Our extreme flatpack kitchen

After a couple of frantic days activity, we have what passes for a kitchen. It came in a form that I like to call ‘extreme flatpack’ – ie some lengths of 3×2, and pine boarding. The old pine ceiling from the extension has come up well, and forms...

The smell of hard work isn’t so bad after all

One of the benefits of having two and a half inch thick cedar work tops is that although cutting them is exhausting, it does make one of the nicest smells imaginable.The kitchen (such as it is) design is evolving as I go, but I think I know where I am going now. A...

Behind the yellow door..

Ooh – the decorating has started, and at the front door…..So long I have dreamed of a yellow front door,and now here it is.

Meet Mel

Today, I breathed a huge sigh of relief as the Holly’s Horse Haven lorry pulled up and Joe unloaded Mel, aka. Melbourne Lad, who is absoloutely beautiful, and a retired racehorse. At last a friend for Sherafey, and after the usual introductory face pulling, they...

Learning new tricks

Well that was a busy day – we all learned something new.  Brendan and I finished laying the slate through the kitchen, into the hall, and on to the bathroom, and Claire went off to Welig Crafts learn how to make baskets with Clive Lyttle -So all in all, a very...

Some views in the sun

Finally some sun! This afternoon the mountains were especially clear, and the crickets were out and about.The little field next to the house is surrounded by mature trees, and is a real sun trap in the afternoons. One more bonfire and we’ll finally be rid of the...

Introducing Doric

Our entire cooking and heating world revolves around    this – the Doric range cooker, which seems to have been pretty widely used. Trouble is, information on how to best use it is rather thin on the ground – does anyone have any tips?

So many little jobs.

Now that we are more or less done with the really big jobs, the race is on to get all the million and one little things sorted. The little gas bottle woodburner moved home today, and took up its new position in the living room. Thankfully it seems to draw well,...

Finally, the plastering is finished

Today we finally finished the plastering, and here is the bedroom, which has undergone one of the largest changes. Here it is when we started – Here’s the little bathroom window above, and the room as originally found, before we had uncovered the window...

The Great Weekend of Plastering..

The plastering continues, and we’ve now finished the living room, most the kitchen, and some of the hall. Huge thanks to Mark and Jim for coming to help and working really, really long hours over the weekend, and doing some of the really annoyingly unreachable...

Lots of progress

It’s amazing how a couple of days without rain make such a difference – suddenly we are making great progress. More of the fruit bushes are making their way down to the field, and out of pots, (at last, we’ve been carting them around for an age), and...