing in gaps, and preparing for the first few coats of limewash.

A tree down in the storm

A very windy few days in October, managed to blow down a tree in the yard area. So an opportunity to use my chainsaw, and cut up wood for later in the Winter.
First issue...I seem to have a fundamental problem with starting (petrol) Chainsaws.
My old one is so frustrating, especially as it has no access to the air filter and spark plug, so abandoned that (for spares)
Despite Jan's attrmept to push me towards an Electric chainsaw. When I use our electric hedge trimmer, I usually cutting the cord once in every job....an electric Chainsaw would be a nightmare for me.
So I gave up and bought a new Chainsaw, one which had a good review...I quote " starts every time, never morte than 2 pulls".
Guess what !!!!
It started ok first time, got the tree down, then stalled, and I couldnt get it started again...Lots of swearing at this stage!!!!.
At least this model had easy access to the spark plug...took off the HT lead, checked the plug for flooding, all fine...when I tried to put the HT lead back on the metal connection inside had sheared off ...a very flimsy(crappy) design.
So, what do I do...send it back witht the warranty, only to get the same design back (and never remove the HT lead/plug), or fix it with a new HT lead (from the Mini)...VERY Frustrating !!!!

Anyway, I manged to get it working with a temporary fix, took down the tree, and another large branch overhanging the Stream, chopped it all up, and stacked to dry in the Inglenook...

Workshop up and running !

The last few months have been focused on getting the workshop up and running before the winter.
A long job as it required :

• Level out a sloping area (dig out and build walls) - 2 weekends work!
• In-fill the base with rubble, an opportunity to break up more of the foundations of the old extension and bury it !, hard labour and three weekends work.
• Get a mini-mix to lay the concrete slab (I wasnt doing that whole area with a mixer)
• Get the Workshop built by the supplier Williams Sheds (3 weeks) delivered and installed (a weekend)
• Then empty the house of all the tools, wood, workbenches, ladders, lime, sawdust !!!!
• Paint it, Install electrics, lighting, guttering, security etc.
• Build workbenches on three walls, including a recessed area for the Chopsaw.(picture #3)
• Finally build Stone steps up to the side door.

I enjoyed tidying up my tools and now we are ready to go !!!!

Davies 1....Brambles 0

Wow, what a fabulous weekend. Warm and sunny, although cool in the evening.

So much so that I decided to spend the time in the orchard, launching my yearly attack on the brambles.
Cleared a huge area that had become badly overgrown, to the point that it was hiding four trees in there somewhere.
My weapons of choice at the moment are Machete ( a lovely Tramontina ) and Scythe which makes it much easier. The armoury is powerful, but those Brambles fight back, so I took many scrapes....but in the end I won, and cleared the whole area...until next year !!

Jan painted in the Inglenook. Two coats of limewash on the face of the inglenook wall, finished the panelled wall (F&B Downpipe gray), and a first coat of limewash on the window wall... makes such a difference, this room is rather homely now (especially with Lloyd's spare sofa)

No photographic proof this time...you will have to take our word for it....or come and visit :)

Inaugural Davies family gathering.

A very typical British August Bank holiday, just enough sun forecast to get everyone onto the roads, then torrential rain. Having said that, we all gathered (at different times) on the Saturday, and enjoyed a lovely evening in the orchard.

 Jess knitting for baby...he/she will be with us soon, and will be at our gathering next year !!

 Lloyd making a table from a piece of old panneling, and the old Oak joists.

From the Left..Owen, Lloyd, Tom, Alys, Andy(Alys' boyfriend), Jan and Jess.
Me behind the camera as usual :)
All together in the Orchard...suprisingly chilly for August, but a lovely evening....the rain arrived later the next day.

A dissapointing Bonfire though, those boys need more practice..although Andy did rock the Lumberjack look !

Workwise, not much was achieved, but this was a family get together more than anything.
Jan cut grass as usual, I started making stone steps up to the workshop (before I know exactly where the door is...risky!!). I also dug up part of the old drains and tidied them up and re buried, so we loose a few exposed drian-tops...been wanting to do that job for ages.

Jan and Jess started painting the panelling in the Inglenook room, which looks great...pictures available next week, when its finished !

Base for a Workshop, and progress in the Inglenook room

It's been a while since I posted here, but that's not to say that we haven't been hard at work !

I spent a few weeks making a base for a Workshop. I had to build up a wall to make a flat area, then fill in the substantial hole with rubble. This was a perfect opportunity to remove more of the old extension, so I broke up the old concrete floor, and took down the remaining breeze-block walls to the foundations. This will allow the garden to take over that area now. Also removed much of the area that we have used as a rubbish dump. So all-in-all a good piece of work (although not very blog worthy ).
Anyway this Friday the Minimix arrived and hey presto...one Workshop base...

Needs a set of steps up on the right there...a job for next week maybe..

The Workshop (20' x 12') will arrive in a few weeks, and then I can empty the house of all tools ("and mess".. shouts Jan). I can then start working on the Library, which is currently acting as my Workshop!.

Meanwhile I made a start on panelling for the Inglenook room. It took a lot of planning and working out (even some Maths !!), but we are pleased with the result.

I countersunk and filled the screw holes, so next weekend it will get sanded down and painted, and I think it will look great.

I also put the second lime render coat on the window wall.. So that can get limewashed next week too..
The window reveals look wonderful.

...apologies for the gloomy picture...iphone camera doesnt do brightness.

So lots to do next week, which is convenient as we are having our inaugural Davies family get together at BCB. The first time we will all be together there (Tom, Owen, Lloyd&Jess, Alys&Andy...and the 2 dogs, Mogs anf Jonah).
Should be fun, and plenty of jobs lined up !!

Oh...and although Alys' room isnt finished...we've set it up for next week..
....my attempt...

Jan's more practical version...















We are still working on the Chimney wall in Alys' room, which still isnt taking the limewash ! Jan raked out all the sooty brown pointing (just sand and earth really), and re-pointed with lime, so hopefully that will at least remove the brown staining. Then we just keep the dehumidifier going in there until it dries properly, and the limewash does its work.
Its a real labour of love that wall !