Phase One Skimming finished!

Yeah, skimming phase one is finished and that includes the ceiling in the leant-to which we did this morning.  So, we can now put the skimming equipment away for a while - we've given Phil the Plaster his modified short trowel back.  I think, on the whole, we've quite enjoyed doing it, but are probably ready for a change now.  This afternoon we've finished the lime plaster first coat (needs a slightly smoother finishing coat before it can be limewashed) and re-pointed the little chimney in the kitchen.

The plumber didn't turn up on Tuesday (surprise, surprise), but we didn't know he wasn't coming until the end of the day, so instead of getting on with big jobs we did itsy bitsy things that we could easily stop when he got here.  Although it was a bit frustrating, it did mean that we got all sorts of bits and pieces done that we've been meaning to do for ages.  He had written the wrong 'Tuesday after the Bank Holiday'  down in his diary, so has promised he will be here next week.

So, next jobs will be to do that smoother coat on the lime plaster and then get a couple of coats of white limewash on it all.  We have ordered some yellow and red ochre pigments so we can tint the later coats of wash to give a slightly warmer cream colour.  Should be interesting - you really can't tell what colour it'll be until the next day when it's dry.  When you first put it on all you see is the pigment (so it'll look bright yellow!), but as it dries the white of the lime comes through and lightens it.  A bit of a leap of faith I think.  We will then be ready to lay some more floors.  In the kitchen we are re-using the original quarry tiles that were in there (supplemented by some we got from the salvage yard).  They've been stored outside for a year though, so we'll have to pressure wash them or something and then they'll need sorting.  As I said, I think these are original and there was quite a path worn in them from the doorway.  When we took them up, we didn't intend to put them back.  Had we decided in time, we could have labelled them in some way to re-lay them in the same place and keep the worn look which would have been lovely.  As it is, they are all mixed up and some are thicker than others, so it'll be quite a job to try to lay them so they look right and you don't trip over raised bits.  I'm dreading it to be honest, but hoping it'll be one of those jobs that isn't as bad as I fear!  Let you know.  We also need to order the floorboards for upstairs and get them laid . . . and lay the tiles in the hall and utility.  Then there is all the decorating to do and tiles to put on walls, window sills, etc.  The electrician is booked to do 2nd fix from 25 May, so got to get on!  Actually, he seems happy to come and do a day and then leave it a bit and do some more, which probably suits us best.



Bonny helping to remove the flowers
from the chives



Did you watch any of the Royal Wedding?  I have been a bit fed up with all the hype surrounding it, but was quite pleased that the 'have a cuppa while the plaster dries a bit' stage of the lean-to ceiling skimming coincided with the bride arriving at the abbey, so I watched that and then we saw the balcony bit when we had lunch.  It's all quite nice really - makes you quite proud to be British, we do pomp and ceremony very well don't we?  So, I've just raised a bottle of Crabbies Original Ginger Beer (my latest favourite tipple) in their honour . . . . . any excuse, eh!



Peggy relaxing on the bench



So, onto chickens.  Elvis is now laying properly again.  Bonny has seemed a bit off colour all day and has been moping around on her own.  We were sat on the beer bench with Phil, Ann and their son Andrew this afternoon (tea and coffee only I'm afraid) and were speculating as to what might be wrong when she started acting in a very peculiar way.  She was almost squatting and waddling up the slope with her wings out - quite alarming in a very funny way!  After a couple of minutes of this, a shell-less egg shot out and rolled off down the hill - amazing, I've never actually seen them lay an egg. 

Don't quite know what that was all about - she laid a normal one this morning, so no wonder she was feeling a bit off, so we told her that one a day was fine from now on and she perked up immediately.  What entertainment, eh?

We had a lovely afternoon yesterday with Jan and Arthur and then in the evening we went to Wrexham University . . . . . I had no idea Wrexham had  a uni!  I guess it's an off-shoot of the University of Wales or something.  Anyway, last week Bob had seen in the paper that the lead singer of a band we have seen before (Tim Booth from James, for those interested) was playing there.  We didn't expect to get tickets as we saw James at the NIA in Birmingham last year and it was absolutely packed - 1000s of people.  We went along on the off-chance - there were just 3 cars in the carpark and about 3 people in the lobby.  At the box office they said we could have the tickets half-price as it wasn't exactly a sell-out and gave us seats next to the centre aisle, 3 rows back!  There was less than 200 people there for the support band and a few more for the main act, but it was really good.  The audience were really enthusiastic and, as there were so few people he could wander around among the audience, sit on the edge of the stage for a chat and answer shouts from the audience.  Brilliant - I'm listening to the CD we bought after as I type.  We'll definitely keep an eye on who else plays there - what a bargain and only 15 miles away!

So, what did happen on Sunday?

I think I've left you with the cliffhanger about how we spent last Sunday for long enough.  We have neighbours, Bill and Maggie, who moved here a couple of months before us and are doing a similar renovation.  They have teenage children living at home so lived in three static caravans while they did up the cottage and outbuildings.  They moved into the cottage before Christmas and so wanted to get rid of at least one of their caravans - free to anyone who'd move it.   We have other neighbours, Barb and Darren, who bought the cottage down the bridleway from us, ready renovated, last August and have been visiting at weekends, but are hoping to move in properly in the next few weeks. She's the one who takes the three-legged alsation for a walk in the pushchair.  As their cottage is tiny (just one bedroom but with planning permission to extend) they need somewhere to store some of their stuff.  And so a deal was done, they'd have Maggie and Bill's van and the local farmer would move it with his tractor for a few quid.  So, on Sunday morning we were having a coffee and heard the tractor labouring along and then saw the caravan sail past the end of our lane.  From our bit of woodland you can look across a small field to Barb and Darren's cottage, so we went up there to watch the caravan being delivered.  All seemed to go well to start and the tractor did a good job, no problem with the steep slope down to the cottage.  Towards the bottom though the lane narrows and twists and . . . . . you can guess, I'm sure.  I was amazed to watch them continue on until the caravan was stuck skewed across the lane with one side up on the bank and the other through the new fence on the other.  And then they carried on a bit more until one corner was jammed behind a tree and it was even more stuck!  We decided that they might need a bit of help manhandling it back up the hill a little before trying to straighten it up and so we walked round the bridleway to offer.  By the time we got there, their neighbour (Mr P) who owns the fence the caravan had gone through and who they have already had numerous fallings-out with, was on the scene.  He has a bit of a reputation for a fiery temper and had all guns blazing banning Darren from setting foot on his land.  There was all sorts of name-calling, none too sweet language and accusations flying and Mrs P had called the police.  Bill, Bob and I were a bit reluctant to just leave them to it as it could really have got out of hand and with Darren banned from Mr P's land they would need someone else to help unstick the van.  Anyway, the police arrived and listened to everyone's side of the story and it turned out that the person they could arrest for criminal damage would be the farmer as he was driving.  Now the farmer is also renowned for his fiery temper and that didn't go down well at all!  In the end the police lady got them to agree to move the caravan between them, Darren to provide materials to renew the fence and Mr P and the farmer to do the work.  Once that was resolved everyone did actually work quite well together (albeit with a good deal of swearing, mutterings and derogatory remarks and Darren still not allowed on their land).  The fence posts had to be pulled out, concrete and all which Mr P did with his big digger - a bit heartbreaking for him as it's not long since he'd put them in.  They then managed to reverse the van a bit, staighten it up with a few (not so) gentle nudges from the digger and then they just dragged it forward.  With tree trunks, branches and bits of fence dragging along the side it made an awful, screeching noise.  It got stuck again and had to be forced through with the help of the digger behind, then the axle broke and so it was also being dragged along the ground.  When they finally got it into the field it was certainly a sorry sight with corners missing, holes in the side and listing badly to one side because of the axle.  A fair few metres of new fencing was heaped in a pile for firewood and Darren's new gatepost lay ripped from it's concrete base next to the deep gouges in the lane.  The police had stayed to make sure the lane was cleared without any further trouble between the neighbours and once that was done, they left and everyone went their separate ways.  The joys of living in the nice, quiet, peaceful countryside where everyone is friendly and helps each other out, eh?!  Don't think that relationship will ever be patched up somehow, which is a real shame.  I don't think the farmer would be too keen either if we asked him to move our caravan when we're ready to get rid of it!

On the house front, we have finished putting the kitchen door in and are really please with it.  No silly mistakes with the knobs this time.  So, now we have to lock two doors at night and our special burglar-proof plastic is redundant.  We do still use that in the oak-frame bedroom windows and the end barn door!  We have put some plasterboard on the bit of ceiling above the stairway - we weren't sure if we'd still be able to put the scaffold tower up once the rest of the oak beams were in place and so tried to get as much done up there as we could.  As it happens, I think the tower will just fit which is actually a relief because there's still a fair bit to do there.  I thought once the plasterboard was up the ceiling would look a bit more 'finished', but with all the screws and joints showing it doesn't.  The oakwork is almost finished - we should get the last chamfers and sanding done tomorrow and then we can go and get the timber for the studwork for the en-suite, get that up and we'll be ready for the plumber at the end of the week.

We are going to have a go at making our own paint!  To buy breathable paint for the stone walls would cost a fortune - you're talking Farrow & Ball prices rather than Dulux - and we'll need loads.  So, we've done some research into limewash which is basically lime putty watered down and put on in lots of very thin coats.  Very traditional and exactly what would have been on the walls originally.  You can add artists pigments to make whatever colour you want.  Luckily for us, the builders merchants has had some big tubs of lime putty in their yard for ages.  On the tub it says to protect from frost, but this wasn't and has been out in all the freezing weather.  Bob checked with the manufacturers (Castle Cement) and apparently it doesn't matter if it freezes so long as it defrosts slowly and fully before you use it and it is actually better the longer it is kept.  Most literature recommends you buy it at least 6 months before you want to use it!  We had a chat with the Manager and he let us have a tub for a fiver!  What a bargain - it should make loads and so save us loads (I might ask him if we can have another tub).  It is definitely 'in keeping' and I can't wait to have a go, but we must remember that this is the dangerous stuff that dissolves your skin - protective clothing must definitely be worn. 

Well, this is the 50th post and has been a long one and no pictures!  I'll have to find some photos for the next one.  Guess what, as well as someone as far away as New Zealand, I now have a Catholic nun who reads my blog - so, hello to Sister Mags.  As Laura is to become a Buddhist nun at Easter, this is turning out to have quite a multi-national/cultural/religious readership!  The more the merrier I say.