Well, my half day in the garden was spent in a doctors surgery - and waiting room! Mum had an appointment with a memory doctor at 9am. We were up early, had breakfast and even had to wait around before we left for the clinic. We got there early, so sat and waited....and waited! It must have been nearer 10 before we got to see the doctor - she was very nice and very thorough, and it was passed 11 when we got out. After doing a bit of shopping, and Mum going to a photo booth for passport photos for her blue disabled badge it was lunch time before we got home.
Casuals Clobber stuff this afternoon and tomorrow up in Worcester.
Friday, 18 February 2011
Thursday, 17 February 2011
Getting Ready for John-Paul
As J-P is coming over on Tuesday, I've got to have the area ready for him and although it doesn't seem as though I've done much today, looking at the photos quite a lot has changed! I started by cutting the 3 beams that are going up in the roof on the otherside to what I've done already.
Rusty supervised me!
Cutting them was made easier because I used the circular saw, then just had to cut the last centimetre or so with a saw. One of the beams is fully installed, one is in approximately the right place, but not fixed as I can't get to it, and the last one is just lodged up there to keep it out the way - at least I can't trip over them now.
Rusty had to have a rest then - all that hard work!
The 2 shelving units I only recently moved from in front of Dad's shelves need to be moved again - some of that wall will be coming down. As I had already sorted things out this was straight forward and everything was moved outside quite quickly - Rusty had to go back into his cage for this, although he sticks closely to me inside, he might be very distracted outside. I then continued to move boxes and crates from my old Victorian cupboard too. Some stuff went outside, other stuff had to be added to the large pile in the front of the garage - I even managed to get Dad's lathe to the front, and found that the mains cable had totally disintegrated: it'll have to be replaced before I start playing with it.
Only half a day tomorrow - if its nice I'll be finishing the chicken wire. Yesterday, on ebay, I found some Red Dorking hatching eggs, I emailed the vendor, and she says she regularly has eggs AND her birds are show birds, I've told her I've got to get a couple of broody hens 1st, but then I'll be back in touch.
Rusty supervised me!
Cutting them was made easier because I used the circular saw, then just had to cut the last centimetre or so with a saw. One of the beams is fully installed, one is in approximately the right place, but not fixed as I can't get to it, and the last one is just lodged up there to keep it out the way - at least I can't trip over them now.
Rusty had to have a rest then - all that hard work!
Only half a day tomorrow - if its nice I'll be finishing the chicken wire. Yesterday, on ebay, I found some Red Dorking hatching eggs, I emailed the vendor, and she says she regularly has eggs AND her birds are show birds, I've told her I've got to get a couple of broody hens 1st, but then I'll be back in touch.
Wednesday, 16 February 2011
Starting the Garage
Now the lean-to is complete (all except the downpipe for the guttering) I can now think about the inside of the garage. I want to adapt dad's workshop (wood / metal) to a more girlie workshop so I can still do the woodworking, but also delicate crafts such as sewing, spinning etc. Dad had the original garage extended a while ago to house a work bench and a lathe, a decorating cupboard and various metal cabinets to house any and all items - all neatly filed away.
My job was to clear a space so I could start to do the jobs in the garage - pretty difficult if you knew just how full the garage was. I didn't think about taking a photo before I started as I was just going to do 'just a bit'! I could now use the lean-to to put stuff under and my 'just a bit' looked like this.
As Lil and Chris probably remember I had loads of stuff including shelving units in front of Dad's shelves. I've moved these to the other wall between the back door and the window, but I'll have to move one of them again as John-Paul is coming over next week to put a patio door in the back wall. This should let a lot of light into the back area where I hope to do the needlework stuff.
Friday was miserable - you could hardly see the top of the trees!
12th - Rusty's 2nd birthday, and here's the birthday boy.
It's also a beautiful spring day - it's difficult to believe just how grotty it was the day before and day after.
Fran came over Saturday night so in the morning I tidied up and the car was - yet again - full, ready for a tip trip.
After moving a badly placed cyclamen,
Fran organised me on Sunday and we cleared Dad's shelves, - more stuff went outside and another trip to the tip.
Rusty got grumpy when I tried to put him outside, so I boarded an area in the garage and let him out of the inside cage - he had great fun - running to and fro as I went from one end to the other - then I stepped over the boards - and he followed. he had full access to all the floor area - between boxes, between cupboards, under shelves - arghh - would I ever catch him again? No worries, no sweat! He's around my feet closer than a limpet - he even hangs around at the bottom of the step ladder till I come back down. As soon as I want him back in his cage I just put some flakes of maize in his bowl and he happily jumps back in.
When I got home from London on Tuesday some joists had been delivered, and I got the 1st 2 cut and eventually in place - I'm not looking forward to the other 3 - because its the side of the garage where all my stuff is.
I've also measured up for all the insulation and plaster boarding - the next major task.
Thursday, 10 February 2011
The Lean-to
This lean-to is to enable me to work outside whatever the weather, whether it be basket making, carpentry, etc - the basket willow needs to be soaked for days before it is woven - sheep's fleeces needs to be soaked over night the left out to dry before it is carded ready to be spun, and I'm sure I can find many other uses for it.
It is a big task, but I've done one for Fran and it's still standing - so I took a trip to Travis Perkins after getting prices from several merchants. It took ages for them to deliver the bits, but I've now got the main frame up.
I've tried to construct this 'properly' - the way my Dad would have done (and I've probably used as many screws as he did!) so the joints are cut out and the woodwork is flush on the upperside so the corrugated sheeting will be attached to all the lengths. I think it was possibly a very time consuming method, especially as I've seen a couple of these types of roofs since I started, that have been made the quick way. Anyway, by the end of the Monday it looked like this
by the end of Tuesday I'd finished the other side - look at the blue sky!
Wednesday I started putting the sheeting on - from experience I know this bit can't be rushed - The sheet has to be put in place, and marked where the holes have to go - you have to drill quite big holes for the screws to go through - this allows for a bit of movement - and is a bit forgiving if things aren't quite precise enough. Each sheet needs to be drilled 16 times! This then needs to be put back on the roof and 16 supports have to go under the hole, 16 screws have to be put in 16 caps before screwing down, and then the cap has to be clicked over to seal everything! Anyway, the 1st 10 sheets were put on ok, it was pretty windy and I did have to catch a couple of them the other side of the garden. Well, that was about it for the rest of the week, no chance of putting the top row on - at least the first ones stayed put - and I think it'll be able to survive most things now.
By the next Monday afternoon the weather, and especially the wind, started to calm down and I got the next 3 sheets on - Tuesday saw the rest put on - yippee!! Most of the guttering has been put on too, and now I've just got to exchange a piece and fit the down pipe. I wan to collect the rainwater to use in the garden and for the birds, and I'm trying to get a really big container! I managed to tidy up the concrete slab too before it got too dark - it looks really smart already.
Oh yes, I didn't sit around doing nothing while it was windy - I demolished the compost heap - there's still the slabs to move - to around the chicken coop - and then to level the area.
In under the roof, in the grass, a few snowdrops have survived!
It is a big task, but I've done one for Fran and it's still standing - so I took a trip to Travis Perkins after getting prices from several merchants. It took ages for them to deliver the bits, but I've now got the main frame up.
By the next Monday afternoon the weather, and especially the wind, started to calm down and I got the next 3 sheets on - Tuesday saw the rest put on - yippee!! Most of the guttering has been put on too, and now I've just got to exchange a piece and fit the down pipe. I wan to collect the rainwater to use in the garden and for the birds, and I'm trying to get a really big container! I managed to tidy up the concrete slab too before it got too dark - it looks really smart already.
Oh yes, I didn't sit around doing nothing while it was windy - I demolished the compost heap - there's still the slabs to move - to around the chicken coop - and then to level the area.
Catching up with works
When buying the fruit bushes a week or so ago, I spotted some fence panels at half price - because they were discoloured - they were very similar to the fence I made in Droitwich from pallets - half price proved more attractive and I had them delivered just before the weekend - then went to Travis Perkins to buy the posts.
I've also been prowling ebay for chicken coops - could I find one that would be cheaper than making one? I want something large enough for chickens and ducks - if they'll live together. Anyway, to cut a long story short, I managed to get a £160 coop for £101.01 - it was really cheap to start with but I was chuffed to get it so much cheaper.
I shipped in extra work force for the weekend - in exchange for boxing in pipes in a bathroom, and feeding and watering them. - Well, it was only Fran - but she worked as though she were many!
By the end of Saturday we had the fence up, and nearly completed the chicken coop - it just was too dark to continue.
It looks like Fort Knox! I had thought all the panels were 5 foot - but these ones are 6 foot - I'm planning to put chicken wire around the bottom of this and the hedge - and the 4th side will be all chicken wire.
We soon finished the coop and needed a photo to show our progress.
Fran started gardening, tidying up the garden where I was putting up the other fence - this fence was designed for 2 reasons. I) to keep Sam, the nieghbour's dog out of the area - he has free range of the local villages, 2) to keep any wandering chickens or ducks in - and may be a puppy too! This is what it looked like before we started,
And after
Fran worked so hard - not only did she clear all the dead stuff, she neatened up the edges, and barrowed load after load from the compost heap to raise up the bed to look right.
The next day - Monday, I had to take the post rammer back - it was hired - and I realised that I still had 2 posts left - so I got up early and made the gate into the chicken run.
And this is what it looks like from the bathroom window.
All this work created loads of rubbish - I've been to the tip loads of times - (Rusty's hutch isn't rubbish and didn't get taken to the tip!)
(Noticed my baby Rayburn in the garage? It used to belong to the fat German Officer from 'ello 'ello!)
I've also been prowling ebay for chicken coops - could I find one that would be cheaper than making one? I want something large enough for chickens and ducks - if they'll live together. Anyway, to cut a long story short, I managed to get a £160 coop for £101.01 - it was really cheap to start with but I was chuffed to get it so much cheaper.
I shipped in extra work force for the weekend - in exchange for boxing in pipes in a bathroom, and feeding and watering them. - Well, it was only Fran - but she worked as though she were many!
By the end of Saturday we had the fence up, and nearly completed the chicken coop - it just was too dark to continue.
We soon finished the coop and needed a photo to show our progress.
Fran started gardening, tidying up the garden where I was putting up the other fence - this fence was designed for 2 reasons. I) to keep Sam, the nieghbour's dog out of the area - he has free range of the local villages, 2) to keep any wandering chickens or ducks in - and may be a puppy too! This is what it looked like before we started,
The next day - Monday, I had to take the post rammer back - it was hired - and I realised that I still had 2 posts left - so I got up early and made the gate into the chicken run.
And this is what it looks like from the bathroom window.
The Garden Design
The garden before I started:
The snowy weather allowed me to spend some time designing 'my garden'. I want to grow mainly veg - ones to eat both at home and at re-enacting events. Having read Stuart Peachey's Cottage Garden Plants 1580 - 1660, I made a list of the veg I want to try growing. Having carefully measured the plot I've used Adobe's Illustrator to plan the area.
The grey block at the bottom is the garage, the sky blue block is the lean-to (still to be built) and the black bit peeping out from this is the concrete slab Dad had put down years ago for his caravan. At the top, the brown bits relate to the birds I want to keep (I won a coop on ebay last night) eventually Red Dorkings, a very rare but old breed that were around and commented on by the Romans when the invaded.
Dorkings have 5 toes (most chickens have just 4) and can be clearly see in this painting of a Silver Dorking pair.
I would also like to keep some ducks - but I'll have to see if they can live together.
I've needed to plan the garden so I can begin to do what is needed this early in the year, yet know where every thing is going to be. I've marked out the chicken space with string, and then put up the fruit cage so I have precise position to start in the garden.
This year I'm trying the 'no dig' system - as described in an organic gardening book because, 1) it'll save so much time, & 2) I don't think my back will stand up to too many digging days. This doesn't mean I'm not doing any digging - just the bare essentials.
After putting up the fruit cage in the right place, Mum and I went to the local garden centre and picked out 6 early and 6 autumn raspberry canes, a gooseberry and a red current bush and a rhubarb crown and 8 strawberry plants. I very efficiently managed to plant these the same day - and we've had sharp frosts every night since then!
I stripped off some turf to plant all these, and putting it down in the front garden to cover Mum's old flower bed - this will obviously reduce weeding. While waiting for the lean-to bits to arrive I've cut back some bushes and tidied up the drive.
I ordered the bits for the lean-to ages ago, and have been chasing the delivery ever since, however, on Friday it all arrived. yipee!
Below are some pictures of how things are at present.
This is how it was until about a fortnight ago - since then BT has worked well to prevent me from keeping this updated - so although the next couple of posts are what should have been posted over the last week or so.
The snowy weather allowed me to spend some time designing 'my garden'. I want to grow mainly veg - ones to eat both at home and at re-enacting events. Having read Stuart Peachey's Cottage Garden Plants 1580 - 1660, I made a list of the veg I want to try growing. Having carefully measured the plot I've used Adobe's Illustrator to plan the area.
The grey block at the bottom is the garage, the sky blue block is the lean-to (still to be built) and the black bit peeping out from this is the concrete slab Dad had put down years ago for his caravan. At the top, the brown bits relate to the birds I want to keep (I won a coop on ebay last night) eventually Red Dorkings, a very rare but old breed that were around and commented on by the Romans when the invaded.
I would also like to keep some ducks - but I'll have to see if they can live together.
I've needed to plan the garden so I can begin to do what is needed this early in the year, yet know where every thing is going to be. I've marked out the chicken space with string, and then put up the fruit cage so I have precise position to start in the garden.
This year I'm trying the 'no dig' system - as described in an organic gardening book because, 1) it'll save so much time, & 2) I don't think my back will stand up to too many digging days. This doesn't mean I'm not doing any digging - just the bare essentials.
After putting up the fruit cage in the right place, Mum and I went to the local garden centre and picked out 6 early and 6 autumn raspberry canes, a gooseberry and a red current bush and a rhubarb crown and 8 strawberry plants. I very efficiently managed to plant these the same day - and we've had sharp frosts every night since then!
I stripped off some turf to plant all these, and putting it down in the front garden to cover Mum's old flower bed - this will obviously reduce weeding. While waiting for the lean-to bits to arrive I've cut back some bushes and tidied up the drive.
I ordered the bits for the lean-to ages ago, and have been chasing the delivery ever since, however, on Friday it all arrived. yipee!
Below are some pictures of how things are at present.
This is how it was until about a fortnight ago - since then BT has worked well to prevent me from keeping this updated - so although the next couple of posts are what should have been posted over the last week or so.
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