Yep, how exciting is that - I've done some real decorating! I've painted two walls . . . . on the floor. Ben had real trouble getting his head around that until I explained that these were the plasterboard panels which fit in the oak frame. Because the green oak will shrink over time, we've cut rebates in it for the plasterboard to fit in. That way, we won't get a gap between the plasterboard and the oak when it shrinks. So, it makes sense to paint the plasterboard before it fits into the oak frame, so we won't even get a grey line round the edge when it shrinks. So, we laid all the pieces (14 in all) out on the floor and I have put the first coat on. It took us all day to cut the pieces to fit. There are some fiddly bits around the knee braces (the diagonal timbers across the top corners of the walls) involving slightly curving edges and small triangular pieces and then the end wall has a sloping top and a window hole, also with a sloping top. We also had to cut bits out for sockets. Still, they are all precision fits and it was a good job done.
Once again, we had to stop for lots of chats today. The delivery driver from the builders merchant always stops for a cuppa and a chat when he's here, then this afternoon the Quarry Manager called on his way back from town ostensibly to check the quarry boundary, but he didn't do much checking and we had quite a chat with him. Then Roy, one of the neighbours who helped with the oak frame had to stop for a while. He owns a rescue greyhound who is as soft as anything and always enjoys having her ears tickled while we chat. It has got to the point that she won't walk past without stopping for a tickle and a chat. I looked out from where we were working and she'd firmly planted her feet and was refusing to move no matter how much Roy coaxed her. As soon as Bob said 'Come on then', she trotted over and almost jumped off the retaining wall in an effort to get close enough to be stroked. She then refused to carry on with her walk and Roy had to pick her up and carry her off! What a softie! Then, just as we got back to work someone else walking their dog stopped for a chat. No wonder this house is taking so long! Only joking, I really like that part of living here.
Oh, nearly forgot - we had a letter from the Planning Department approving the extra window in the timber-frame room which is really good news, I think it will make a lot of difference in there.
Last night's talk on beekeeping was really interesting and has us all fired up to get a hive and give it a go. I've read a bit about it over the last few months, but was put off because it all sounds so darned complicated and we'd resigned ourselves to just planting flowers to attract bees and maybe making a few 'bee homes' for solitary bees (we'll still do that). The chap talking was the President of the Shropshire Beekeepers and was very down-to-earth and understood exactly when I said it all sounded too complicated from the books, but said it wasn't really unless you wanted to get fanatical about it. Did you know you can actually get artificial insemination kits for bees? Now, how bizarre is that?! So, maybe next spring we'll get into beekeeping.
We're off to the Far East this weekend . . . . well, Peterborough. You know, we feel like real country bumpkins whenever we venture out of our little 15 mile radius. Big roads, fast cars - we're just not used to it. It's also funny how the jeans I thought were clean and perfectly presentable when I'm slobbing around here, going to the village shop or builders merchants suddenly look shabby and dirty as soon as we get on the M6! Anyway, we're visiting Bob's Dad and then I'm going to see my neices in a song and dance show and having a girly evening (not sure I can remember how to do girly!) with them, my sister and Laura while Bob comes back here. Then on Sunday I'm meeting Ben and getting my car back - I'll have forgotten how to drive it it's been so long. He did promise to clean and hoover it, fill the tank and supply sweets for my journey home - yum.
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