Wednesday 30 September 2015
Workshop
Almost all of today I've spent in the preservatory and workshop: I'm almost there, but it's going to take a bit more effort tomorrow evening to finish. We've very nearly got a properly organized workshop, for the first time ever, with all the tools and parts in sensible places, and each with a home.
By about 3, I was properly bored of tidying and sorting, though, so I switched tasks. I've now brought all the CCTV camera cables in to the middle loft (one was above the dining room, and two above the kitchen). I've put up a shelf at the back of the dressing room, on which the router, CCTV controller, ethernet switch and—one day—NAS can sit. I've also put two new double power sockets next to the shelf, to power all that kit. I still need to mount the CCTV cameras, hook everything up, and install the switch—at the moment, I only have the four sockets on the router to connect things to, but once the switch is there, and I've patch-cabled all the sockets on the patchpanel to it, all the LAN sockets in the house should work.
Monday 28 September 2015
Autumn Cut
We've had a long weekend, of four days at home (three for Liz, who had to work today), which has meant being able to get quite a lot done.
This year, we've been maintaining the hillside differently to the previous year. Instead of cutting it all back every time, I've only mown a pair of paths up from the main entrance: one up to the apple walk, and one to where the plum arch will one day go. These two points are where you can then go through to the middle section of the hillside, where the clearings are. The rest of the orchard I've left uncut, and the grass has grown up and gone to seed, and there's achillea, scabious, and...well, brambles, gorse, ragwort, and thistles.
However, it's probably looked better for this, and the colours have gone from a bright green, to deeper green, and on to browns and golds as the grass flowers. We think it's probably been better for wildlife, too: and it's taken less work, as trimming the paths only takes about thirty minutes.
As autumn comes, though, we need to cut the grass down. If we let it be, it'll eventually form ugly tussocks, again, and brambles will grow up and cover everything, and we'll be back to where we were in 2012. We'd like to, eventually, plant the orchard with lots of prairie-like flowers and grasses, which will make excellent foraging for bees and other insects, as well being attractive. However, we're a long way from that, simply because of the scale of the area. For now, we need to cut everything back in the autumn, which will keep it neat over the winter, and stop the grass getting too thuggish.
That's what we've done, with me mowing with Sigrid, while Liz raked up. We've built a few bays out of old pallets, and heaped the material into these. It should, over the next twelve months, break down enough to use as mulch.
Needless to say, it's been hard work, and taken a day and a half, but the hillside looks much tidier, and should hopefully go through the winter in better state. While we had the brushcutter out, I've also done the verges, and also cut down the grass in the copse, and along that side of the garden. I didn't manage to do so last year, and the daffodils didn't look as good, buried in long grass, this spring.
Long overdue, we've also sorted out the composting area, below the wood shelter. There was a lot of rubbish in there, which we've shredded, or moved to the log piles in the back, or in the copse, and we've made space to put out the four Dalek composters. We've emptied the oldest compost into these: it's not quite ready to use, but hopefully will have finished breaking down by the spring, when we'll use it on the fruit cage beds. That meant we could get all the accumulated material into the middle and right hand bays, leaving the left one empty. That should be enough space to see us through the winter, as, once we stop weeding, there's not as much being produced. The Daleks and, hopefully, the right hand bay at least, can be used in the spring, and we can go into next year with more composting space. We never quite got on top of it all this year, which has left us with heaps in front of the compost bays, which isn't lovely.
The other outside job that we've been able to tick off is getting the cables for external CCTV cameras routed into the roofspace. They're unconnected at either end, and are waiting in the loft (to bring together into the central loft space, and the down into the dressing room, where the controller will live), and at the camera points (ready for me to mount the cameras).
That done, we had a few hours yesterday to start tidying the workshop, which has been in a bit of a state for over a year, since we started the insulation work. We've emptied a lot of it into the preservatory, and I'll continue tidying on Wednesday.
Today, as I was on my own, I've drained the radiators of the cleanser mix, and refilled them all with 'fresh' water (it's not, really; it's from the accumulator tank), and added sealant. That'll run through the house pipes and radiators for a few weeks, making sure there aren't any pinholes or weeping joints.
Draining twenty-something radiators, and refilling them, took almost the whole day, but I also managed to take a number of cuttings: a pot of each of the Lemon, Inca Gold, Walther Funcke, cassis, and white achilleas; Verbena bonariensis and 'Bampton'; and the actaea we got at Tatton.
After we painted the apple walk a couple of weeks ago, we didn't get round to tying the apples back onto the framework, so I've gone up and done that. Finally, I've got hold of some extra long coach bolts, which I'm using to better secure some of the wood shelter's frame.
This year, we've been maintaining the hillside differently to the previous year. Instead of cutting it all back every time, I've only mown a pair of paths up from the main entrance: one up to the apple walk, and one to where the plum arch will one day go. These two points are where you can then go through to the middle section of the hillside, where the clearings are. The rest of the orchard I've left uncut, and the grass has grown up and gone to seed, and there's achillea, scabious, and...well, brambles, gorse, ragwort, and thistles.
However, it's probably looked better for this, and the colours have gone from a bright green, to deeper green, and on to browns and golds as the grass flowers. We think it's probably been better for wildlife, too: and it's taken less work, as trimming the paths only takes about thirty minutes.
As autumn comes, though, we need to cut the grass down. If we let it be, it'll eventually form ugly tussocks, again, and brambles will grow up and cover everything, and we'll be back to where we were in 2012. We'd like to, eventually, plant the orchard with lots of prairie-like flowers and grasses, which will make excellent foraging for bees and other insects, as well being attractive. However, we're a long way from that, simply because of the scale of the area. For now, we need to cut everything back in the autumn, which will keep it neat over the winter, and stop the grass getting too thuggish.
That's what we've done, with me mowing with Sigrid, while Liz raked up. We've built a few bays out of old pallets, and heaped the material into these. It should, over the next twelve months, break down enough to use as mulch.
Needless to say, it's been hard work, and taken a day and a half, but the hillside looks much tidier, and should hopefully go through the winter in better state. While we had the brushcutter out, I've also done the verges, and also cut down the grass in the copse, and along that side of the garden. I didn't manage to do so last year, and the daffodils didn't look as good, buried in long grass, this spring.
Long overdue, we've also sorted out the composting area, below the wood shelter. There was a lot of rubbish in there, which we've shredded, or moved to the log piles in the back, or in the copse, and we've made space to put out the four Dalek composters. We've emptied the oldest compost into these: it's not quite ready to use, but hopefully will have finished breaking down by the spring, when we'll use it on the fruit cage beds. That meant we could get all the accumulated material into the middle and right hand bays, leaving the left one empty. That should be enough space to see us through the winter, as, once we stop weeding, there's not as much being produced. The Daleks and, hopefully, the right hand bay at least, can be used in the spring, and we can go into next year with more composting space. We never quite got on top of it all this year, which has left us with heaps in front of the compost bays, which isn't lovely.
The other outside job that we've been able to tick off is getting the cables for external CCTV cameras routed into the roofspace. They're unconnected at either end, and are waiting in the loft (to bring together into the central loft space, and the down into the dressing room, where the controller will live), and at the camera points (ready for me to mount the cameras).
That done, we had a few hours yesterday to start tidying the workshop, which has been in a bit of a state for over a year, since we started the insulation work. We've emptied a lot of it into the preservatory, and I'll continue tidying on Wednesday.
Today, as I was on my own, I've drained the radiators of the cleanser mix, and refilled them all with 'fresh' water (it's not, really; it's from the accumulator tank), and added sealant. That'll run through the house pipes and radiators for a few weeks, making sure there aren't any pinholes or weeping joints.
Draining twenty-something radiators, and refilling them, took almost the whole day, but I also managed to take a number of cuttings: a pot of each of the Lemon, Inca Gold, Walther Funcke, cassis, and white achilleas; Verbena bonariensis and 'Bampton'; and the actaea we got at Tatton.
After we painted the apple walk a couple of weeks ago, we didn't get round to tying the apples back onto the framework, so I've gone up and done that. Finally, I've got hold of some extra long coach bolts, which I'm using to better secure some of the wood shelter's frame.
Sunday 20 September 2015
Painting, Plumbing, and Green Manure
Liz has spent a lot of the weekend painting: priming, basecoat and topcoat in the master bathroom (two walls), and the guest bathroom (just behind the towel radiator), so that I could finish plumbing them in. Plumbing them in was the last part of getting ready to run a system cleanser round the central heating system for a while, before I then run a leak sealant (just in case), and top up the system ready for the winter. The cleanser is because of the two new radiators, and the new piping in the preservatory, and because it's been a while since it was last done.
While Liz was doing this, I finished connecting the preservatory radiator to the central heating circuit. I'd got the pipework from the radiator along the wall of the room, and up into the loft, but then had to take it around the loft space, through the wall into the porch loft (heavy going, even with the big SDS drill!), through that loft, and then t-junction the two pipes into the flow and return. I was rather trepidatious of that stage, as they're big, 28mm pipes, and I really didn't want to go wrong, as that would mess up the central heating for the house, not just the preservatory. Anyway, although it took ages to get there, I've jointed them in, and they seem to be watertight.
We've managed a few other bits, in and between: the lawn is mown, and we've pulled up the beetroot and onions. I've sown green manure in those two spaces, to overwinter (it's caliente mustard): the sowing I made where the potatoes went is starting to come up nicely.
Tomorrow evening we'll plant out the overwintering onions, which are going to go around the bean/pea supports in the herb garden.
While Liz was doing this, I finished connecting the preservatory radiator to the central heating circuit. I'd got the pipework from the radiator along the wall of the room, and up into the loft, but then had to take it around the loft space, through the wall into the porch loft (heavy going, even with the big SDS drill!), through that loft, and then t-junction the two pipes into the flow and return. I was rather trepidatious of that stage, as they're big, 28mm pipes, and I really didn't want to go wrong, as that would mess up the central heating for the house, not just the preservatory. Anyway, although it took ages to get there, I've jointed them in, and they seem to be watertight.
We've managed a few other bits, in and between: the lawn is mown, and we've pulled up the beetroot and onions. I've sown green manure in those two spaces, to overwinter (it's caliente mustard): the sowing I made where the potatoes went is starting to come up nicely.
Tomorrow evening we'll plant out the overwintering onions, which are going to go around the bean/pea supports in the herb garden.
Thursday 17 September 2015
Roof and Sausages
We received our half pig, and have spent the day getting it sorted out. We set a number of joints soaking into a beer brine (same as last year, a Wiltshire cure) and made a batch of brawn (as per last year).
Sausages were 3.4kg of pork, 540g of oats, plenty of black pepper, 750g of chopped apples, 4tbsp of fresh herbs, and 40g of salt.
This year's black puddings were poured into beef middles. Same recipe as last year, with an extra 200g of oats, funnelled into the skins, and the poached for ten minutes or so.
While all this was going on, my builder has re-attached the roof ridge tiles (which were just sitting there, balanced, with the mortar decayed). He's taken some photos from the roof, too, which are rather a fun perspective on the garden.
Sausages were 3.4kg of pork, 540g of oats, plenty of black pepper, 750g of chopped apples, 4tbsp of fresh herbs, and 40g of salt.
This year's black puddings were poured into beef middles. Same recipe as last year, with an extra 200g of oats, funnelled into the skins, and the poached for ten minutes or so.
While all this was going on, my builder has re-attached the roof ridge tiles (which were just sitting there, balanced, with the mortar decayed). He's taken some photos from the roof, too, which are rather a fun perspective on the garden.
Sunday 13 September 2015
Dreaming Spires
We've spent a lovely weekend with Katherine in Oxford. It's the first time we've visited her there, and a very long time since either of us have been to Oxford. Magdalen College is beautiful, and a sprawling medley of architecture that still really hangs together. The gardens were pretty, and full of colour and continual interest, which was good to see. I need to extract photos from the camera, I know. Anyway: very pleasant, including a wonderful meal in the fellows' dining rooms, which was delicious, plentiful, and well accompanied from the cellar...
Wednesday 9 September 2015
Blood
On the way home from work, we picked up a gallon of pig's blood, as our half-pig went to slaughter today. For once, I was also able to pick up the pluck, which I don't normally get, so I've been able to freeze this (separately, as liver split into three; heart; and cubed lungs (or 'lights')). The blood's frozen as 500ml portions, which defrost easily to make black pudding when we get the rest of the carcase.
Once we were home, I went up onto the roof of the utility room extension, to repair some flashing where the soil stack goes through the roof. The bitumen seal has worn out, and there was a significant gap, which has been soaking the roof timbers. I think I've made good, so the stones should be weatherproof for the winter.
While up there, I also needed to clear the downpipe for the main house gutter at the kitchen end. I cleared out the other end a month ago, and it turns out this one was blocked, too. Good job to have done before autumn: the bends right at the top were completely clogged with soil.
Once we were home, I went up onto the roof of the utility room extension, to repair some flashing where the soil stack goes through the roof. The bitumen seal has worn out, and there was a significant gap, which has been soaking the roof timbers. I think I've made good, so the stones should be weatherproof for the winter.
While up there, I also needed to clear the downpipe for the main house gutter at the kitchen end. I cleared out the other end a month ago, and it turns out this one was blocked, too. Good job to have done before autumn: the bends right at the top were completely clogged with soil.
Tuesday 8 September 2015
Maintenance
Having finished window frame painting, I had a bit of other work to get done before the season deteriorates. Last Thursday, I had new seamless aluminium gutters put on the back of the workshop, the back of the porch extension, and the back of the utility room. Combined with the main run of guttering on the back that was done last September (03/09/2014), this means the back of the house is now all matching, non-weathering aluminium gutter, which is rather good. The soffits (of the porch and utility room), and the fascia boards (all three), though, are still wooden, and needed repainting. There are a few bits I shall need to repair more carefully next spring, but for now they are, at least, protected.
Monday 7 September 2015
Ladder Work
A evening up a ladder, today, spent clearing ivy and Virginia creeper from the front of the house, before it creeps across the window frames, or reaches the guttering. I also finished painting the windows: this year has been the preservatory, the porch, the kitchen/utility room, the guest ensuite, and the master ensuite. I shall be trying to do my quota earlier on in 2016, rather than at this end of the summer...well, early autumn.
Sunday 6 September 2015
Repainting the Apple Walk Frame
After a pleasant week off where we didn't do a lot (other than show Molly round the garden and drink quite a lot of tea), we've had a couple of busy days getting a few things sorted.
We started by repainting the apple walk, which hasn't been painted for some time, and has been starting to look rather grubby. It needed a couple of coats of paint, which we've now applied, and which will hopefully see it through the winter.
We spent half a day getting a bit further with the steps out of the dining room, which are now half built (the half in front of the third that opens 'first'!), and we've worked out which stones will form the rest, though it'll be spring before we build them.
Necessarily, the lawn needed mowing, and Liz has been weeding, but that barely needs mentioning.
We started by repainting the apple walk, which hasn't been painted for some time, and has been starting to look rather grubby. It needed a couple of coats of paint, which we've now applied, and which will hopefully see it through the winter.
We spent half a day getting a bit further with the steps out of the dining room, which are now half built (the half in front of the third that opens 'first'!), and we've worked out which stones will form the rest, though it'll be spring before we build them.
Necessarily, the lawn needed mowing, and Liz has been weeding, but that barely needs mentioning.
Tuesday 1 September 2015
Colour Wheel Patio
It's the start of a week off, and we've spent Saturday repainting and reconstructing the arbour, which we brought with us when we moved. It's been lying, dismantled, in front of the beech bench, since we took it down ready to dig over the colour wheel and lay drainage. We started painting it (the bits we wouldn't be able to do once assembled) on Friday night, finishing by torchlight; on Saturday we put it up and finished painting it.
First, though, we had to lay a patio. We shifted the rather uneven surface stones and bricks around, to get a level surface, and have then poured about 1250kg of sharp sand onto it, tamped it down, and placed the roof stones we found, and moved out of the way in March (25th). There aren't enough to lay a complete surface, but there are enough, and the sharply drained gaps we've planted with herbs. We'll need a few more, but they're looking good, and should grow to fill the spaces next year.
Once the patio was laid, and pointed, we rebuilt the arbour, and returned the two clematis in their (fake) lead planters to alongside it: which means the colour wheel is finally completed.
First, though, we had to lay a patio. We shifted the rather uneven surface stones and bricks around, to get a level surface, and have then poured about 1250kg of sharp sand onto it, tamped it down, and placed the roof stones we found, and moved out of the way in March (25th). There aren't enough to lay a complete surface, but there are enough, and the sharply drained gaps we've planted with herbs. We'll need a few more, but they're looking good, and should grow to fill the spaces next year.
Once the patio was laid, and pointed, we rebuilt the arbour, and returned the two clematis in their (fake) lead planters to alongside it: which means the colour wheel is finally completed.
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