Renovating an old farmhouse and living on the Pennines
Discussion
House external, drive, walls etc.
The renting farmer got a dry stone waller in to put some of the fallen field walls back up which was good to see.
One day I plan on doing part of the yard and driveways with reclaimed stone setts. A sett has 6 definable sides, a cobble does not. Cobbles can be just pebbles or bits of undressed stone set in mortar.
Setts can also be placed on and surrounded in mortar, but used to be 'grouted' in with bitumen so they can move a little without breaking the bond and weeds getting in or then coming loose.
They'll look good, original (rather then the mix of tarmac, gravel, concrete and Indian stone we have now) and are extremely hard wearing. It won't matter if they get the odd scrape, oil stain or a digger driven over them. That was and still is the plan, but 30T turned up unexpectedly for very good money so I had them delivered:
With the plan of lifting them with the digger into the dumper and dropping them off on some unused ground in a field.
We weren't off to a good start when I realised I could get the arm of the digger over the other side of the pile, on the ground and scoop them towards me into the bucket.
Trying to dig into them was no good, they just got damaged, gave the machine a hard time and ended up like skittles everywhere.
I consulted my digger friends who said put the bucket on backwards:
Perfect!
There is some serious weight on there:
Glad I fixed the brakes as it takes a bit of stopping on some of the hills around here.
The odd one or two gets bounced out now and again...
All ahum, sett aside for another day.
I've tried the reverse bucket trick since for other jobs and it works really well in some situations.
Meanwhile back in June some lime arrived:
I spent
He's turning his truck round so I got there first and pull in next to a black Beemer as the driver zips up his pants and a little face appears from down there. The female passenger covers her face as the truck arrives and the Beemer reverses out, all three of us have a laugh about it.
So the lime is transferred to the van and then into the Polytunnel.
Because I got so much I got a decent price, I sold off what I won't need at cost so ended up with a small amount with discount.
Then I contacted all the local builders merchants to see what sand they had in and bought some bags as samples, sharp sand in two colours:
The more grey one got through to the semi-finals, but I needed some yellow crushed stone sand. I found some at a local quarry and what a place that was. The owner (I think I dealt with) was short on words, but maybe i'll work on him in the future as a guided tour around his quarry and stone cutting equipment would be very interesting and make a great post.
The new mortar matches the colour of the one the stones were originally bedded on very closely.
Hacking out pointing is a numb job. It hurts my fingers, but i'm looking at what is coming out and how well it's been put in.
I may have mentioned it before, but whoever pointed the two most exposed faces of this place did a good job. It may be the wrong material, but it was bloody put on well. If you've got half a brain or more and are inquisitive you get a feel for what you're working with. It doesn't matter if it's a computer or mowing someone's lawn.
The more and more I work with this and chip off the miles of cement pointing it dawns on me that the stones were bedded on lime mortar and then immediately Portland cement was applied afterwards in a weather-struck strap style to finish it off.
Not some time afterwards as I once thought.
I've based this not only what i've seen, but also what they must have seen back then. OPC was being introduced (the house was built about 1908) and they're building this in an exposed area with high winds and rainfall. They must have looked at some of the old buildings round here with the quicklime washed out of the joints and figured they could do better.
The gable is done about 2 thirds up now, next is to get my scaffold up to do some more this Autumn. The front is complete. I removed the old flashing from the porch roof/house wall intersection, it was barely in a few mm, no surprises the water was getting behind and coming in. I got the Stihl saw out and cut it in deep before putting a new one in. I need to do the same above the living room roof before Winter.
I replaced some of the broken slates on the porch roof, given they are a metric size i'm presuming foreign.
Some tools I have no idea where they came from. Oddly enough this came out of a skip outside an Auctioneers in the town of Battle near Hastings.
I was subbing for a joinery company there decades ago now and it's been an occasionally used, but useful tool when i've needed it. It's known as a slate ripper.
When a slate roof is put on, one row of slates covers the last rows fixing nails so when you come to replace one or two you can't get them out very easily.
The slate ripper slides up, hooks around the hidden nail and you either yank it or hammer it down to pull the nail out, followed by the slate (or what is left of it).
I got some lovely, but obscenely priced heavy duty gutter and downpipe to finish it off. It'll look smart for the rest of it's days now with zero maintenance and will outlast me.
Edited by Evoluzione on Friday 9th September 20:29
Animals & wildlife
I don't know if it's her age or just that she has more interesting and filthy things to roll in these days, but she's had more than one shower since we've moved here
She's not well, but still hobbles about and above all seems happy on her multiple meds.
She still enjoys life:
I've opened a YT channel here: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC6X4_pQMAgaPmCd9x...
I think that link should work and so far we have snogging owls and mad jumping rabbits. If it doesn't let me know, i'm logged in so the link might be different.
I recently saw a Hare nearby, if you've never seen one and wonder how they differ from rabbits well they're huge in comparison, with long ears and very long back legs.
We get loads of these Willow flea beetles on the house in July/August:
As you can see a very distinctive shiny green-chrome back.
Given the amount of caterpillars eating my veg at the moment I was happy to see this:
We have a large rash of these things at the bottom of the field:
Sadly the Ash in there is dying, probably Ash dieback and I don't know what to do with it, whether cutting it down stops the spread or not. I've got some new ones growing up at the house.
A little bit of investigation shows them to be Fleabane
I think i'll part some off and plant it elsewhere here as it seems to like the environment and is obviously good for insects.
A Red admiral was escorted out of the PT to safety but didn't want to leave me:
You can have too much of a good thing you know:
The bee version of having too much to drink maybe.
Local photographer Steve got his huge lens out and snapped the owls properly:
It's a been a rare sight to see them together this year and i'm a bit worried something has happened to the female. I've rarely seen her and apart from those brief appearances now I haven't seen her for weeks. She's either hiding so high up in the tree that I've missed her, in another tree or something worse.
A trio of caterpillars, all moths IIRC:
The last one favours apple trees, I know as it was eating mine with it's brothers.
The camera was initially bombed by a nosy visitor checking it out:
To the left
To the right
Step it up, step it up it's alright
Check the new ride out it's alright....
Amazingly we have small rainbow Trout in the small Clough here:
I caught one with my hands and a sieve (another story) before returning it, it was about 6" long as they grow to the size of where they live.
You'll see the quality ramp right up here as a pro takes the pics, these are a couple of miles away from us, but still local:
Incoming:
Received:
3 waiting to be fed:
Is that all?
Nah, mum and dad are busy this year:
I'm told the owner of the old abandoned farm won't sell, 'f
k it I don't need the money, the owls need a home though'.Unexpected Item In The Bagging Area said:
It’s good to see you back posting about the property, OP. Can I ask what your approach has been to cleaning the stonework: I guess I’ll have read about it but I can’t remember what you’ve said about your preferred method. I’m asking because we’re about to move into an old farmhouse which would benefit from a clean up as well as having the cement mortar redone with lime based.
These guys seem to have a good approach and aren’t too far from us https://www.sandblastinginyorkshire.com
It's in the thread near the start. You need to have some pretty serious problems to have it done and suffer the consequences. These guys seem to have a good approach and aren’t too far from us https://www.sandblastinginyorkshire.com
Wacky Racer said:
Great thread, one of the best ones on PH 
Evoluzione:- Received your PM, Thanks for the information.
Apologies for being brief and to the point, it was very late at night Evoluzione:- Received your PM, Thanks for the information.
Thanks all for the replies. On the subject of pics, as said before i'm in the right place, just don't have the equipment, nor the required skill to use it. Maybe one day when I have more time (if ever such a day arrives!) then i'll invest in a good camera and learn how to use it. I'm rushing around atm getting as much done outside before Winter arrives as all the signals are there. It was so clear last night I wondered if we were going to get an early frost, but it just went to about 7 or 8, with 3 forecast for Fridayish. Lovely, warm and sunny today though.
Certainly not short of opportunities for pics and footage, but i'd have to carry a huge camera with me all the time. I was about to leave the yard when a Stoat came bounding up the drive, I wound the window down and said 'Oi!', but it just looked up at me then carried on, totally unflustered whilst I followed it. It went down the paddock in front of a car, paused and just looked round at me as if to say 'Er, and?' before hopping through the lower air intake in the bumper! Cute as they look I wasn't going to be poking my face in there so left it to it.
The sight of 7 kestrels hanging on the wind together or the barn owl coming out early to hunt and being seen off by a Kestrel are sights I won't forget for a while.
At least twice a week there is something new worth photographing or filming.
As said earlier sadly I think the female owl has gone, but on a happier note just as the sun was setting the mild breeze blew the sounds of other Tawneys up from just down the valley from us so there are definitely others in the area.
I couldn't sleep this morning for some reason, so came down for a drink and ended up being lured outside by the moonlit night. I could see every single star and planet very clearly and then two satellites tracked by, both parallel with each other.
As yesterdays low rainclouds (low as in, we were in them) lifted and drifted away in preparation for the clear night I managed to get these shots:
This was the gutter chosen:
[url]So I had to smile when I dug this up from the field in front of the house on Sunday:
It seems that by chance it's very likely I've managed to match the original quite well.
Falconry day will be next month.
Edited by Evoluzione on Tuesday 13th September 13:39
I don't know why the renting farmer kept leaving this patch of rush in the middle of Turf Meadow, but it offended my eye.
So I asked a neighbour to hit it with his topper, a topper is basically a sled with a rotor under it driven by the tractor, like a rotary lawn mower.
His topper was broken so I fixed it, in return he fixed my field:
Job done:
The bits he missed I did with the brush cutter, I also did over the old drainage channels so he didn't have to go over them
I've also been round with the Stihl brush cutter and weedkiller to flatten various other areas of soft rush too, but won't bore you with all the pictures. I have a crap memory so looking back on all these pics I realise how far we've come now.
Next year when it returns i'll knock it back with a selective weedkiller. Because all the mass and old dead growth is gone i'll just be hitting the new green spikes:
This saves on weedkiller. Which is now 3 times the price it was a few years ago.
I've noticed we have a healthy dose of Horses tail too, that stuff is even worse than Knotweed to get rid of.
I think I mentioned this soft rush is a widespread known problem up and down the Pennines, there is even a Guardian article about it where they admit they don't know why it's taking over, but one of the local farmers says he does. Apparently they used to get a grant to spread lime on the ground to neutralise it, now that has gone the soil is acidic (I tested it to confirm) and this plant loves it.
So we have much more productive land now for grazing, but have upset those who lived in there and used it for occasional or even permanent cover and hunting. We have all year round creatures here, but most are seasonal, they come and go. I'm going to have to Google how frogs and toads manage to reproduce here with no still water, but there were a few in there.
If you look in the pics above you'll see a sizeable triangle of rush, well that is staying. Any frogs and toads I came across were safely deposited there. That and the re-wilding that is going on around us ensures there is something for everyone because in my eyes that's how it should be.
You may notice the lack of sheep and lovely green grass. The Herdwicks have been sold off, but some will be brought down here from up on the moors. The Tup will be out to do his stuff this Autumn and off we go again.
I don't know If I mentioned it before, but whilst Herdwicks are good at escaping, they're also very quiet. When you live out here you can't complain about animal noises, but to have a peaceful flock is a bonus.
I need to increase the yield in the PT too, much of it is still storage, but i've condensed some of it and opened up some areas for cultivation. As noted earlier the ground is mainly stone with a bit of soil!
Chuffin 'eck, it's like something from Cambodia.
It's built upon what I call the paddock near the house. It's a sloping, but flat field and I think has been artificially formed by flattening it and dumping waste on it.
It's a Mattock and pickaxe job to dig in, but what to do with it? Well I can use stone and use soil, but need to separate them first. I'd been looking out for a cheap concrete mixer of a certain style and eventually one came up for £50:
It was lined with mortar which some doofus had left to set in there and the wheels fell off, but I didn't want a decent one for what I had in mind. I bashed off most of the mortar, fixed the wheels and then it was out with the plasma for a few hours of solid enjoyment blowing what seemed like a million holes in it:
It works though:
Because there are some many stones in there (and some are quite sizeable) they pummel the soil breaking it down so it goes through the holes. It isn't instant, but certainly labour saving. You just load it up, leave it spinning and go do something else for 5 or 10 minutes, then tip the stones out into the barrow.
Under there is the home made compost, i'll get some over Winter veggies in and see how we go.
So I asked a neighbour to hit it with his topper, a topper is basically a sled with a rotor under it driven by the tractor, like a rotary lawn mower.
His topper was broken so I fixed it, in return he fixed my field:
Job done:
The bits he missed I did with the brush cutter, I also did over the old drainage channels so he didn't have to go over them
I've also been round with the Stihl brush cutter and weedkiller to flatten various other areas of soft rush too, but won't bore you with all the pictures. I have a crap memory so looking back on all these pics I realise how far we've come now.
Next year when it returns i'll knock it back with a selective weedkiller. Because all the mass and old dead growth is gone i'll just be hitting the new green spikes:
This saves on weedkiller. Which is now 3 times the price it was a few years ago.
I've noticed we have a healthy dose of Horses tail too, that stuff is even worse than Knotweed to get rid of.
I think I mentioned this soft rush is a widespread known problem up and down the Pennines, there is even a Guardian article about it where they admit they don't know why it's taking over, but one of the local farmers says he does. Apparently they used to get a grant to spread lime on the ground to neutralise it, now that has gone the soil is acidic (I tested it to confirm) and this plant loves it.
So we have much more productive land now for grazing, but have upset those who lived in there and used it for occasional or even permanent cover and hunting. We have all year round creatures here, but most are seasonal, they come and go. I'm going to have to Google how frogs and toads manage to reproduce here with no still water, but there were a few in there.
If you look in the pics above you'll see a sizeable triangle of rush, well that is staying. Any frogs and toads I came across were safely deposited there. That and the re-wilding that is going on around us ensures there is something for everyone because in my eyes that's how it should be.
You may notice the lack of sheep and lovely green grass. The Herdwicks have been sold off, but some will be brought down here from up on the moors. The Tup will be out to do his stuff this Autumn and off we go again.
I don't know If I mentioned it before, but whilst Herdwicks are good at escaping, they're also very quiet. When you live out here you can't complain about animal noises, but to have a peaceful flock is a bonus.
I need to increase the yield in the PT too, much of it is still storage, but i've condensed some of it and opened up some areas for cultivation. As noted earlier the ground is mainly stone with a bit of soil!
Chuffin 'eck, it's like something from Cambodia.
It's built upon what I call the paddock near the house. It's a sloping, but flat field and I think has been artificially formed by flattening it and dumping waste on it.
It's a Mattock and pickaxe job to dig in, but what to do with it? Well I can use stone and use soil, but need to separate them first. I'd been looking out for a cheap concrete mixer of a certain style and eventually one came up for £50:
It was lined with mortar which some doofus had left to set in there and the wheels fell off, but I didn't want a decent one for what I had in mind. I bashed off most of the mortar, fixed the wheels and then it was out with the plasma for a few hours of solid enjoyment
blowing what seemed like a million holes in it:It works though:
Because there are some many stones in there (and some are quite sizeable) they pummel the soil breaking it down so it goes through the holes. It isn't instant, but certainly labour saving. You just load it up, leave it spinning and go do something else for 5 or 10 minutes, then tip the stones out into the barrow.
Under there is the home made compost, i'll get some over Winter veggies in and see how we go.
Edited by Evoluzione on Wednesday 9th November 18:46
I've got tons of the stuff to do so it was well worth the investment. You'll find that style of mixer usually a lot cheaper than the orange Belle type ones and they sit quite high as they are.
If you don't have a plasma cutter, but do have an angry grinder with cutting disc and a basic welder then there is another way of building one. Get some mesh or punched sheet, cut some panels out of the mixer then weld the mesh or sheet over it.
If you don't have a plasma cutter, but do have an angry grinder with cutting disc and a basic welder then there is another way of building one. Get some mesh or punched sheet, cut some panels out of the mixer then weld the mesh or sheet over it.
Wacky Racer said:
Just like to comment on some of the stunning photographs on your thread, the contrast between the mid summer and the winter snow covered ones is marked and wonderful,
Btw, passed your place last Sunday whilst having a run out in our NC MX 5. Had a ride on the KWVR from Oakworth where they filmed "The railway children" and it's recent remake.
Should have called in for a cuppa. We'll be going there next month for the beer festival. Btw, passed your place last Sunday whilst having a run out in our NC MX 5.
Had a ride on the KWVR from Oakworth where they filmed "The railway children" and it's recent remake. I wished yet again that I had a decent camera this morning as there was a Buzzard sat on a post in the fields. It would have needed a big lense, I had to get the binoculars out to ID it.
Yesterday I happened across a family of 5 Pheasants wandering around, they must look after their young for a long time.
For some reason the Owl has been making a lot of noise during the day. The more well known and very loud WoooOOOOOooooo, I've added it to the YT channel. In order to learn more I've put a newly released book about the Tawny on my Christmas list.
It woke us up at about 6ish doing this repeatedly. To get my own back I played the recording back to it in the evening and it causes it to fly out!
Haha, after reading the insulated house thread back to something at the other end of the scale 
If this were a book it would be a bit more condensed and a chapter would deal more briefly with each of the highs and lows of living here, but as it's a real time blog it's a bit more disjointed and drawn out so I apologise for that.
To recap a little bit we have a house here which was built badly, then made even worse by people trying to cure it, extend and 'improve' it. Water was not only permeating gradually through damp, but it was actually running in too. The latter, was due to the er, latter. Water got into the porous stone solid walls, came down inside them, then ran in behind the two lean-to extension roofs and came out of them into the living space. The rain driven by high winds was one of the main and original issues, we have sat here in the past and seen water run down the walls as we watched TV. Got up, put a bucket under the drips then paddled off to the toilet - where is was leaking in there too.
Anyhow, as you know i've been observing, researching, fixing and last Friday started the first real test as we had 6hrs of rain driven by 50mph winds followed by much more intermittently through the night. You have to have some gallows humour and I did indeed 'LOL' at the wheely bin manoeuvring itself cleanly out of it's parking space, turn left onto the patio and carry on down the yard like a Dalek.
I've been learning, procrastinating and fixing the faults one by one over the last year or so, with the final touches, the 'icing on the cake' being done in the last week as we saw Summer coming to an end, the weather closing in and I picked up the pace.
It's early days, we have much worse rain and wind to come, but we're sat here in a house which doesn't leak at the moment!
How cool is that?!
I text' one of our neighbours who has an unfixed house like ours was and It was indeed leaking in there (which proves the weather has been bad enough to cause some issues). I didn't tell him we were moving in the right direction, but in the future I can pass on what i've learned to them so they don't waste further thousands of £££ chasing their tails. It's been K rendered twice and still pisses in.
As it was too hot to work I spent the hottest day of (a long time!) 2022 panning for gold
and catching rainbow trout in the Clough. No gold was found. I've since watched some videos on how to pan better so will have another go next year, but don't think even that will yield one speck of the yellow stuff.
Then I made a bridge cum dam so some of the fish have a bigger area to live in and the walkers to cross:
This was the scene on Friday eve however after the rain:
And that's nothing really as we only had about 30mm. It'll get much more lively than that, but It was fun to drive around the fields seeing all the land drains come to life after so many months of drought. I also saw a black Pheasant which i've never seen before here yet, it was too shy for me to get a pic sadly.
If this were a book it would be a bit more condensed and a chapter would deal more briefly with each of the highs and lows of living here, but as it's a real time blog it's a bit more disjointed and drawn out so I apologise for that.
To recap a little bit we have a house here which was built badly, then made even worse by people trying to cure it, extend and 'improve' it. Water was not only permeating gradually through damp, but it was actually running in too. The latter, was due to the er, latter. Water got into the porous stone solid walls, came down inside them, then ran in behind the two lean-to extension roofs and came out of them into the living space. The rain driven by high winds was one of the main and original issues, we have sat here in the past and seen water run down the walls as we watched TV. Got up, put a bucket under the drips then paddled off to the toilet - where is was leaking in there too.
Anyhow, as you know i've been observing, researching, fixing and last Friday started the first real test as we had 6hrs of rain driven by 50mph winds followed by much more intermittently through the night. You have to have some gallows humour and I did indeed 'LOL' at the wheely bin manoeuvring itself cleanly out of it's parking space, turn left onto the patio and carry on down the yard like a Dalek.
I've been learning, procrastinating and fixing the faults one by one over the last year or so, with the final touches, the 'icing on the cake' being done in the last week as we saw Summer coming to an end, the weather closing in and I picked up the pace.
It's early days, we have much worse rain and wind to come, but we're sat here in a house which doesn't leak at the moment!
How cool is that?!I text' one of our neighbours who has an unfixed house like ours was and It was indeed leaking in there (which proves the weather has been bad enough to cause some issues). I didn't tell him we were moving in the right direction, but in the future I can pass on what i've learned to them so they don't waste further thousands of £££ chasing their tails. It's been K rendered twice and still pisses in.
As it was too hot to work I spent the hottest day of (a long time!) 2022 panning for gold
and catching rainbow trout in the Clough. No gold was found. I've since watched some videos on how to pan better so will have another go next year, but don't think even that will yield one speck of the yellow stuff.
Then I made a bridge cum dam so some of the fish have a bigger area to live in and the walkers to cross:
This was the scene on Friday eve however after the rain:
And that's nothing really as we only had about 30mm. It'll get much more lively than that, but It was fun to drive around the fields seeing all the land drains come to life after so many months of drought. I also saw a black Pheasant which i've never seen before here yet, it was too shy for me to get a pic sadly.
I think the mixer cum riddle needs some kind of lid making for it, so I can get it fully horizontal for maximum effect from the start without stuff spitting out the front. Then I can fill it full, set it off and leave it.
People.
Everyone is different, some are hermits, some more outgoing. Some know everyone around them, some know none.
I've met all, but one farmhouse now and am beginning to forge friendly relationships with most. Why did they build the farmhouses where they did? Simple, if there was fresh running water you built a house there.
I deliberately grew too much fruit and veg and made too much cider this year so I could hand out the excess to them, in return we've been to a mini-festival at one of the farms below us (they're as new round here as we are), we've had some lovely home baked cake, two trays of plums:
(to make wine of course!) and a huge trout:
We had an open day for old friends and their families. As the day dawned the forecast was once again laughingly, but worryingly for heavy rain all day long which would have put a massive damper on things. About 25 turned up and the weather was of course warm and sunny. There were all ages from about 6 to 55 maybe so we laid on something for everyone, even the teenagers who are a tough bunch to please.
As you can guess it was far from normal
I showed the kids how to operate a digger by putting it in an open space surrounded by big roadcones wi' stones on top alongside a bucket. The idea was to knock the top of the cone or stone each of four ways to get the stone into the bucket. This went down well with the 6 to 12 group.
Teenagers were given driving lessons in Terry around the fields, mixed groups of sight-seers were put in the skip of Benford and driven around the fields on a tour. Adults did off road driving in Terry and Benford too.
Anyone who just wanted to sit, drink and chat did so around a table outside. We had a buffet lunch, there was a 'Which is the best tomato? competition whereby I put two plates out for people to sample. One was supermarket toms, the other homegrowns, both marked underneath which was which.
I'm happy to say 100% said mine were the tastiest by a huge margin.
We did some owl viewing, 'Identify the turd' went well as did 'Name that fruit or veg' with both adult (blindfolded) and children classes. A little disturbingly many kids can not ID a fruit or veg when it's hanging from a plant in front of them, but do know one turd from another. Unsurprisingly no-one knew what a Kohl Rabi is, but they do taste good.
All the blindfolded ladies knew a good sizeable courgette though
It probably cost us about £75 V the £20k our neighbours festival did, but both produced a lot of smiles and we ran out of time before we ran out of things to do.
Late in the afternoon some of the fellas got together to do something practical and we winched up the two IBCs to the top of the bank using Terry again to pull them up, the rest of them pulled the rope down so it cleared the power lines.
Last weekend was our Hawking club hunting and social day, more friendships made and existing ones strengthened, loads of (professional) pics to come.
Plants & gardening
It hasn't been a bad year overall and lots learned.
The fruit, veggies and other plants have been attacked and eaten by sheep, rabbits, slugs, birds and now the brassicas are being massacred by caterpillars thanks to a never ending supply of cabbage whites.
So I don't know what to do about that, either not grow them, or get nets put up. Probably eventually the latter, I can't just give up.
The tomato 'Moneymaker' has been a good choice, lots of tasty fruit, tolerant and reasonably easy to grow. They've almost completely stopped now night time temps have dropped.
The tomatoes paused in the intense heat, some even blistered slightly. But then after a huge amount ripened all at once. Sadly Ks parents got taken ill so she had to go up there to look after them for a while. I had all this fruit and veg ripening at once, piles of courgettes, tomatoes, cucumbers, basil plants and other stuff so advertised it on FB and managed to shift most of it to the local villagers.
We've just bought a new freezer to store what can be frozen and have plenty to see us through Winter.
Coming up.....
People.
Everyone is different, some are hermits, some more outgoing. Some know everyone around them, some know none.
I've met all, but one farmhouse now and am beginning to forge friendly relationships with most. Why did they build the farmhouses where they did? Simple, if there was fresh running water you built a house there.
I deliberately grew too much fruit and veg and made too much cider this year so I could hand out the excess to them, in return we've been to a mini-festival at one of the farms below us (they're as new round here as we are), we've had some lovely home baked cake, two trays of plums:
(to make wine of course!) and a huge trout:
We had an open day for old friends and their families. As the day dawned the forecast was once again laughingly, but worryingly for heavy rain all day long which would have put a massive damper on things. About 25 turned up and the weather was of course warm and sunny. There were all ages from about 6 to 55 maybe so we laid on something for everyone, even the teenagers who are a tough bunch to please.
As you can guess it was far from normal
I showed the kids how to operate a digger by putting it in an open space surrounded by big roadcones wi' stones on top alongside a bucket. The idea was to knock the top of the cone or stone each of four ways to get the stone into the bucket. This went down well with the 6 to 12 group.Teenagers were given driving lessons in Terry around the fields, mixed groups of sight-seers were put in the skip of Benford and driven around the fields on a tour. Adults did off road driving in Terry and Benford too.
Anyone who just wanted to sit, drink and chat did so around a table outside. We had a buffet lunch, there was a 'Which is the best tomato? competition whereby I put two plates out for people to sample. One was supermarket toms, the other homegrowns, both marked underneath which was which.
I'm happy to say 100% said mine were the tastiest by a huge margin.
We did some owl viewing, 'Identify the turd' went well as did 'Name that fruit or veg' with both adult (blindfolded) and children classes. A little disturbingly many kids can not ID a fruit or veg when it's hanging from a plant in front of them, but do know one turd from another. Unsurprisingly no-one knew what a Kohl Rabi is, but they do taste good.
All the blindfolded ladies knew a good sizeable courgette though
It probably cost us about £75 V the £20k our neighbours festival did, but both produced a lot of smiles and we ran out of time before we ran out of things to do.
Late in the afternoon some of the fellas got together to do something practical and we winched up the two IBCs to the top of the bank using Terry again to pull them up, the rest of them pulled the rope down so it cleared the power lines.
Last weekend was our Hawking club hunting and social day, more friendships made and existing ones strengthened, loads of (professional) pics to come.
Plants & gardening
It hasn't been a bad year overall and lots learned.
The fruit, veggies and other plants have been attacked and eaten by sheep, rabbits, slugs, birds and now the brassicas are being massacred by caterpillars thanks to a never ending supply of cabbage whites.
So I don't know what to do about that, either not grow them, or get nets put up. Probably eventually the latter, I can't just give up.
The tomato 'Moneymaker' has been a good choice, lots of tasty fruit, tolerant and reasonably easy to grow. They've almost completely stopped now night time temps have dropped.
The tomatoes paused in the intense heat, some even blistered slightly. But then after a huge amount ripened all at once. Sadly Ks parents got taken ill so she had to go up there to look after them for a while. I had all this fruit and veg ripening at once, piles of courgettes, tomatoes, cucumbers, basil plants and other stuff so advertised it on FB and managed to shift most of it to the local villagers.
We've just bought a new freezer to store what can be frozen and have plenty to see us through Winter.
Coming up.....
Our yearly hunt and social event with the falconry club
Steve is a great photographer, but that bloody old bath steals the shot for me, you can tell it came from round here (probably out of the house) with the brown staining in it
The long term forecast was bad and in the previous week we'd had about 6" of rain, but as hunting day neared the forecast changed. Although it was very windy (who'd have thought it?
) it was mild and dry.
I'd secured us some neighbouring fields too so we had plenty to go at. Birds were Red tail, Gos and Harris hawks this year.
It starts at 9 with a bacon butty, a cuppa and an hour or two of socialising. We have a lot of rabbits here and they can be very destructive, flower beds are regularly dug up, plants and bulbs taken, vegetable plots completely flattened. They even chew holes through plastic fencing put there to keep them out.
This is just a way of keeping the population in check by using natural hunters, the odds very much favour the rabbits who win overall as they're often too quick and know the land very well, only one was caught all day long. Only one bird is used at once.
The rabbits are flushed out of the holes by ferrets and the dogs were there for the ride, none are used.
Pictures courtesy of Steve Bradley Photography:
Matey, today of all days you do not want to be there.
I think I'll stay this side of the glass today.
That's Sunday lunch done, whose loading the dishwasher?
It's in here somewhere.
Well it was over here.
Where?
Here? Ooops, no not that!
A herd of very friendly cows, all they want to do is lick everything and everybody. No dairy up here, all for beef.
Even the sheep are friendly here, not all as much as this one though, it was hand reared and will wander into the farmhouse if the door is left open.
One bird decided to fly away, the owner set off in hot pursuit and ended up 2 miles away by a res! They've all got trackers on them.
Steve is a great photographer, but that bloody old bath steals the shot for me, you can tell it came from round here (probably out of the house) with the brown staining in it
The long term forecast was bad and in the previous week we'd had about 6" of rain, but as hunting day neared the forecast changed. Although it was very windy (who'd have thought it?
) it was mild and dry.I'd secured us some neighbouring fields too so we had plenty to go at. Birds were Red tail, Gos and Harris hawks this year.
It starts at 9 with a bacon butty, a cuppa and an hour or two of socialising. We have a lot of rabbits here and they can be very destructive, flower beds are regularly dug up, plants and bulbs taken, vegetable plots completely flattened. They even chew holes through plastic fencing put there to keep them out.
This is just a way of keeping the population in check by using natural hunters, the odds very much favour the rabbits who win overall as they're often too quick and know the land very well, only one was caught all day long. Only one bird is used at once.
The rabbits are flushed out of the holes by ferrets and the dogs were there for the ride, none are used.
Pictures courtesy of Steve Bradley Photography:
Matey, today of all days you do not want to be there.
I think I'll stay this side of the glass today.
That's Sunday lunch done, whose loading the dishwasher?
It's in here somewhere.
Well it was over here.
Where?
Here? Ooops, no not that!
A herd of very friendly cows, all they want to do is lick everything and everybody. No dairy up here, all for beef.
Even the sheep are friendly here, not all as much as this one though, it was hand reared and will wander into the farmhouse if the door is left open.
One bird decided to fly away, the owner set off in hot pursuit and ended up 2 miles away by a res! They've all got trackers on them.
Thanks again for reading and the responses
It's funny you mention having a PH meet, I think someone has been out to spy on us!
We aren't visible from the road and a whole field away from it. I looked up a few weeks back to see a grey haired elderly chap in a red raincoat scrambling over our wall and running away! Neighbours at the top spotted him on their field too and watched him drive off. They weren't sure, but number plate could have been W Racer or something
Up on bricks
Well a lifetime of using various vibrating tools and recent type 2 diabetes has taken it's toll on my hands, I've just had a carpal tunnel Op on my right hand and need the left one doing next. Currently have my right hand in a huge bandage and sling so typing with my left hand.
It's needed doing for years now, but I just haven't been able to find the downtime to get it done. A tip from the (now) wise there, if you need it doing then sooner is better than later, the longer you leave it, the lesser the chances of recovery are.
I figured there would be long waiting list so started the ball rolling with a view to having it done in Winter, but they rang and wanted to operate in August! I put them off until now, didn't dare leave it any later. As far as work is concerned I wish it was later as I could still be outside pointing in between the showers right now as it's mild, but never mind. I think when i'm back able to work the weather will not be fit and i'll start doing some inside work.
Autumn is well underway of course and Winter just round the corner. The sheep are back in our fields from spending Summer higher up on the moors. The Tup has been brought in to service the ewes, but there is no indication from them they want anything to do with him. Apparently this is due to the continuing mild weather as it takes a cold snap to trigger them. In frustration he managed to somehow jump over one of our better, taller walls and get into a field with some others. What happened I don't know, but luckily the owners of both parties are related.
A cock Pheasant feasting on Hawthorn berries:
I managed to finish up rebuilding the 'M1' sough, get it covered and sort out a couple more whilst I was down there so 'Turf Meadow' as it's known is a bit more solid underfoot in many areas than previous years.
All my new drainage and the older ones which still work are flowing continuously (and quite satisfyingly!) now and won't stop until Spring.
The M1 flows from left to right here and who would know? You can just see some of the bare soil to the left there which I covered it over with.
I had to withdraw all vehicles and plant then as we were doing more damage to the grass than good. The ground was getting evermore saturated as the rains are back, applying 'a dab of oppo' to Benford as it slithered sideways towards a drystone wall was the tipping point. I figured much longer and I'd either be heading through it or using the digger to drag it out of the now treacherous track.
The old roof needs a lot of attention, but that's a big job and one for another day, going into Winter the best I could do was push some slipped slates back up, patch point the ridge and chimneys to stop them from leaking.
A roofers ridge bucket, it also has a hook moulded into it on the other side to hang it from ladders etc:
A roofers gauging trowel:
If you're working with an old roof which has no underfelt then the following is possible to return slipped slates. I've used an old chisel or large screwdriver to lift the slates upper left and right, this takes their weight from the offending slate. They are then wedged up by a chisel or screwdriver again, you can (carefully, without pushing yourself backwards off the roof) lift the top of the slate up, juggling and pushing it back up and over the batten.
Then going into the loft it'll look like this, but without the wooden peg:
Use whatever you see fit to push into the hole and hold it with a dab of silicone.
You can see where the slates were back pointed with lime mortar, this is known as 'torching'.
I also topped up the insulation whilst I was at it.
It's funny you mention having a PH meet, I think someone has been out to spy on us!
We aren't visible from the road and a whole field away from it. I looked up a few weeks back to see a grey haired elderly chap in a red raincoat scrambling over our wall and running away! Neighbours at the top spotted him on their field too and watched him drive off. They weren't sure, but number plate could have been W Racer or something
Up on bricks
Well a lifetime of using various vibrating tools and recent type 2 diabetes has taken it's toll on my hands, I've just had a carpal tunnel Op on my right hand and need the left one doing next. Currently have my right hand in a huge bandage and sling so typing with my left hand.
It's needed doing for years now, but I just haven't been able to find the downtime to get it done. A tip from the (now) wise there, if you need it doing then sooner is better than later, the longer you leave it, the lesser the chances of recovery are.
I figured there would be long waiting list so started the ball rolling with a view to having it done in Winter, but they rang and wanted to operate in August! I put them off until now, didn't dare leave it any later. As far as work is concerned I wish it was later as I could still be outside pointing in between the showers right now as it's mild, but never mind. I think when i'm back able to work the weather will not be fit and i'll start doing some inside work.
Autumn is well underway of course and Winter just round the corner. The sheep are back in our fields from spending Summer higher up on the moors. The Tup has been brought in to service the ewes, but there is no indication from them they want anything to do with him. Apparently this is due to the continuing mild weather as it takes a cold snap to trigger them. In frustration he managed to somehow jump over one of our better, taller walls and get into a field with some others. What happened I don't know, but luckily the owners of both parties are related.
A cock Pheasant feasting on Hawthorn berries:
I managed to finish up rebuilding the 'M1' sough, get it covered and sort out a couple more whilst I was down there so 'Turf Meadow' as it's known is a bit more solid underfoot in many areas than previous years.
All my new drainage and the older ones which still work are flowing continuously (and quite satisfyingly!) now and won't stop until Spring.
The M1 flows from left to right here and who would know? You can just see some of the bare soil to the left there which I covered it over with.
I had to withdraw all vehicles and plant then as we were doing more damage to the grass than good. The ground was getting evermore saturated as the rains are back, applying 'a dab of oppo' to Benford as it slithered sideways towards a drystone wall was the tipping point. I figured much longer and I'd either be heading through it or using the digger to drag it out of the now treacherous track.
The old roof needs a lot of attention, but that's a big job and one for another day, going into Winter the best I could do was push some slipped slates back up, patch point the ridge and chimneys to stop them from leaking.
A roofers ridge bucket, it also has a hook moulded into it on the other side to hang it from ladders etc:
A roofers gauging trowel:
If you're working with an old roof which has no underfelt then the following is possible to return slipped slates. I've used an old chisel or large screwdriver to lift the slates upper left and right, this takes their weight from the offending slate. They are then wedged up by a chisel or screwdriver again, you can (carefully, without pushing yourself backwards off the roof
) lift the top of the slate up, juggling and pushing it back up and over the batten.Then going into the loft it'll look like this, but without the wooden peg:
Use whatever you see fit to push into the hole and hold it with a dab of silicone.
You can see where the slates were back pointed with lime mortar, this is known as 'torching'.
I also topped up the insulation whilst I was at it.
Snow and Rocks said:
Quite interesting about the roof construction.
Our old slate roof is fully boarded out underneath with big roughly sawn sarking planks - like a more rustic version of modern treated sarking boards that are on all Scottish rooves.
I wonder if it was slated from when it was first built? Ours was only done about 100 years ago as a photo from 1910 shows the original heather thatch. I guess transporting slate would have been too expensive originally if it wasn't available locally.
I believe Scotland had plenty of slate quarries, but none now, It's either reclaimed or imported.Our old slate roof is fully boarded out underneath with big roughly sawn sarking planks - like a more rustic version of modern treated sarking boards that are on all Scottish rooves.
I wonder if it was slated from when it was first built? Ours was only done about 100 years ago as a photo from 1910 shows the original heather thatch. I guess transporting slate would have been too expensive originally if it wasn't available locally.
Yes sarking boards are a very Scottish thing, I've heard it said it was for strength, but i'm not so sure. Scottish slate was a lot more random sized than what we got in England, it makes me wonder if it wasn't done simply so you constantly had something to nail to, no matter what the size of the slate.
Welsh slate was all cut to certain sizes and all were named too; Queen, Princess, Duchess, Marchioness, Countess, Viscountess, Wide Lady, Broad Lady, Lady, Small Lady, Narrow Lady, Header, Small Header, Double, and Singles.
The stone slate on mine is the original, they haven't used wooden dowel for years, now they're held on with aluminium pegs. They look like drawing pins perhaps, but with a longer stem and no point.
I've never heard of heather thatch!
Snow and Rocks said:
Evoluzione said:
It's a lovely old picture, does the smoke go straight up like that very often?
My neighbours laithe house more than a few years ago:
Even the smoke from a candle inside isn't going straight up like that tonight!My neighbours laithe house more than a few years ago:
That's also a great photo - I find the differences in traditional building methods over what are really quite small distances really interesting.
Yes it is interesting how people on the West of the UK dealt with prolonged, driving rain pre-cavity days, probably one of the best being the slate built houses of Cumbria. I think the Irish wrapped theirs in many layers of lime render.
It's where a lot of people on the restoration groups of internet go wrong. Someone in Scotland will ask how to cure an issue and get an answer from some 'expert' in a townhouse in Devon for instance. They've no idea.
It took me a little while to work out what was going on here, but driving around now you can see many have battled with it locally. Lots of houses being pointed and repointed, many Westerly facing gables rendered and painted. How successful they all are I don't know, but as previously mentioned one near me has been K-rendered twice and still leaks, another two have been battling the same issue in recent years. We'll find out how successful we've all been this Winter though.
Thank you. 'Travails' I like that word (a bit better than the process!) here is one for you; Trommel, this is a rotating tube made of mesh which separates loose materials, usually soil from stone. You pour the mix in one end and the stones come out of the other.
Which leads us neatly on to my er, effort
As you can see I've made a basic hinged lid for it. I can now fill it full right to the top, close the lid and set it off going., before it would only run half full as it was spilling out of the front.
The bed under it and to the left has just been screened (technical word) and is ready for planting with new compost underneath. What came out was 50/50 stone and soil.
The hospital gave me some hand exercises to do after the op, I figured the best way to exercise my hand was to go back to work. I built myself up steadily as I didn't want to undo their good job, but it went ok. I've never broken a bone, had stiches, or been operated on whilst still awake before so it was all a bit new. After the stiches were taken out I felt a bit like a kid with no stabilisers on the bike, the feeling that if I over stretched it, it could pop open.
It's going ok though, the cut is healing fast, I hope the other side goes as well.
I had to smile as they were taking my details pre-op, they wanted to know my height and weight amongst many other things. I thought wtf, are you measuring me up for a coffin!
A little bit of wildlife, gardening, food and fungus.
One of the owls seemed to come and go a couple of times earlier in the year, but finally it seemed it was gone for good, the other sat alone for months
I'd recorded it's call and played it back at dusk on the occasional still night, it came straight over my head one time, another it swooped down so close by me I could have reached out and touched it.
Gradually the Autumn winds stripped the owls Summer residence of its brittle leaves, the remaining owl was exposed more and more.
Then finally just before it moved to it's leafy Winter place another was sat by it's side One perches in the wind and the other gets behind to shelter.
I saw both of them sat at the top of another tree just as the sun had gone down behind them, then lately i've seen just one on its own. It uses the now leafless tree by us as place to sit just before hunting now, calling out before setting off.
I have no idea what's going on, they're supposed to mate for life. Hopefully when I get the new book on them i'll know more. I'm currently reading about Cuckoos.
There is something called 'The hungry gap'. When we shop in supermarkets etc it's catered for because we import fruit and veg from all over the World of course, but before then or if we are self sufficient then there is this period where our Summer grown, over Wintered supplies can run out before the next years crop is ready, this is where Winter veg comes in.
In August I got some broccoli and beetroot started, these are now in a bed in the PT with some Winter onions.
The idea is you start them off late Summer, they grow to a decent size and strength to get them through the depths of Winter (where they more or less pause). They'll get the odd bit of slow growth in here and there if it's mild or sunny, but then when Spring arrives they start growing properly again for an early harvest.
This can be done under glass or outside depending on what it is or where it is.
I got some garlic kale, Winter lettuce, cauliflower and something else I forgot started, but I think too late. They took a month to arrive from ordering and despite the mild Autumn I don't think they're strong enough to get through Winter, the
specific Winter variety of Cauliflower plants are already dying off, but we'll see.
It's been mild enough for some grey aphids to attack them, they don't recover very well at this time of the year.
I've found edible mushrooms in the fields so we ate those, if not a little gingerly!
These are certainly not edible:
This is unsurprisingly named Dog Sick slime mould:
Sorry, hope you had your last meal a while ago
Throughout Autumn it's not unusual to see Yoofs in trainers with grey tracky bottoms wondering around the fields with their heads down looking for these:
They are of course the magic variety. I've read that they're being tested recently, much like cannabis for medical use. That would be fun, farming those here
Which leads us neatly on to my er, effort
As you can see I've made a basic hinged lid for it. I can now fill it full right to the top, close the lid and set it off going., before it would only run half full as it was spilling out of the front.
The bed under it and to the left has just been screened (technical word) and is ready for planting with new compost underneath. What came out was 50/50 stone and soil.
The hospital gave me some hand exercises to do after the op, I figured the best way to exercise my hand was to go back to work. I built myself up steadily as I didn't want to undo their good job, but it went ok. I've never broken a bone, had stiches, or been operated on whilst still awake before so it was all a bit new. After the stiches were taken out I felt a bit like a kid with no stabilisers on the bike, the feeling that if I over stretched it, it could pop open.
It's going ok though, the cut is healing fast, I hope the other side goes as well.
I had to smile as they were taking my details pre-op, they wanted to know my height and weight amongst many other things. I thought wtf, are you measuring me up for a coffin!
A little bit of wildlife, gardening, food and fungus.
One of the owls seemed to come and go a couple of times earlier in the year, but finally it seemed it was gone for good, the other sat alone for months
I'd recorded it's call and played it back at dusk on the occasional still night, it came straight over my head one time, another it swooped down so close by me I could have reached out and touched it.
Gradually the Autumn winds stripped the owls Summer residence of its brittle leaves, the remaining owl was exposed more and more.
Then finally just before it moved to it's leafy Winter place another was sat by it's side
One perches in the wind and the other gets behind to shelter. I saw both of them sat at the top of another tree just as the sun had gone down behind them, then lately i've seen just one on its own. It uses the now leafless tree by us as place to sit just before hunting now, calling out before setting off.
I have no idea what's going on, they're supposed to mate for life. Hopefully when I get the new book on them i'll know more. I'm currently reading about Cuckoos.
There is something called 'The hungry gap'. When we shop in supermarkets etc it's catered for because we import fruit and veg from all over the World of course, but before then or if we are self sufficient then there is this period where our Summer grown, over Wintered supplies can run out before the next years crop is ready, this is where Winter veg comes in.
In August I got some broccoli and beetroot started, these are now in a bed in the PT with some Winter onions.
The idea is you start them off late Summer, they grow to a decent size and strength to get them through the depths of Winter (where they more or less pause). They'll get the odd bit of slow growth in here and there if it's mild or sunny, but then when Spring arrives they start growing properly again for an early harvest.
This can be done under glass or outside depending on what it is or where it is.
I got some garlic kale, Winter lettuce, cauliflower and something else I forgot started, but I think too late. They took a month to arrive from ordering and despite the mild Autumn I don't think they're strong enough to get through Winter, the
specific Winter variety of Cauliflower plants are already dying off, but we'll see.
It's been mild enough for some grey aphids to attack them, they don't recover very well at this time of the year.
I've found edible mushrooms in the fields so we ate those, if not a little gingerly!
These are certainly not edible:
This is unsurprisingly named Dog Sick slime mould:
Sorry, hope you had your last meal a while ago
Throughout Autumn it's not unusual to see Yoofs in trainers with grey tracky bottoms wondering around the fields with their heads down looking for these:
They are of course the magic variety. I've read that they're being tested recently, much like cannabis for medical use. That would be fun, farming those here
Sorry, not the most interesting of posts right now!
Less than a month to go now until the shortest day, so the sunrises and sunsets are easily visible and often spectacular:
To the rear of the house a single storey extension was built, not long after the main house was finished, it's now the utility:
Within the last 10 to 20 years the upper floor bedroom was built on top. As it's modern it has cavity walls and they took the stone slates from the lower bit to put on the top, sadly they didn't allow for the low pitch of the roof and it leaked. A lot (familiar tale!).
They were taken off and a tiled roof put on. When they did that they pulled all the wet glasswool insulation out too.
So when we bought the place it was the driest room in the house , but also cold and draughty. We screwed some plasterboard up where it was missing and K used it for her 'WFH' office until now.
Recently the rains have moved in and outside work has become punctuated it's time to sort the ceiling and insulation out, so she's moved into another room. First I pulled the old buggered plasterboard down:
You can see the signs of water, mould etc, but it was tinder dry and sound. I got some 100mm PIR, summoned up all of my patience and carefully fitted it tight between the rafters. No matter what, they will not be perfectly parallel, but will be warped, twisted and bowed to some degree, so fitting a rigid board tight between them is never going to be easy.
For reference there is a flexible tape you can buy now to put round the edges. It either is a regulation now or soon will be.
There is an air gap above.
After that the rafters were made deeper by 25mm with some tile batten and a layer of 25mm PIR put under the whole area:
This is to stop the rafters being a 'cold bridge'.
Followed by the plasterboard:
It's tapered edge for joint filling. Because of that the boards need to be a good fit.
So you've got rafters which are all over the place. The insulation between them needs to fit accurately, the insulation under it has to be the same and also the Pb on top as well! So it's a good lesson in patience and making things fit.
All ready for joint filling now....
Less than a month to go now until the shortest day, so the sunrises and sunsets are easily visible and often spectacular:
To the rear of the house a single storey extension was built, not long after the main house was finished, it's now the utility:
Within the last 10 to 20 years the upper floor bedroom was built on top. As it's modern it has cavity walls and they took the stone slates from the lower bit to put on the top, sadly they didn't allow for the low pitch of the roof and it leaked. A lot (familiar tale!).
They were taken off and a tiled roof put on. When they did that they pulled all the wet glasswool insulation out too.
So when we bought the place it was the driest room in the house , but also cold and draughty. We screwed some plasterboard up where it was missing and K used it for her 'WFH' office until now.
Recently the rains have moved in and outside work has become punctuated it's time to sort the ceiling and insulation out, so she's moved into another room. First I pulled the old buggered plasterboard down:
You can see the signs of water, mould etc, but it was tinder dry and sound. I got some 100mm PIR, summoned up all of my patience and carefully fitted it tight between the rafters. No matter what, they will not be perfectly parallel, but will be warped, twisted and bowed to some degree, so fitting a rigid board tight between them is never going to be easy.
For reference there is a flexible tape you can buy now to put round the edges. It either is a regulation now or soon will be.
There is an air gap above.
After that the rafters were made deeper by 25mm with some tile batten and a layer of 25mm PIR put under the whole area:
This is to stop the rafters being a 'cold bridge'.
Followed by the plasterboard:
It's tapered edge for joint filling. Because of that the boards need to be a good fit.
So you've got rafters which are all over the place. The insulation between them needs to fit accurately, the insulation under it has to be the same and also the Pb on top as well! So it's a good lesson in patience and making things fit.
All ready for joint filling now....
The Mad Monk said:
Evoluzione said:
Sorry, not the most interesting of posts right now!
Less than a month to go now until the shortest day, so the sunrises and sunsets are easily visible and often spectacular:
Latest sunrise 29th or 30 December.Less than a month to go now until the shortest day, so the sunrises and sunsets are easily visible and often spectacular:
Earliest Sunset 13th or 14th December.
Spring is just around the corner!
November last year we were snowed in!
The photographer chap has entered two of his owl pics into a competition here:
https://www.forestofbowland.com/photo-comp-shortli...
You can vote if you want to, it's easy, just tick the ones you like and that's it. No other action needed.
https://www.forestofbowland.com/photo-comp-shortli...
You can vote if you want to, it's easy, just tick the ones you like and that's it. No other action needed.
Snow and Rocks said:
Cold but dry up here, frost hasn't shifted all day and temperature already dropping off quickly. Wouldn't be surprised to see minus 7 or 8 tonight. Anything is better than the recent endless rain though so not complaining!
How quickly does your barrow sifter work it's way through a full load? Great idea and have an old electric mixer here I don't use - although i can things getting a bit clogged up with the claggy clay based soil we have.
About 5 minutes to shift a full drum. You don't sit and watch it of course, you can be barrowing the stones away, loosening more soil, shovelling the screened soil out etc.How quickly does your barrow sifter work it's way through a full load? Great idea and have an old electric mixer here I don't use - although i can things getting a bit clogged up with the claggy clay based soil we have.
I used it with soil dried out this Summer, I don't think it'll work well with wet and/or clay, the metal to hole ratio is wrong. You'd need to cut panels out and weld mesh in, I may end up doing this.
The back bedroom is coming along well, it's now ready for decorating. Some tips on joint filling if you're thinking of having a go:
Tools needed to fit Pb:
An old hand saw
Stanley knife
Padsaw (AKA bread knife)
Small hand held surform rasp (AKA cheese grater)
Cordless drill
Straight edge
2H pencil
Tape measure
Scribes
If you've been following this thread you'll have noticed things are often called by different names, the ones in brackets there are what we comically referred to them in the building trade.
To apply the filler:
Plasterers float
Filling knife
Hawk (you can make your own if it's just a one off small job.)
Masking tape
Sponge
Clean bucket
Batten or bucket trowel to knock it up
I won't go over how to fit the PB, but some tips about pencils and joinery/building. Always use a 2H, always keep it sharp. They wear away much less quickly than HB, the marks are much finer and lighter.
When you're marking out (especially long lines on sheet materials) then hold the pencil at a shallow angle and rotate it as you're drawing it down the line. This has the effect of sharpening the pencil as you're using it.
If you're squaring a line around something, maybe marking out a hinge or lock and handles on a fine finished door etc then don't hold the thing in your fist and drag it round leaving long and huge lines everywhere, just put a gentle little mark here and there wherever it's needed. You'll only waste lead and time sanding it all off afterwards.
Head fo thinkin', feet fo dancin'.
Plasters mix plaster quite thin, us non plasterers will find it much easier to handle if it's a shade thicker.
Add water to a clean bucket first, then add powder, in the absence of a whisk stir with whatever you have to hand. You'll notice it'll be lumpy for the first few minutes, don't worry it comes right after it's been stood and/or stirred for a few more minutes longer.
Plop some on your board, grab your float and off you go (after taping the joints with paper or scrim). How you get it off the board and onto the wall is largely up to you, you can try to learn it like a pro if you want. They tilt the board and float together in a kind of cam action to pick it up, but you may end up stabbing the end of the float in and smearing it on!
One thing is for sure, Do Not spend too much time on it once it's hit the Pb. The clock is ticking and the paper getting wet so finish it as quick as you can, if you arse about too much you can end up rubbing up or tearing the soaked paper.
Don't let any dirt or grit get in the mix, you will curse when you drag some 'foreign body' through the finish.
You can feather it out with the float or a wet sponge.
Rule: This is only the first coat, it'll shrink back very slightly. When you walk away from this first coat all the plaster Must Be either at the desired finished surface or below it, Never above it.
Let it dry, then apply the second coat. Remember when mixing for the second time you'll need much less.
The more skilled you are, the less time spent sanding down your own mess afterwards, but that's the great thing about joint filler, it is easy to sand.
The white bits on the purlins are left from bringing down the old and putting up the new Pb.
I can get it pretty good off the float, it only needs a brief going over with a bit of scratch to get it perfect.
The way to tell if it's good enough is easy, use your eyes and fingers, pulling the latter over it will tell you a lot.
Have fun!
Thanks for all the replies as usual. I don't know if anyone voted for photographer Steves owl pics, but he did win a well deserved weekend away for him and his Mrs, so thanks a lot if you did. He's just an everyday working man, but with a talent for using a camera and capturing some fantastic wildlife pics.
Deadtom that place looks fantastic, not surprised you're sick to have missed it. I'd love to know how much something like that is worth, but wouldn't have liked being bound by listed building rules. It looks like a huge job, unlived in for a while too, but what a place when finished.
Do any of you consider which way round these properties face btw? It makes a big difference, especially when you're halfway down a hill.
N.Yorks was our No.1 destination, especially for me as a Yorkshireman and have spent a lot of days out there over the years. We feared it would have been difficult for her to get to Leeds from there as that is where she was based for work a few years ago. FF to now and she's mainly WFH.
The other thing we found was what you're finding too, it's very popular and prices were probably out of our range.
Would you consider the poor mans Yorkshire, Lancashire? It's very similar in many ways and you get more for your money. Look at Bowland for instance.
Unbelievably our place was on the market for 5yrs! It was a tough buy, but would love to know the story behind why no-one ever bought it. It went through several EAs and was even featured as 'Property of the week' by a newspaper when it first went on the market.
As far as plastering is concerned I could maybe manage a small wall, but wouldn't go near a ceiling. I once tried artexing a ceiling many years ago and most of it ended up all over me, even in my pockets.
Be aware hydro power is very noisy.
In other news the back bedroom/office is coming on well,. Ceiling is painted, woodwork refreshed and just awaiting some wallpaper now. The snow test shows the insulation to be working well:
That's been on there since last Saturday. The main roof defrosts slowly because the warm chimney runs up in there.
When it's completed we'll move Ks office back in there and then i'll start on one of the rooms in the main house, that will involve a bit more work. Lord knows what i'll find beneath the plaster.
All the electric tripped out one night recently. I've traced it to a spur going from inside the kitchen to outside of it into a waterproof box, but haven't pulled the cable out yet to find out what's happened. Could be anything right now from rodents to it chafing on the dishwasher or something.
It goes from that box to feed the barn, but all that side of things is fine.
Like the rest of the UK it continues to be very still, often sunny, but bloody cold! -7 is the lowest we've seen it so far.
I woke Benford up from his Winter slumber to give him a bit of exercise putting the bins out:
The fields are frozen so solidly I can drive round them without sinking in the mud, but the undersized Stovax we brought with us as a temporary measure is struggling. We have to run it flat out to get the temps up to the higher teens, i'm throwing fuel in like the fireman of The Mallard on a high speed run!
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