With September now here our thoughts are turning to harvest, but not quite as you might think!
Harvesting heat from the ground is the reason for these huge trenches, (not Somerset Mega-Moles as has been suggested) which I have to say are considerably bigger than expected! We've remained generally lucky with the weather over the last month which is a massive relief as otherwise I might be reporting from The Somme! These trenches are the 'harvesting end' of our Ground Source Heat Pump, which will supply us with all our heating and hot water, totally from Mother Earth's warmth - amazing!
Our second plan for our harvest from nature is with water. Another big hole now contains one of two Rainwater Harvesting Tanks, taking rainwater from the roofs, filtering it and then supplying water for washing machine, dishwasher, loo flushing and all that is not drunk (by the humans in the household at least). We are told that Somerset has a good supply of this resource, so we shouldn't go short!
...and the third thought of harvest is the abundance of berries in our hedgerows, in particular the highly valuable fruits of the blackthorn - it's sloe time! No fellow villagers to compete with on the picking this year, just the birds. I'm waiting for the first frost and then they'll be picked and crammed into gin bottles with plenty of sugar, turned and left to steep ready for Christmas! Did I just mention Christmas ... noooo!... Surely we still have summer with us, as my fourth harvest thought is in the form of the few wild flowers that are still blooming. The chamomile around the site has been beautiful all summer and kept the rental house looking pretty. I do hope it manages to survive all the groundworks and comes back in abundance again next year.
So, back to the building site - what's been happening inside? Well, we now have nearly 3/4 of the roof timbers up all still under wraps until the roofing contractors come to felt and batten, followed by the replacing of all those 6000 or so roof tiles we spent half the summer cleaning! I can only really claim the credit for about a third of the cleaning - Andrew was the one with the stamina in that department! There were of course lots of other very important jobs that I had to take responsibility for - really!
It will be a real milestone to get the roof finished and the scaffolding down. Still a little way to go, but as we have the 'wrapping' on the scaffold we can also start getting stud walls up, insulation in and move towards first fix etc. Things are beginning to change visibly more rapidly now, so really hoping this pace continues! It's been a difficult month with some of the guys being off with Covid. It's been pretty rife in the West Country after all the teenagers managed to bring it back from the summer festivals!
Other jobs we've been doing have included loads more sanding and treating of the green oak, getting rid of water stains and then oiling the oak lintels for the window and door ways. We've also been sanding and bleaching the huge oak roof timbers. It's so lovely to see the beauty come out as you work on the wood. With the help of visiting amazing friends we've cracked on with painting facia boards and bits of timber for the sofits too, and of course there are still just the last few roof tiles to go back to but we're ignoring those at the moment!
All the work has been interspersed with some welcome visits from far and wide of family and friends over this summer holiday season. Much needed catch ups and an excuse to down tools and enjoy what we have and the people we miss. We've barbecued, picnicked, camped and walked bits of the coastal path, as well as enjoyed cocktails and beers in the sun - it does still feel like being on holiday, albeit a working one!
Happy Days :)
Komentarze