Monday 29 February 2016

Firewood

Just a quick note: I've spent most of today sawing, splitting, and stacking a load of firewood (mostly chestnut, which is a pleasure to work with). It's not straightforward, as a one-person job, sadly. The sawing is fine, but splitting is quicker with two (one to split, the other to place on the block); and stacking is the same number of man-hours, but not divided. I took the doors off the fruit cages, which meant I could barrow straight down to the shelter (with two of us, we usually went across the middle garden and down the steps, but the steps take two of you). Still, got the load done, which is the main thing.

Sunday 28 February 2016

Fireplace and Plaster

Having had to rearrange a visit to Kent to see David and Ann, I had an unexpected weekend at home. Over the two days, I've alternated between working on the chimney breast in the master bedroom, and the stone wall in the sewing room (the old house bathroom).

The chimney breast in the master room, when we hacked the plaster off it, we discovered had been repaired with several sections of cement block (also known as breezeblocks). This was a bit disappointing, as I didn't want to re-repair in stone (partly because messing around with a necessary and functional chimney seemed unwise), but we had hoped to have an exposed stone feature in the room.

Fortunately, the repairs were not particularly extensive—unlike in the front guest room, where apart from the immediate fire surround (sides and lintel), the rest of the chimney had been rebuilt in red brick. This allowed a partial exposure of the stone. First was to remove as much of the remaining plaster from the stones, and chisel out some of the pointing. The pointing was mostly in good nick, but in order to keep it looking consistent, and as some would need replacing, I needed to cut back all of it somewhat. I used a steel brush on the drill, which worked really well at cleaning the stone. To keep dust down, I hung a polythene/cotton dust sheet to make a compartment, which did the job fairly well.

Once the brushing was complete, I sponged the stones down to get rid of the residue. There's a few places I need to do a little more work, but it's pretty good. I then used browning plaster to cover the cement block repairs, and enough of the other stones to make a transition from the plastered adjacent wall to the exposed stone. I've mostly done the finishing plaster, too, but ran out of a batch with a square foot to go—that'll have to wait until next time I've got a bucket made up.

I'm pleased with how it looks. I still need to clean the lintel/sides, and do a bit more cleaning, particularly on the left hand side where it goes towards the bathroom door.


The cleaned-up and replastered master bedroom fireplace (© Ian 2016)

The other job was plastering the stone wall in the sewing room, which required several coats of browning plaster, followed by finishing plaster. I don't expect it would win prizes, but it's fine.

I still need to do the chimney breast in the sewing room, in the same way: pull out some nails, steel brush it down, and then sponge it. They'll both then need re-pointing, with lime mortar, which is a job for later: but the sewing room one won't need any plastering, as it's wholly stone.

Sunday 21 February 2016

Chestnut

Over the past few weeks, I've been getting on with some bits and pieces: mostly plastering the first floor. I'm nearly there: a little more in the front guest room that needs to wait; a little on the landing. The master dressing room is a weekend's work, because it needs to be emptied, the wallpaper stripped, and then plastered. The sewing room needs a lot of plastering, some onto stone, which I'm leaving for now. The chimney breast in the master bed needs plastering and painting. Then there's the whole floor to paint, and the window reveals to tidy and finish.

I've a lot to do, so I'm just chipping away at it all.

This weekend, though, was a 518 mile round trip to Surrey. We ordered a load of coppiced chestnut, which will form a fence along the edge of the herb garden (a wind break, and a better definition of where it ends, visually). This was cut over the winter, and was ready for collection, so I hired a Jumbo Transit van, and drove down yesterday. I got to Lodsworth (Prickly Nut Wood) at about 2, loaded up, and got back to Liz's sister in Farnham around 3. This afternoon, I've driven back up, unloaded (loading, with three of us, was much easier than unloading single-handed!), cleaned the van, and collapsed onto the sofa. The van was surprisingly easy to drive (rear visibility aside), and I was pleased to keep the fuel consumption as good as 29mpg. Ten hours of driving later, I've about a ton of chestnut poles on the kitchen patio.


Jumbo the Transit van waiting to set off (© Ian 2016)


The House in Prickly Nut Wood (© Ian 2016)


The van full of chestnut (© Ian 2016)

Starting work on the jigsaw puzzle they represent will have to wait, though. I've several weekends away coming up, and really I need to saw, split, and stack some/most/all of the firewood on the driveway to get space to do the work.

Sunday 7 February 2016

Endings

Sadly, the wheels have rather come off the train here. After many years together, Liz and I have decided to separate. The hiatus in posting since January is because there's not been a lot I wish to write about. As there's no way for either of us to keep the house on our own, we shall have to sell up in the near future, so there will be some sort of break to my writing here, although I hope to return to it in another, new garden.

It's been a pleasure to document the work we've done on the house and garden here, and it's formed a continual record of the seven years (this August). The changes have been considerable, and I, we, have learnt a great deal. Aside from the personal loss of the relationship, it's obviously devastating to think that I'll lose the house and garden that we've poured so much time and effort in to.

I shall be continuing to finish the house remodel and redecoration that's been ongoing, to bring the house to saleable state. Similarly, the garden will need maintaining, and in fact there will be at least some final development done, because we ordered material last autumn for a fence along the herb garden that I shall construct, rather than waste it.

I'll probably continue to write about this work, although the focus now is, sadly, on short-term things. There's no point planning, any more, for fruit trees and more ponds up the hillside, or a tree house, or, one day, extending the garden into the field below, as these dreams will remain just that.

I hope that I shall find somewhere with a garden that needs a gardener's hand, and continue recording my work in building a home there.