"Oh, it'll never be finished" I hear myself repeat regularly to those who very generously congratulate us on 'finishing our project' and tell us how we can now 'put our feet up and enjoy'...
No such luck! The list of jobs keeps getting longer. Some are just nice to do but others are those that are crucial to make the building 'work' as a comfortable home.
Since moving in we've been working hard and realised that we need to tackle most of the remaining jobs ourselves - very thankful for You Tube tutorials and wishing we owned a tele handler!
The main job has been pointing the acres of stone walls inside and out with lime mortar. We have nearly finished inside the building which we were able to do through the winter. Plugging all the drafty holes (previously stuffed with tissues!) has been a top priority during those cold months. As the threat of frost subsides we have made a start on the outside now, of which there is a whole summer's work ahead of us. We treated ourselves to a scaffold tower - ah, the things that make us happy these days!
We've had a mix of weather since my last post, with torrential rain, snow (which was great!) and finally now winter seems to have turned to spring in time for the arrival of the lambs.
And with the better weather not only can we do house chores, but finally we have started to get some areas looking a bit like a garden! We've planted a small orchard with apples, plums, damsons, quince and a sweet cherry on the area at the front of the property which we discovered from a 19th century map used to be an orchard. We've made a start on a few raised beds using timber from one of the demolished barns, which are enabling us to plant veg as well as pretty things too. We now just need everything to GROW!
So, wishing all you dear friends a very HAPPY EASTER ... and here's to summer coming, ticking off chores and the promise of a few ciders in the sun - Cheers!
This post is dedicated to the memory of my dear friend Fenella,
who was prematurely taken from us just before Christmas.
Her support and encouragement throughout my life
and particularly through this project will be greatly missed.
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