120 hours and the varnish is dry!

That's right, 120 hours for the varnish on the door to dry enough for the second coat!  The conditions really weren't ideal.  To start with it was quite cold and very wet and then when it did warm up, it was still raining and because of the fairly sudden temperature change it was actually warmer outside than in and everywhere ended up covered in condensation.  We had condensation on the OUTSIDE of the windows for goodness sake!  Anyway, today the door felt dry and so I put the second coat on - should be dry by about Wednesday!

We had a bit of a crappy day yesterday.  The Building Inspector came round to look at the insulation which he was more than happy with and passed with barely a second glance.  He was not so happy with the plumbing though.  In some places, the pipes run between the stone walls and the insulation and, even though they are lagged, he said he didn't think that was such a good idea.  I can see his point - the insulation is designed to stop warmth getting out, so the pipes are on the cold side.  I would have thought that 18" stone should stop them freezing though.  There is a bit where the pipes run along the top of the wall under the roof and this is the bit that Bob is now worried about.  We got some insulation between the roof and the pipes, the pipes are lagged and I've stuffed offcuts wherever I can, but it is a bit of a weakpoint.  My solution would be to leave some gaps in the insulation between the room and the pipes which would allow them some warmth from inside (obviously if we're away in winter we'd leave some heating on for exactly that reason).  I guess eco folk would throw their hands up in horror, but I think you have to find a balance.  I managed not to need a tumble dryer for 20 years because the warm pipes in the airing cupboard were exposed and I could dry a washer load in there overnight.  Anyway, the plumber should be coming round soon to talk it through and see what needs to be done.  The Inspector (not our usual one by the way) was just voicing his thoughts and said he wouldn't fail it, but will put a note on the file.  They can be doom-merchants you know.  When we were discussing underpinning and damp proofing with one, he ended up telling us all sorts of tales about houses sliding down hills faster than their owners could run because the foundations weren't good enough!  All in all though we felt a little fed-up after he'd gone and were glad when some friends walked past and came in for a cup of tea, chocolate biscuits and a chat to cheer us up!

We now have three laying chickens.  Bonny finally decided to get on with her job and laid her first egg on Wednesday.  Today's offering is massive - about twice the size of the others - so I wouldn't be surprised if it's a double yolker.  Bob's turn to have it this time.  No more signs of the fox (except a pile of pigeon feathers at the end of the lane).  The chickens have taken to wandering during the day though which is a bit of a worry.  I think it is the new ones leading the other two astray because we never really had any problems before.  They find the wood across the lane very interesting and keep going a bit further each time.  They do usually come back when you call them though and come running down the hill and under the fence and stand expectantly at your feet waiting for the treat they think we should always give them - they do make me laugh.  We give them something every few times, just so they keep coming back!  This afternoon Bob had to go into the wood to round them up and that looked like a real comedy sketch as he ran round flapping his arms chasing chickens all over the place.