Busy, busy, busy

Well, what a time we had since my last Blog update… more snow, problems with the drive, deliveries cancelled due to inability to deliver (because of the snow!), seven visitors for Martins birthday and poorly health for us all – oh and more building work!

Norman had to visit the docs twice, Martin went too – I was a little more hardy than them, despite trying to get an appointment, but ended up persevering and am now nearly 100%. Both Martin and Norman still have a slight cough each, but are slowly improving. Sadly I have ended up with a bad arm due to too much painting and sanding, so have had to revert to lighter duties recently – a bit of an RSI problem, like tennis elbow, so off to the chiropractor again tomorrow. Meantime Ibuleve gel is helping tremendously… and I am doing the ironing and updating the website ready to launch – oh, and doing this blog!

Martins’ visitors were the finale to January – after the bed and wardrobe being swapped in the large bedroom and delivery of the double bed for the 3rd bedroom. (We had gone shopping in Oswestry and managed to find everything we needed, and the sizes we required.) Apparently Martin’s friends were all happy to share doubles even when not “involved”, as they had done it before – many times…! Made for an easier life for us, for sure, and it meant all his mates were able to come. I think they all enjoyed themselves – was a great way of testing the systems for us; one thing we learnt is that we ran out of hot water on the Saturday, which worried us until we realised that they had all had showers at lunchtime and they were also doing the washing-up from the night before (thank goodness!!!) – but the hot water had not been on since just after breakfast, which would be the normal time for our guests to have showers if they didn’t have them at night. So the following day we made sure the water stayed on and there were no further problems. Phew! The downside of their visit – red wine got spilt on the twin bed (and the sheets, mattress protector, both pillows, the wall, carpet and the bedside cabinet), so I spent 2 hours just cleaning that up (as best I could), without all the cleaning-up in the rooms after they’d gone. Martin waited till they’d gone before admitting it, so I didn’t get the chance to get angry at the culprit…! I would not have been so cross if it had been a paying guest, as at least then we would have been open for business!!!! Ah well, at least it’s done now. Another lesson learned…

The snow certainly caused us some concern, in particular with the drive, as it meant Martin’s gang some problems getting back from Welshpool on the Saturday – so they decided to stay in on the Saturday night as well as the Friday, instead of going to Welshpool in the evening for a pub crawl! Norman and I went to a Burns Night supper down in Dolanog – thank goodness for 4-wheel drive – so, the deal is that you take your own wine, but get a 3 course meal for £7.50 per head; excellent value and great to meet a few more of our neighbours and other locals from the village. We happened to follow a neighbour down the last part of the hill into the village, which we were grateful for, as we might not have gone slowly enough for the very steep part without seeing him ahead; he commented that it was very slippy and had slowed down even more than usual… It was incredibly icy that night. Anyhow, we both enjoyed ourselves – we will definitely be going next year!

The problem with the drive got pushed right up the priority list after Martin’s gang left. So, a neighbour recommended someone, who turned out to be just a stone supplier but he had a contractor that he supplied to who lived nearby (well, next village along!) and they both turned up that afternoon to see the situation! What rapid service. Anyway, the quote for the work was obviously more than we had budgeted for, but we thought it was reasonable for what they were planning – we had both thought they inspired confidence when they came to view the drive – so we asked them to do the work asap. The upshot is that they were able to come on Friday last week, finishing on the Saturday. What brilliant weather for them to get it done – sunny and mild, 7-8 degrees, positively tropical compared to earlier on in Jan! - and it reminded us why we’d moved here in the first place. The drive is now very much better and means that no-one should ground their car just visiting us – we might even keep the sports car!

Our builders were back today to install the windows we ordered – so two of the bedrooms and both lounges have now got new frames, with glazing you can see through! However, as I type this, we are not able to sit in either lounge, as although the frames are in, the frame which attaches to the walls has gaps and is open to the elements. Sadly his foam filler was not working properly!! Hope it doesn’t rain tonight!!! Once done we will have to do one more coat of paint in situ, then we’re fixed for some time. Fingers crossed.

They are the last major works to be done on the B&B – just the rest of the decorating, with gloss work to the skirting boards, some ceiling painting on the landing, and the large bedroom to finish. That room has an issue with the lintel above the window; it was a problem we found when they removed the old window – looks like they just put concrete in from the loft to help hold the old window in… and to finish off, a rotten secondary wooden lintel. Ah well, at least we’re sorting out now, but all these extra surprises are getting to us a bit. Means this room won’t be finished till at least later this week, if not next week.

So, after spending some time considering what we will call the rooms, rather than big middle and smallest, we have thought of all sorts, but all have been based on something to do with the location of this house; so we have decided to go for the birds we have seen here. Owl, Peregrine and Heron; in that order; so when I talk about Peregrine I mean the middle/twin room, because these are the rooms you are likely to see these birds from – as well as all around the outside. The Owl room actually overlooks the stone barn and the tree where the owl nest is, and the Heron room actually overlooks the back of the house, towards the woods, but also towards the pond where I have often seen the Heron, either flying away from the pond or considering whether to land there! We could have picked a few others, like Kestrel or Kite – but not actually seen them from our land, so didn’t think it would be right; other option was Woodpecker, but decided Heron was slightly different.

As Martin will be heading back to Whitchurch this weekend, for a gig, we get a Valentine’s evening to ourselves! (Albeit the day before!) Woohoo – what can I plan then…? Sorry, shan’t be sharing it here – at least not before the event!

One piece of good news today, my sister returned home from hospital where she has spent the last 10 days. She went in with tremendous agony, but they could not find out what it was – it transpires that it was pancreatitis, which is an unusual infection, but can be quite dangerous and severe. However, with time and a change of diet, she should make a recovery – but it will be a long haul. We were/are all very concerned about her, especially as we are all very far away – both my brother and other sister are in France, and us here in Wales; I know my Dad has been concerned but frustrated with not having his car so he could visit (that’s a whole other story!). So, Jackie – glad you’re home now. Keep well and “do as you’re told!”

Anyhow, I think that’s y’all up-to-date now. Until next time…

So much to do…!

So starting where I left off – I didn’t paint the walls I was papering on the twin and double rooms, as Norman had left quite early to return home and was due to arrive about 3 hours ahead of when I was anticipating. This was entirely due to the forecast for more snow on the way… Although he said the roads were really clear of snow, etc., but were also pretty empty as people stayed away. Better than his normal journeys! The only place he had some trouble was in the few miles nearest home!

Our Christmas was good with the kids – we had left the decorations up and had got a turkey for the day. Whilst Norman worked on Friday, Vicky and Martin and I went sledding – with a pair of those moulded plastic things which the previous owners had left in the barn. I was watching and videoing, rather than joining in – was never one to do that even when a child. They tried a few fields for the best descent (avoiding the sheep of course), but I think they preferred the road! Steeper and much more slippy. Had a bit more snow overnight too, which made Vicky’s return a bit of a concern, but she got the train at Welshpool with no problems (must say it’s a bit of a naff “station” there now! The original is now a shopping complex!!) and we went food shopping, ready for the next lot of snow and preparing to be snowed-in.

I think we were fed-up with the snow even before we knew a thaw was on the way – although it really only went this weekend (16/17 Jan) when the temperature went into 6-7 degrees! Sadly it was 4 days after the central heating stopped! Wednesday I had noticed that the radiators were cold, but of course we had to wait to call the plumber till Thursday morning, then when they tried to come to us on the Friday, they were sliding around all over the place trying to get to us, so had to turn back. We had planned on going out to dinner on Friday – just to the local pub – but when Norman got half way down the drive to see what it was like, he stopped and said we’re staying in! Part of the problem was the partial melt the day before, then the cooler temperatures overnight which caused it all to freeze. So even though in the snow we got out relatively easily, when it started melting we had problems. Fortunately the previous owner had left behind a gas fire, so we had moved it into the kitchen before the heating broke, as the kitchen just was not getting warm – so rather than keep the aga going, we decided it would be cheaper to heat the room that way. It made a heck of a difference. It helped that over the 4 days the outside temperature was going up – we have a thermometer in the back porch (I was keeping an eye out to make sure that the dogs would be fine!) which we have watched steadily climb! Tonight’s temp was 13 degrees – positively tropical considering we got down to -10 at its worst!

Our neighbour Clive is a gem, in that he had cleared and gritted part of the road which runs behind us, further up the hill a bit, which leads down to the B4389 which goes into Dolanog itself. We sent the TV aerial men via that route when they came to us last week to sort out all the rooms, but they got to the crossroads above us and decided they did not want to risk coming down… so parked their van at our neighbours. We called and left him a message explaining who they were and why, but Norman went and ferried them to our house – and back again for more kit once they’d sussed out our requirements. The very next day Clive had cleared the road down to our house! What a poppet! Obviously he has the gear to be able to do it, but even so, it was a lovely thing to do! Must remember and drop off something as a thank you… It also meant that the postman could get to our entrance on Thursday with 3 weeks of post!!! He had been surprised to see so much when he returned from holiday, as he thought they would have been able to get to us, but anyway, he was only able to that day because Clive had cleared the road down to us!

That route was also our way out when everything was heavy with snow and some ice, and the direction I brought both my sisters in. I decided to test out the directions on them, and they did beautifully – only one comment which needs to be added is the part where I say it is about half a mile and to keep going, apparently it’s more like 2 miles! So, that’s what will go on the website!

We had some other excitement this week – the sheep were scanned to establish what lambs they were having, singles, twins or triplets! So, a mobile gynae unit was set-up in our big barn for the 50 sheep – then they had coloured dots put on their back to mark how many. Fairly simple really, but a joy to behold. They are really funny though – they will follow anyone with a rustling bag! I have some photos and a video of Norman’s first sheep droving (or whatever it’s called!) and because they were going up the drive, they were in two columns – there were two paths! Definitely a case of following like sheep!!! Ha ha ha, I am easily amused these days!

The one consolation I am taking from all the trials of things not working is that at least these things are not happening when we have paying guests! Not only had we lost the heating, but also with the high winds the other night the Freeview stopped working for a few hours, plus the broadband went! Although that was hindered by the TV men sorting out the Sky link to what will be our lounge, the fact that I could not get it working when back in its original place, right by the main incoming telephone line, was something again. Then had to spend this last weekend looking at a weird BT screen because the woman at BT forgot to get the detail changed before closing the call to me! Fortunately they rang me this morning to confirm it was working – they got an earful, I can tell you! Anyway, as you can see it’s working again!

The builders were back again today – plumber to fix the heating and repair some bits not finished before Christmas – plus some other workers who have now repaired the corner of the stone barn, have built the section where the overflow for the stream was put – has a nice stone-built area now, which will be a feature; as well as repair the surround to one of the drain covers, with a few things inside the house – like seals on the showers. It’s all tying up nicely. Shame they rushed a bit before Christmas, as they were off for their staff party on their last day with us, so didn’t finish off the way they should’ve done. Ah well, at least we’re getting somewhere now.

I think until you have done something like this, you can in no way anticipate what is involved, nor the time everything takes. We are continually progressing, but even with visitors over Christmas and New Year, then Norman’s adult kids for our Christmas last week – we have continued to work… and yes I can see the progress, but sometimes when we either look at the list of actions, or think about what is still to be done, it’s incredibly daunting…

So, there is more snow coming apparently – which at the moment means we are not sure if Norman will be heading south tomorrow morning or not. He can quite easily work from home, just depends on his boss. In the meantime, Martin and I have our list of things to do before the weekend, so we will be busy.

Now that I am up-to-date, I will finish my glass of wine watching the news headlines and then head to bed. Happy New Year to you all… until next time.

Happy New Year

Well, that’s another Christmas over and done with – sort of. Hubby’s kids are coming up with him tomorrow to have Christmas with us… at least that’s the plan. As they are down in Basingstoke, it might be a little difficult – depends on the thaw! I am giving them a shopping list for things that we will need, so I don’t have to venture out at all. Original plan was for me to go pick up Martin from Welshpool, but with no 4×4, it would be risky. Then Norman is off next week to do more work on the house.

During Christmas my Dad was helpful in getting some window frames painted, even though one is going to be replaced in January (weather permitting delivery, that is!) it made it rather nice for our drinks do for the neighbours, as well as when my family came to stay. They made sure the bathrooms were all tested – sadly some work needs doing still, as they have some teething problems. Seals not working, or not there at all, plus the toilets need some sorting. Generally snagging list being created for all those things which are not right.

The event for our neighbours was a great success. I reckon we had about 30 people turn up, spread over the afternoon and into the evening. Last ones left at 10.30pm, so having started at 3pm, it was a long old session. Glad we had plenty of drink in… it was great to see so many, most of whom we didn’t know, but now do! Plus, I am really proud, we introduced a neighbour to everyone, even though they had lived here for nearly 21 years!!! We plan on having something for the “launch” once we’re rated, so will get them all back. It was certainly a good event and we all enjoyed ourselves – plus people were generous with their welcome, including gifts! It was a great introduction to the community – and only neighbours, not the local village.

We had a quiet New Year too – Dad had forgotten what day it was, and I had to remind him when he said he was off to bed – so he stayed! We were not very late heading to bed either – not much after midnight, as we had more work to do getting ready for my sisters. Had to lay the carpet in the twin room, ready for Jackie, and get the bathrooms cleaned up enough for use – needed the dust removing from the towel rails especially. Then on Friday, she rang to see if we wanted anything bringing in – on Friday!!! Yikes, a day earlier than I thought! As it happens, the big room with the four-poster was as ready as it could be (barring the cleaning) so we put them in there instead of the twin. Meant Andrea had to go into twin, even though I had told her she would have the four-poster. As it happens, they moved into that when Jackie went home on Sunday!

Anyway, fun for us all for the days they were here – and we had a house full for the first time. All rooms occupied! The plumbing and hot water all seemed to work fine and not run out; but sadly, the seals were rubbish, so will need attention as mentioned, but new dining table and chairs worked well for dinner on Saturday, as well as cooked breakfast on Sunday – we tested everything out, including the toaster etc., which needs some looking at! Anyway, great practice!

Norman left at his usual time yesterday, but by the time we all got up proper, at 8am it had snowed, so instead of the leisurely breakfast planned, it was a quick bite and pack the car and they left by 9.30am. With their progress texts, I was able to gauge what the roads were like for the times they took – not bad all things considered, plus with snow and poor visibility on M42. Anyway, now that they are in Hampshire, they have lots more snow than us, but are grateful they left yesterday. They return to France on Monday, so hope things will improve a bit before then for their next stop heading south.

Today I have finished off the things we need to do to finalise the decorating in the twin room, then later I will get onto the back room. As both Vicky and Martin are here tomorrow, need to ensure I’ve done the painting on the lining paper early in the morning – so their rooms don’t smell. I know modern paints are “Breatheasy” on the can, you can still smell it faintly. Then it will need more furniture – but we need to go shopping for that, not even the internet would work right now – no-one’s delivering!!!

Anyway – that will do for now, need to get some dinner and back to papering after that. Ciao.

Suddenly along came another post!

Just had to make sure that I got this down before forgetting. Saturday 19th was a really busy day for us. Not only were the previous owners coming to collect their stuff from our container, Norman’s brother and sister-in-law came for a visit too. All seemed to happen at the same time – which meant we could not get to the coffee morning in Dolanog as we had the 2 previous months… wonder if anyone missed us?

As previously stated, the carpet needed to be installed in the big bedroom (we must choose names for them!) ready for the furniture delivery, so decided to get on with it. We had painted the skirting board on the Friday evening, so Norman and I spent about 2 hours getting the carpet cut into the two rooms - 4.5 and 3m by the 5m width. (Shame they didn’t deliver it pre-cut!) This we did in the stone barn, and then stopped for breakfast – just before all the visitors showed-up, so we ate in relays! Well, let’s just say, I never want to try to do something like that again! Not only was it bloomin’ heavy, but it was long and incredibly cumbersome. It would have helped matters if we had removed the cardboard core, but we had re-used it to roll up after cutting, as then the carpet would have bent and we might not have had the problems we did – sadly the length meant that we had to open one of the windows on the landing (only to discover that one of the locks had broken, so Norman had to unscrew the handle!) to redirect the carpet - and get rid of the core! In some ways my Dad helped, as he got his back underneath on the stairs to help hold it in place – especially when we had to open the window – but in others he didn’t. Sometimes stating the bloomin’ obvious does not help when you’re trying to manoeuvre something! He and I had our first falling out, albeit briefly, but we ended up with the carpet in the bedroom… A lot of effort required, believe me. Definitely going to write to Carpetright and complain about the fact that the carpet came uncut.

With all the freezing conditions and the threat of snow – we had some flurries for 10 minutes on Saturday and a bit more on Sunday, we were concerned that the furniture man would not make it… especially as he was going to be heading to north Wales first. It was important that we had them deliver, as they had our table and chairs from a different supplier in Hartley Wintney, who delivered to the bed people in Four Marks… so, needed them to make it. We were not desperate for the bed and wardrobe, as we had the spare 5′ bed anyway, and initially only family would be visiting so would not need all the facilities! Anyhow, he turned up and we got the furniture in place – sadly the 5′ is far too dominating, so it will have to be changed, but also the wardrobe is HUGE. Far too high a hanging rail for people below 5’5″ or so to reach… so, having spoken to them about the correct size bed being needed, they have also agreed to swap the wardrobe for a more suitable size! I suppose as the problem was caused by them, it was the least they could do – but in some ways I am glad they made a mistake, as we would have probably had to keep the big wardrobe otherwise! So, every cloud has a silver lining! Means we have to protect everything really well for the next month or so, till they can swap them over!

I ended up rushing around a bit on Monday to get all sorts of things – ended up doing the full food shop, in case we did get snow. Also, was worrying about Norman heading south – but hurrah, when I got home he said there had been a weather warning for the Reading area, so he was not going anywhere. Seeing as the main news showed Basingstoke that night, and my brother-in-law took 4.5 hours to get home that evening from Reading, I was even gladder he was not going anywhere. At least we were not suffering the same problems as down south – how often do you hear that being said…? Norman went out on Tuesday to do some shopping in Newtown, as he had planned to do more pressie shopping in Reading/Basingstoke when he was back there – bless, he could have just waited till the sales! Our plumber could not make it in on either Monday or Tuesday – he lives on a really steep hill apparently, so even if the main roads were OK, he could not reach them! He finally made it on Wednesday and has now fitted our basin in the bedroom… It looks a bit odd at the mo, but when Norman has built the step area, and we can lino the floor, it will help. Meanwhile it is very useful for toilet trips! 

We got my wish for Christmas – it snowed the day before Christmas Eve. Only about 2 inches, but enough to make it a winter wonderland. As we had already got the food in, presents were bought and wrapped, we had no real need to be concerned – except we needed to deliver cards with invites to all our neighbours. We had planned on pre-Christmas drinks, but with the builders not finishing as quickly as we’d hoped, there was not enough decoration done, plus things were missing! E discovered that it was not a problem once you got off our roads, as Norman got out easily on Wednesday and our plumber made it in. However, Christmas Eve was a different matter – not only was there the snow, no more had fallen but it had iced over a bit, but we had the lowest cloud ever – not quite a fog, but certainly very misty and visibility was poor. We had to collect the Turkey from the butcher in Llanfair, so decided to do that first and see how it was. Once on the major roads, it was fine, and some of the roads near us had been gritted and scraped by the neighbours, so were OK – taking it carefully and sensibly.

So we have invited our neighbours, only a few of whom we’ve met, and hope that at least some can make it. We stopped for a tea at one, with lovely mince pies and chocolate fridge cake (must get that recipe, it was the same lady whose plateful I’d bought at the coffee morning last month!) and at another house for a whisky and sherry… so, a lovely welcome. We had been invited in at many more houses than that, but we were losing light and knew we had more to deliver! Sometimes it was handy to have the boxes at the end of drives…!

With one thing and another, the toilet seats never did make it to us - so decided that Norman would collect from supplier in Newtown when he went out again on Wednesday afternoon, only to get there to find the plumber had collected after he left us! So, builder had to come on Thursday, but as he was in his van, decided not to risk our hill and Norman went to meet him in our 4×4. So, we now have the replacement seals for middle bathroom, the toilet seats for middle and large, and a lot more sealant to stop the leaks from all three bathrooms! The builders had not done a thorough job of sealing all the doors, so Norman and I will be finishing them off!

Christmas was a quiet affair for us – just Norman, myself and my Dad. Decided to have a cooked breakfast as we would not be eating the meal until mid-afternoon, which was great. Then Dad and I went for a walk with the dogs – the sunshine was fabulous, but in the shade it was pretty cold. Then we opened presents… I forgot one completely for Norman, so will save and wrap it for Xmas number 2, when his children come up in January. Then we decided to try something different for the legs of the turkey, as recommended in a newspaper, which was rather tasty, if a bit more fiddly to do than implied in the paper; but we ended up ready about an hour ahead of our planned meal, at 2pm instead of 3pm – so we ate. Used the new cutlery Norman had bought for the house, and set-up on the new guest dining table and chairs… it was lovely. With the sun shining and a fire going, we were all very relaxed. So, we relaxed after I did the washing up – well, the guys did; I took the dogs for a walk! All in all a very pleasant day – and my Dad said he enjoyed his birthday immensely. Always good to hear when someone is happy to have been with you on such a momentous day. He is now 88!!!

Now our tasks are based on getting the lounges ready for guests for drinks on Monday, when hopefully the neighbours will turn up – we have had a couple of calls saying they are either busy or poorly, so not everyone will be here! Tomorrow we will finish tidying-up, then go shopping for nibbley-type foods for guests.

Better get on and prepare the leftovers for Boxing Day dinner – cold turkey of course!

Arrivederci

Finally an update

Sorry to all those waiting for the latest instalment – we’ve been rather preoccupied the last few weeks. Norman was off for the 3 days mid-week that he usually heads south, so became a workman and instructor to Martin. I’ll start from where I left off…

We spent a huge amount when we went shopping, but all essential and within the budget… still a shock though. Maybe we should have shares in B&Q!! Also went to Tesco – whizzed round there, as we needed to pick up Martin in Shrewsbury. He has proved a great help around the place, and has mastered chopping wood; so that is his standing instruction every day - do some and add to the woodpile, we will need it over the winter.

Also chose carpets for the large and the smaller bedrooms, plus a few other essentials, with delivery on the Saturday. Sadly they decided not to ring us about the fact that what we chose was in limited supply, and that we should order something else – had to wait till Saturday to find that one out! So, delivery will be the following Friday! So, as a change in plan, the carpet out of the middle bedroom which we were going to re-use, we have now put in the smaller bedroom, and changed our order to something they can deliver! We have been working on getting the smaller room ready, as then my Dad can be in there over Christmas.

Also, got a visit from a window supplier for a quote. I almost laughed when he said the price – then they took about 60% off with discounts… Why do they even bother telling you the “list” price? Well, even then it was more than we were prepared to pay, so he was sent away. His boss tried to offer us a little bit more off on a phone call the following day, but even that was still too high. So, the original quote from the builder was looking reasonable, but we have amended to make it hardwood rather than soft, and changed the style a bit – so started creeping up, but at least now we have something to compare it to. Sometimes you have to compromise!

Another rude awakening again, when the delivery of more stones arrived – whereas before it was 7.30am, and I was up and showered, this time I was still in bed – but Norman was already up and about, so was there to greet the guy and show him where to put it – all at 6.45am. Lets hope todays delivery is not so late that I got up early for nothing! Already missed about an hour sleep!

I did my first paper hanging this week. We have papered the wall which I scraped wallpaper from last week – unfortunately the wall was not in good enough nick to just paint – partly because my scoring for the stripper to seep into went through to the paint, but also because the steamer had caused a few problems – and it was a dodgy bit of plaster. Basically it was not a great surface, so we had to use lining paper. The one we found at B&Q was very wide and quite thick, so a bit awkward to cut on the table we bought, and a little bit of a struggle to manoeuvre about, but it looked so much better when the wall was covered. This has now had its first coat of paint yesterday – and I have to say its the most lovely surface to paint on. Much nicer even than freshly applied plaster. So, the guest lounge is beginning to look like a lounge again… well, it will when we’ve freshened the skirting boards and architraves – after the holidays anyway. The doors we probably won’t bother with, as we may be replacing them. I am very pleased with the colour we chose – it’s a dark cream, but has made the room much warmer and brighter, plus shows off the beams a lot more.

The diggers have been very active this week too – the Dutch barn is now cleared of the years of hay which had been accumulating, there is a new trench along the back of the house as an overflow for the stream, plus we now have a ditch along the end field behind the Dutch barn. Also, all the soil from the ditches (including the soakaway) was creating a quagmire behind the big barn, so they have pushed it over into the boggy and wooded area. We still have a load of hardcore from the soakaway which we can use for all sorts of things. Part of the removal of the stuff in the Dutch barn was the concrete bases - they were very oversized! – and Norman and Martin were using the jack hammer/kanga to break it up. (Video and pictures to prove it!) Poor Martin was soon unable to carry on, but Norman persevered – and had more bruises than me for a change! Still, the ground is now level for the gravel to be added – this will become the parking area for the B&B guests.

The drainage has been an issue all along, partly contributed to by the neighbour, but mostly due to the rain we’ve been having. Sadly, its a shame that the ditches around the farm were not maintained, as this is the main problem we have had. At least now we have gone a long way to improving things, but we need to still discuss with our neighbour about getting more done either on his side, or getting his help on our side – he has already called to come and visit, but didn’t come on Norman’s days off.

So so sorry for the delay in updating. Above was done over a week ago, but I meant to add a little more and then publish, but got rather rushed before heading south for the weekend.  Anyway, to continue…

Martin and I blitzed the house before leaving, decorating the smallest room for him on his last night, but also for my Dad’s visit over Christmas. Then we headed south. Definitely seemed strange to come across all that traffic – much more than I have become used to! Suffice to say we enjoyed the weekend – although Norman was the worst for wear on Saturday - too much sauce the night before, so sat supping one pint all evening. Martin and Darren were their usual selves, entertaining and great to hear again – although Martin was suffering with his voice part-way through, he gargled a whisky and seemed to recover enough. We managed to catch up with friends on the Sunday, after we had been shopping for curtains at a secondhand place… great value for fully lined and superb quality fabric. Once cleaned-up and pressed, no-one will know… My “official” birthday – I was travelling back on the day – was on the Monday so went out for dinner with my family, along with a bit of Christmas shopping.

Bringing my Dad back took longer than anticipated – 5 hours from Guildford, but then I was driving his car and we were fully loaded – Norman had been shopping again, all essential things – so needed to empty out for him to bring more of Martin’s gear up here… His car is only a little Colt, but when the seats folded down, we got an amazing amount of stuff in, including his bags for his visit. We will keep his car for a short while until his driving licence issue is resolved, or we decide what vehicle we will get. I am still leaning towards a Land Rover – seems the thing on a remote part of Wales. Have seen one for sale on the side of the road out of Welshpool, so will try to get a look at it…

Builders were back yesterday and today to finish off things – trim in the bathroom, silicone around the showers, replacing roof slates which were broken or missing, build a plinth for our basin… Plumber will now be back on Monday to install our basin and install seats and things. Then we can get on with the decorating of the bathrooms… oh joy!

We have been working to get the big bedroom sorted, with decor for the carpet to be laid, as the bed and wardrobe are going to be delivered on Sunday… There was a saga with that yesterday – the one we ordered was not the one they had in stock, only they didn’t realise that till they went to check it! We could still have it, but they would happily swap it in February when the next installment arrives! Then he rang to say the canopy was missing (it’s a four-poster!), so they could not send it. So, the upshot is they are delivering a 5′ king size in the colour we wanted, but without a mattress! Fortunately we have a 5′ mattress from my old bed which we were planning to chuck, so we will keep for now. Then if we decide we will happily keep the 5′, rather than swap to the 4’6″ we wanted, we will only get the mattress delivered. If we find its a bit cramped, they will swap it and deliver a double! If it had not been for the fact that they already have our table and chairs from a different supplier, who would only deliver locally to Hampshire,  we would have said forget it! Ah well, just another story in the saga of creating Gwaenynog guest house!!!!

So, that’s you up-to-date for now. Will try to get another one done before Christmas – depends on how much work we get done…! (I include my Dad on that – he has been painting window frames for us too!)

Bye for now.

Work progresses

The work has been progressing, albeit at a seemingly slow pace this last week, but it does progress. The tiler had to delay by a day due to previous commitments overrunning, so we had a Monday without anyone onsite – weird but enjoyable! However, the chippy was onsite on Tuesday morning to finish some work, plus reverse the opening to one of the bedroom doors; and he was the one who told me that the boss and the tiler would be a couple of hours yet (more like 3-4!). Anyway, the tiler has been working his way through the en-suites and will be back Friday to finish off the large bedroom. He had his instructions  to ensure he had the areas behind the towel rails done, as the electricians are onsite Friday to connect them! It’s amazing how quickly it all comes together when you have people working on it full-time.

The wind continued to play a part this week, very fierce gusts and strong gales, but with occasional downpours and some drizzle, then frequent glimpses of sunshine – for about 5 minutes then promptly disappears again; although sometimes leaves a rainbow. Norman got all excited the other day when he saw a complete arch, bless.

Our newly resident sheep have settled in nicely, well they’re not ours, but we’re renting the land. I had a panic on Tuesday, as I could not see them from any room in the house, nor from the gate to the field. Took the dogs for a walk and found them at the bottom of the hill, but within a dip… obviously found an area they were prepared to settle into, away from the wind. They seem to move around the field with no apparent reason… last time I looked today, they were back in the top corner. When I went to the gate to view them, one was very close to it, and watched me when I said hello, but as soon as they saw the dogs, the turned and sauntered away. Ah well, at least the grass is getting shortened!

We’ve had the prices for new windows on the front, so we have to make up our minds about going ahead, or whether we try and find them cheaper. The four we are replacing definitely need it, as they leak, and they have obviously got problems around the frames, as the plastering around each one has got damp - hence the reason for the dot and dab requirement in the lounge. Anyway, it means a bit of delay for that final bit, but means we will get a superb finish.

Sadly I have been a bit poorly this week, as I had a rattle in my chest last week and wondered if it might have been an allergy to the dogs – I’ve never had pets before – but it made its presence felt on Monday, then came out fully on Tuesday… has meant I have been below full output for 3 days. Even now I have the odd coughing fit, but I have been very good and pumped myself full of vitamins to help me fight it. Hopefully that effort will pay off and it will disappear as quickly as it came!

Martin, Norman’s son, is due to arrive on Saturday to help us with some of the work inside, this means we can make even greater progress over the coming two weeks, especially once the final bits are done by the builders.  The plan is for Norman and I to go shopping on Saturday afternoon, before we pick him up from the train station. We still need loads of bits and pieces… there’s only so much you can buy online without actually seeing it in the flesh, so to speak.

Ah well, will update again soon.

What a howling wind…

Well, one thing is for certain – I will not need to go to the coast to get the cobwebs blown away, we had them done here! This weather has been astonishing. Not only has it howled around the house and yard, but there have been times when it has been difficult to retain my feet! Took some photos this morning, but they don’t do it justice. The sky does not look as menacing as it did in reality.

I was a bit cross on Wednesday, due to lack of sleep – because the chippies didn’t shut the barn door properly when they left, it’s banging woke me up again and again during the night. I was not going to go out in that pouring rain and howling wind at 2am for something which was only happening every hour or so, especially as I didn’t even know what it was that was banging! At least last night was a slight improvement – still windy but not quite such long gusts; and no banging barn door! Not sure Norman believed me till Sunday, when we had to dash to get to the house from the barn – and he fought to close the barn door!

The guys have gone great guns in the last few days. They have now put the plasterboard up in all the rooms, and have also skimmed with plaster all those walls now. The chippies have also finished building the area for the shower stalls… problematic when you don’t have 90° corners! Then the tilers will be onsite on Monday, to do their bit. The tiles and sanitary ware all got delivered on Thursday – barring a few things which would not fit in, so came on Friday. One of the surprises is that the wall in the living room which they dot and dabbed (terminology for dotting with plaster, then dabbing the plasterboard on – apparently!) looks amazing now – they have also skimmed it – what a transformation! We can get on and sand then paint it – when I’ve removed the wallpaper from one other wall, of course. Have done a small paint patch of the colour we like, to see if it can go on the remaining wallpaper and how it looks, although it did come out a bit dark, so we amended to a paler shade. Still the same type of creamy colour though.

We finally had the costings to date, with the additional bits we’ve added, plus where we have amended what our requirements are – like a particular type of shower head which entailed having pumps for each en-suite. Fortunately we saved quite a bit of money on the tiles, compared to what the builder had allowed for in his quote, which more or less covered the additional cost of things. So, although we have gone over the original estimate, we are still within budget. Phew!

The dogs continue to amuse me. They are great at playing together – sometimes the growling sounds a bit more serious, but mostly it’s part of the fun. They mainly play tag – or that’s what it looks like to me. Today I gave them one of the rubber bones – they were a bit sniffy about it, possibly due to the smell, but when they started to play with it, they were fun to watch. Mainly they are just fed up with the builders making so much noise. They are very nervy and twitchy dogs, so even when I make a noise with something in the kitchen, they both tend to leave the room. Beau is leaning his head on my foot whilst I type this now – under the table in the kitchen. They both tend to vie for the best place underneath… oh to be so popular!!!!

Well, we had some sheep delivered on Sunday – 25 of them. I think they are Shropshire sheep – need to check. They look right at home in the back field – and they seem to be chomping on the area which will be the camping section, so that’s fine! They have about 7 acres to chew around, so should be happy. We took the dogs on leads through the field, so they get used to them being there. They had sheep here before we came, but it was a reminder. Funnily enough, Beau walked around to be the other side of me from the sheep – they don’t like them it seems! We soon let them off the leads and they were fine – just walked in their normal way. So, things progress – and maybe something else to amuse me – and talk about here!

Arrivederci…

So much dust!!!

Well, we’ve had some fun the last couple of days. Norman came home and saw all the work that had been done in his 3 days absence… lots! It is amazing how quickly things all start to come together, especially after all the planning.

They drilled the rest of the outside holes into the house yesterday, linking the pipes in the ground up to the exit hole for each room – including ours. Have to say we were a bit cross, there was dust everywhere – and I’m gonna have to re-do some washing. Although the guy asked if we were ready, there was no mention about the amount of dust he would create – he didnt even put sheets up to protect our room… but he did on the outside!!! That was only going to the garden… another lesson learned!

Mind you, when Norman got into the groove of taking some of the blown plaster down when I had removed the wallpaper in the guest lounge, there was a lot of dust too (not nearly so much as in the bedroom, to be fair) but at least that is the worst wall stripped and ready for the plasterer… need to speak to our builder again tho, as that is a LOT more than we had discussed – we’d said around a couple of windows, not a whole wall! His suggestion has been to put boarding up, so we have a gap for ventilation – and hopefully to stop the damp returning – but which will prevent more dust and be a bit cheaper. So, had the radiator removed whilst the plumber was on site.

Meanwhile the rain continues to pour – but the stream does seem to be coping with this additional water – it did flow around the entrance to the sink under the yard last night, so I am less worried about it. However, one of the benefits of having to do a new soak away, is that the big digger is still here and means we get to use it for another couple of days, without the add-on delivery cost (it’s already here!) and we can get some drainage ditches dug. We went walkabout on Sunday before the sun disappeared to consider where it should go behind the house – it needs to link-up with the waterfall (really a decorative ditch with boulders in!) so that when we get this sort of water, it has somewhere else to go. Hope it helps! Depends on whether the big digger will sink into the soil or not – might have to wait another week before we can do that bit.

The dogs have been entertaining over the last couple of days – they do not like the drilling, so have been hiding under the kitchen table with Norman yesterday, and preferred to be in the barn today – there was drilling in the bedroom above it today, as well as outside… bless them, they will settle down. Checked with the vet today about anything we need to have done – worming needs doing again, but don’t need to take them in for that, but if we decide to put them in kennels whilst we’re away any time, they need to be updated with kennel cough, so have made an appointment for that this week… might have to bribe Beau into the car. He refused to get in yesterday when I went to choose the border tiles for the en-suites. Bonnie happily jumped in – she likes being in the car, and spends her time looking out the windows, although lies down when its a boring bit! Also got a quote for pet insurance, in case we ever need to have anything done for/to them… This pet-owning can be an expensive thing!

Enough for now.

House is a tip

Well, it had to happen, but I have been amazed at how much mess builders can make… oh, they’re not exactly untidy, but with the sheets down to protect the carpets we are keeping, and all the paraphernalia they bring with them, they have rather taken over the place. Also, I have to clamber over a rolled-up carpet to get to the bedroom… It was better putting it there than try and just roll it back. (We want to be able to reuse it!)

The outside guys have gone great guns since they arrived on Monday. They started filling in the channels they dug on Monday yesterday (Wednesday) and some sections have already been turfed over again. Now that it’s hissing it down with rain, one is working outside (he has a cab!) which is moving the spare soil which was created by having to install a new soak away for the cesspit. (There’s a lesson for us!) The other guy is indoors making the holes for the waste pipes…

Meanwhile, the carpenters are here and have already demolished the old partitions in the two side-by-side bedrooms, and have started to build the new partition between. We have made the smaller bedroom slightly bigger and reduced the middle size – so they are now of almost equal size, although the smaller one will still have a smaller bathroom – but will have a bigger shower as compensation. Still both will be bigger than some places we’ve stayed! However, they are making a racket by using one of those nail guns… yikes what a noise. Serves a purpose, and is less banging than if they were hammering in!

Meanwhile, I have stripped the wallpaper from the large bedroom. Not only was it not to our taste, but the painted colour was not our thing either – too pink. In addition, we were aware of some damp and plaster problems, which needed addressing. So, to see the real problem, it was easier to remove the stuff. Also, the window recess had some very misshapen areas, but that can now be resolved. It looks like the damp area is caused by the chimney - partly I think because it has a fireplace in what will be our lounge below, which has not been used for sometime – so that will help, but we need to look on the roof at the inner side of the chimney, in case it’s the lead flashing which is not sound. Anyway, the wallpaper came off in great chunks, with very little need for the steamer – best part of 3 walls came away with my pulling it, in some areas it was by the roll! Although I have to say that the majority of it was because there were about 3-4 layers of wallpaper, plus about 3 layers of paint too… no wonder it came away so easy!

Had to move the hub this morning, so that the carpenters had an unimpeded access on the landing, so dug out a very long telephone extension lead and have moved it into our bedroom… means Norman will have a very strong signal for work tomorrow and Monday (his desk is set-up in there), and I can use my laptop in the kitchen – it’s the warmest place most of the day (and is right below our bedroom)! And I can have plenty of cups of tea, like whilst I am doing this… Took me about 2 hours though to re-set-up, as I have now discovered that one of the extensions does not work!! Grrr…

Had our very first Christmas card yesterday – to be fair it was from friends in Saudi and it said good luck in our new home, so maybe they could not find an appropriate card there – and as it is coming up in about 7 weeks (eek!)… Still a shock to receive one in November though!

Ah well, that’s you up-to-date again. I am now off to catch up with some ironing…

Yay – builders are here

Hard to believe that it’s over a week since I updated here, but at last I have scheduled time to sit down and update it…

We have had a few events since my last update – we had some fun with the rain on Sunday 1st November - the word someone used on Twitter summed it up beautifully – hostile! When we got up in the morning, we noticed that the waterfall and “sink” area were under water. So, we immediately got our act together and tried to see if we could divert it away from the house and get it to the stream the other side of the drive. Dug out some old yellow drainage pipe from behind the barn, and got it going. Then Norman went into dig mode, and created two more channels from the drive into the lower stream, so it had somewhere to go – other than down the drive! So, some 2 hours later, when it all subsided, we noticed that of the two drain holes in the upper sink, one had a great bolder in front of it – so presume that this was the root of the problem, although I have to say, with all the work the neighbour had done on improving his drainage, plus all the rain we’d had, it was perhaps always going to struggle. However, since removing that bolder, and despite some very heavy rain again since, it has not overflowed in quite the same way again. Fortunately… Fingers crossed that it stays that way!

We ended up not needing wood for shelves as originally planned – so a blessing that we hadn’t bought any last week, although knowing Norman he would’ve found a use for it – but he re-used the shelving out of the existing walk-in wardrobes. Had a bit of a nightmare getting all the nails and screws out, as there were far too many, but at least the shelves for the linens is now up – if being used to hold videotapes and cassette tapes for the moment. He also put other shelves up, as well as fixing the pulley maid so we can use it now – we intend to buy another larger one for there, too. So definitely enjoyed himself I think… We do actually need to buy another bookshelf, as we have far too many books for us to have on the one we have - even though its 6′ high and about 4′ wide! We have taken all the cookery books off and placed on some freestanding shelving in the kitchen (not a stupid place to have them, I suppose) so that the rest of the books can be seen, but fiction and DIY are also in the utility, beside the tapes. All need a home sometime in a more suitable place…

Had the final delivery of the goods which Pickfords could not bring on the original delivery van… very good, and asked them to move one of the sofas – we wanted the larger one in what will be our lounge, leaving the small one in the guest lounge/diner. Sadly they had to concede defeat when after 20 minutes they could still not get it in! They did a bit more damage to the back – the original guys did some when they put it I the guest lounge anyway – so they moved the little one into our lounge – Norman and I will just have to cuddle up even closer when we manage to sit on the sofa from now on…

Didn’t go to the sausage tasting event I heard about on Twitter – was a bit of a wimp and decided not to go in the monster (hubby’s sports car!) as I was worried about the ford on our drive, plus not knowing where I was going in the dark, I could end up stranded… Apologised to them, but will still try and order from them. Will call them tomorrow or Wednesday to discuss how we can trial some of their stuff – although Norman bought some great sausages from a butcher in Welshpool on Saturday, and they were very nice. I think she understood my reasoning for not going, but not sure! Anyway, thebestof site is sending me some other info from an Oswestry butcher, so worth a try… It will be fun trying all these different things in the meantime.

I went and saw a new chiropractor on Friday… very good start. Came back feeling like a new women, but obviously its early days yet. Have a couple of appointments this week and we’ll see how it goes. All this shunting of boxes is not doing me any good! I bought a new wallpaper steamer last week, so will get onto using it this week, when I strip the large bedroom ready for skimming with plaster, if necessary, or just paint if it’s good enough underneath. Hope that won’t upset my back at all… we shall see though.

One of the things we have both commented on is the amount of walking we’re doing. Between the size of the house compared to our old one, we’ve got more flooring to cover anyway, but also because the majority of the boxes we have been emptying and sorting this week are in the barn, we have been schlepping back and forth, as well as around the house. I said I should have been wearing my stepper, to find out how many I’ve been doing – it’s probably miles if I added it all up! Combine that with taking the dogs for walks, even if only little ones, it all mounts up to a lot more exercise than I have been used to. In addition, we’re getting a lot fresher, cleaner air than we were, so no wonder we’re tired. I have been sleeping very well, if a bit fragmented – in part due to my poorly back – but also I think we’re not used to the quiet. So, anywhere from 6-9 hours is not uncommon. I changed the alarm last week, to get up earlier, so that when it’s light, I take the dogs for a walk. They seem to be pretty good at holding on till I am ready to take them for a constitutional, but sometimes they only just get to the gate, not even in the field, so I am watching that, try and make  sure we’re a bit more considerate…

So, the great news is that the builders arrived this morning, to make a start on the external work for the en-suites – as in the waste pipes to the cesspit. As the weather has been so good today – albeit cold – they were able to crack-on and get a lot done. When they were planning to leave, they said they should start filling in tomorrow! Rapid progress indeed!! Sadly, there was a problem with the soak away – as in its not working! Despite the comment from the owner when Norman saw the pit in the summer, that it was because there had been so much rain, it was not at all… the water has got nowhere to go, so the septic tank is full! Ah well, just another job to get done, but means that there might be an additional delay to the finishing of the works.

We had some fellow B&B people come to see us today; as they are looking to rent the land from us… he has sheep and helps her with the B&B, whilst she runs the B&B. They have agreed to take the land from us, and will pay us 6 months in advance – so a Xmas present for us on 20th December! Means that the grass and land will all be kept in better shape than if we left it as it is now – not sure if we need to get it “topped” (I think that’s the terminology!) but will seek some help from our neighbour – he offered to help us try and sort the land, even with the drainage. Seeing as now he’s done his, we need to sort ours out (see previous comments about that) before we get deluged again!

I have been saddened these last few weeks with the deaths of 3 people who were all slightly younger than me. Firstly and mentioned in a previous blog was Dawn, then I heard about Simon, a cyclist buddy of my ex, and then this week was someone who used to work with me back in Guildford until 2000, Alistair. It’s all rather sad and sudden – maybe only to me as I had not been in regular contact with each of them, and if they had been ill, I was unaware of it, but for them to be gone to young is all rather upsetting. So, RIP to all of them – and best wishes to their families and loved ones.

On a slightly more upbeat note – I have been efficient in getting birthday cards out this week, although it took me 3 days to give them to the Postie! Should have put them in a box when I was out on Friday, but forgot! So, they went today and that’s the important thing. Hope they all arrive in good time. Got another one to get off now – so must remember to take it out with me tomorrow… must remember…must remember… Good news is that Norman is taking the monster south with him this week, and I get to keep the 4×4, so if anything comes up, I can go with more confidence. Been hunting for a Land Rover to purchase, but we will be better off selling the monster down south – not sure anyone would want it here, as it is not designed for hilly terrain! (Although it manages well, I would prefer something higher off the ground on our drive!)

Ah well, that’ll do for now. Hope you are all enjoying my updates. Let me know – it is good to know people are reading it! Au revoir…