Stuff done in the last month.

I can't believe its been a month since I last posted, and can't believe what has happened in that time either.

Big Chris came to relieve me for a whole weekend, and before I left for Kenilworth he helped me put the window in - just a small bit of planing the top bit of wood and it fit very snuggly.
I tried moving the back window sometime ago but couldn't - I guess that it was fitted from the top before the roof was put on, I had decided to leave the window there, and if it was really cold I'd change it next year - however, when I took Dad's screwdriver rail off, half the window fell away and I was left not much.

So I ended up cutting it all out and had another big hole to fill. 

Ebay came up trumps and after a trip to St Helen's (the bit I saw was a beautiful area) and a bit of struggling, I fitted another double glazed window and finished all the insulation and plasterboarding.

The following weekend Fran helped me with some more furniture from the Worcester stores and we moved in my big table - see above, my smaller dresser:

And my settee - it was too much for Fran so she fell asleep for the next 2 hours!!

Huh!!  Mind you, while she was asleep I reinforced the roof, the length of the roof was such that the wooden struts bent quite a bit.

Its not sagging now!!

The following week I finished the grotty bits of plaster boarding - that above the windows and patio doors - very fiddly.

 The back of the dresser now doubles as a wall for the back of the workshop cupboard:

We had one day that was really grotty and it rained a bit - the sky was black and we had a double rainbow - this next photo doesn't quite capture how bright the rainbow was.

The following time I walked out the storm was blowing over - it was half way across the sky and the other half was bright blue with fluffy white clouds.

That's all for now folks!!

This week

I started stripping the turf off the garden by hand - but it was very hard work and took ages - so my friends at Travis Perkins brought a turf cutter up just before Mum went into hospital.  I didn't work perfectly but was so much quicker and more easy than the alternative.  Very shortly I had 4 areas stripped and with a bit more manual work the beds will soon be ready for planting. 

As Meg enjoys helping me so much I thought it prudent to put up the sides of the fruit cage to prevent her from digging up the new plants or running off with the makeshift cloches (1/2 pop bottles).  Before I'd finished I realised she'd rolled under the netting commando style and was digging holes looking for moles behind me!! Huh!!

This is the garden today:

 This bed has only half cleared properly - its still got some turf that the cutter missed! - I needed to get some of the plants in - Red and White Runner Beans are in with a few Nasturtiums are in under the bamboo poles.

And an arty shot of the Runners:

These still have to go in - some are not yet ready, but plenty are:

Did you spot the onions in the laundry basket?


Last weekend Chris and his girls, and Lil and Chris came to visit and I roped them in to remove the garage door.  They left me with a gaping hole which prompted me to do the next bit in the garage.  After purchasing a second hand window through ebay and collecting it from Newport,

I measured it very carefully and built a wooden frame to house it.  Its now been insulated and boarded out on the inside, and I've put blue plastic on the outside ready to cover it with wooden boarding, and help with the waterproofing.

 (Big Chris is coming up tomorrow to look after Mum while I go re-enacting and I'm hoping he'll help me fit the window.  I'm praying the hole is square as the measurements are to the millimeter!)
Now that was in place I was able to move Dad's wood working bench to the front, under the window.  My measuring previously was pretty precise and it fitted snugly behind the door.

Ironically, it works well as a desk and I've been sitting at it to do Casuals Clobber accounts! - there's a great view of the road and I can see all visitors before they arrive!

As you may have noticed, Meg has found a new 'favourite place'! - She also can see everything that's going on!

Catch up!!

Here are some photos that I've taken since the last blog.

 The back wall is complete - desk and shelves on the garage side and.....

the cupboard on the other.

 Now had to remove everything from the front of the garage,

Dad's decorating cupboard's moved so there gives me more room (back of the cupboard is dark brown)

 The 'garage' is full again after a re-organisation - DOH!!

 Note the Casuals Clobber boxes!!

 The side wall is now up and a lockable door moved from the back of the garage and reused.

 The front of my studio in anticipation of the make over...

 Dad's work bench and cupboards that need to be moved (and the front of the decorating cupboard) - and the window that stubbornly wouldn't budge so is staying for at least 1 winter - and then brutally removed if it proves to let too much cold in!

A reminder what the lean to looks like atm

 And the garden before the turf is stripped off for the veg beds.

My Birthday Present

 

The story will come later! - needless to say she's wonderful.

The Turkey Shed

Unfortunately the timber I ordered didn't arrive, so I cancelled it from that supplier and got it delivered within 2 hours from Travis Perkins!  The next couple of days were spent 'doing other things' like a whole day it took for both of us to see the doctor and do the shopping, a very pleasant day in Droitwich -early on Dek and I had breakfast at Julie's Cafe, then went to watch 'Social Network' at the stores - (I had to smother so many laughs because so many traits that I recognised!) he he, and then I went to a party back in my old house - I'm so lucky to have J-P and his family renting the place, they a such lovely people.  I met several of their friends and Pritt was there too - Lil, did you know she's selling up the shop in April/May time and moving away?  Veronique is such a great cook, and some of the desserts she made were so delicious,- one recipe I'll use for the re-enacting BBQs is crushed chocolate digestives soaked in condensed milk, then folded into whipped cream - looks disgusting but was gorgeous.

Sunday I was helping a friend to build a turkey shed!  He has kept turkey's before, in fact he's still keeping them, - they are in his freezer!  but he now has chickens in where the turkeys were and needs something a bit more suitable.  He lives on the most incredibly clayie ground, and it has been raining on and off for the last fortnight.

We got the shed up in the day (minus the roof as the supplier had fail to deliver it,) and started on a run in front of it but, we hit a big bit of rubble where the next post was to go, his leg gave in, and my back was aching.  in his typical fashion we used what was around for the frame, and that meant timber designed for a very substantial building!

We endured the heaviest hail storm and loads of showers, and after I had cleared up and washed everything down it looked like this,

the ground in and around the shed looked like this,

and I looked like this,

ARGHHhh.......

The Next Day

Being motivated I was up and out early.  I cleared the work area, and worked out a plan of action.  J-P reckoned I should plasterboard over the top of every thing, bringing the wall inwards by 2" - I think it would look cuter if the top wooden beam was showing - I won!

This is how it was at the start of the day.

It all worked out pretty well.  My biggest difficulty is moving the large sheets of plasterboard around in such a confined space. - There is also a front and back to these boards - white front, brown back, and as I'm not planning to cover them I've got to make sure the are around the right way.

The logistics of making spaces to manouver AND get to the space where I'm working is fun and games.  I can work on this side wall but need to put the 1st panel in under the beam, but if I block up under the beam I cant get from the front to the back of the garage! - so for the time being I'm just putting up 1 board in the corner, then I can start the side wall.

There is a bit of a gap at the bottom of the plasterboard, but the top is neat - this will be the only bit that will be visible as my big cupboard is going in front of this eventually.  The gap right at the very top, between the beam and the ceiling has to be boarded from the other side, but I reckon it looks ok WITH a bit of character.

I worked round the wall until I got to the patio doors.  Then thinking of logistics and lack of access to either sides,  I moved some of the plasterboard to the back of the garage - and the only place to put it was in front of the patio doors!

This was the state of play by the end of the day.

John-Paul Day (aka Tuesday)

I managed to be well prepared for J-P's visit, the area was cleared, timber and plasterboard due to be delivered that morning - all set - but wait - no bacon!  So I rushed down town at 7.50 to catch Waitrose at 8 when they opened.....but they didn't open till 8.30 (J-P's ETA). I jumped back in the car and rushed around Monmouth to find somewhere open.  When I got back home he'd arrive and already removed the rear door.  He had had to remove the alarm sensor too, and had set off the alarm!! - It was all quiet by the time I got back.

We cracked on at a pace, and apart from 1 small mistake, (one of the sides of the frame we put in upside down!), we had completed everything except filling in the gaps around the frame, and I said I'd do that at a later date.

We were just putting the final piece in when I had a phone call from the plaster board delivery driver called for directions.  The new door is a real success - it lets in loads of light, and I can see outside too!!

Rusty's checking it out the next day when he was allowed out of his cage.

The next half hour was spent unloading the plasterboard and insulation (no timber!) but I cooked the bacon, and as there was plenty we gave the drive a sarnie too - I managed 1/2 a board - I needed help  -  and wondered quite what I'd let myself in for. - Bacon sarnie was tasty though.  Luckily just as we'ed finished the oilman turned up - busy place here.

JP started on the ceiling and by the end of the day not only had we completed it he also managed to get the final 2 roof/ceiling joists in place. - he was a star and has really given me that boost to do the next bit.

Here are the joists in place.  (Not that you can really see them, but they are flush with the others now, in the right places.)

And here's the other end of the beautiful metal beam.

And for his final curtain call, J-P helped move my little Truburn from the front to the back of the garage so it's nearer the place where it'll be installed.  It is Ssooo... heavy, J-P is pretty strong, and I'm capable of a bit (but not what I used to be able to do) but this was a trial for BOTH of us - yet it is tiny!