After the success of our recent treebog building weekend, we’re moving on to slightly more ambitious things, and the construction of a little post and beam timber framed building, which will have a reciprocal frame roof.Today we began by marking out and digging...
It is funny how chance encounters can take you down unusual routes in life. Seemingly unimportant events divert you along paths you didn’t even know existed. I can’t remember the first time I saw Simon Dale’s ‘hobbit house’ on the net,...
Well, after two days frenzied activity, here is the new treebog. Thanks to all who helped bring it about – it is truly a thing of beauty, and should settle nicely into its woodland setting. We used sawmill skins almost exclusively to build it, and its the first...
We are in the throes of designing our dream hovel, to be created somewhere in deepest Wales, from timber and strawbale. It’s really hard when faced with a blank canvas and a tiny budget, but here is our creation, which will be a timber framed affair with...
Detail from Dark Mountain by Rima Staines I first came across the Dark Mountain project through Rima Staines’ excellent blog as she was responsible for the cover design of their latest book.The text on the back cover struck a chord with me, and reads...
Finally they have arrived – our four hens have taken up residence. We have an Ancona (pictured above left); a Lavender Araucana (above right); a Black Araucana (below) and last but not least, a rather marvellous Welsummer. They have had a fairly eventful 24...
Here is my best attempt at a hen house yet. This version has front and rear windows, side door, 3 nesting boxes, and a pull out floor. As with all my constructions it won’t blow away. The frame was made from reclaimed 3×2 timber, and we went mad and bought...
The ever helpful Philip from Leisure Batteries Ireland has kindly lent us a Victron 750W Inverter, so that we can get a comparison with his new budget range of inverters that are coming soon.Our cheap and cheerful modified square wave 500W inverter works pretty well,...
Claire has been studying chicken books all week, and we went to the Rare Breeds thing at the Folk and Transport Museum at the weekend, coming away convinced that the mighty Arucana hen is the one for us. Specifically the lavender Arucana, which lays fantastic...
Colin and Clinton working on the new steps. That feels like the end of a particularly long 2 weeks, and its not even the end of the week yet. It began with 50 hours digger driving, which saw the forest garden area landscaped, and 40-odd tonnes of slate waste quarried...
This wind mullarkey is definitely harder than the solar. With solar you just fit it, point it in the right direction, and screw it down so it doesn’t blow away. Wind power is a whole different kettle of fish. The turbine comes with 3 lumps of angle steel to use...
