Projects!

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Time for an update on the huge variety of projects which have been going on around here, quickly or, more honestly, slowly.

The roof was finished in January.  What kind of fool has his or her roof reslated over winter?  Well our kind, obviously.  The roofers did a great job.  Many days there were three generations of the same family working on our roof, the father coming out of retirement because it was an interesting job to do, his grandson now the fifth generation of his family to be a roofer.  Slate is a beautiful material.
 
I took this one before the scaffolding came down.  Beyond the house you can see one of the yew trees.  It almost makes you wish you could live up on the roof.
Ian built a lovely set of shelves which make the curved end of the worktop in the front kitchen.  Work on the back kitchen has stalled since my father in law came to live with us as the scale of the upheaval would be a bit daunting but the front kitchen is up and working and the truly gorgeous range cooker gives me pleasure every time I use it, even if only to poach an egg for my breakfast.

Our neighbours at the farm gave us some logs.  Aren't good neighbours a great thing to have?  This should keep us going for a bit!

And today the broad beans went out and about half the onion sets.  Yesterday the grass was cut for the first time.  The pots outside the cottage are bursting with daffodils and tulips.  Last night we went to Theatre Clwyd to see Jeffrey Bernard is Unwell with Robert Powell.  It is amazing to me that you can live somewhere as rural as this and still be able to see great theatre only twenty minutes away.  I laughed as much as I have for ages at Jeffrey Barnard, although to be honest you could cry as well at the waste of a life measured out in vodka glasses, but the writing is so swift and funny and the acting so witty and true that you just can't help falling for wondrous one liners that rattle past.  See it if you can.

The chicks are growing and cheeping and thriving upstairs in their cardboard box away from the cat.  Outside the grown hens are laying frantically, making up for the lull of winter.  My thoughts have turned outside to the garden.  Wouldn't it be lovely if you could just stay outside and potter for days and days?

Comments

  1. Anonymous3 April 2011 at 00:37

    Such beautiful scenery around your home. What a joy it must be to wake up to that every day.

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  2. chrisartist3 April 2011 at 01:53

    A fantastic new roof. Those logs look great. Do you have a wood stove?
    Have a great Sunday.
    Chrisartist

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  3. Marcheline3 April 2011 at 01:58

    "some logs"????????????


    "some logs"?!?!?!?!?!??!


    "some logs"!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


    Some logs, all right!

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  4. Irene3 April 2011 at 02:33

    Your slate roof looks very nice and like it will be on there safely for quite a while to come. You must feel really good looking at that roof and know that it was done by artisans.

    I can't believe the amount of logs that you have. Your neighbors were very generous indeed. You will be nice and warm for many days to come. Well, maybe not so much now that spring is really here, but on those cool evenings.

    Will you be making many soufflés now that you have all those eggs? There must be nothing as good as the taste of your own eggs. I bet the yolks are really dark yellow and taste great.

    You live a blessed life.

    XOX

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  5. The bike shed3 April 2011 at 07:34

    Like the new blog look. Good luck with the consultancy project; that looks interesting - tough time for many small businesses.

    Wish we had neighbours with that many logs to spare.

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  6. SmitoniusAndSonata3 April 2011 at 07:51

    Your shelf unit , and all the very round things stacked in it , is a delight !
    And I love your roof . We have to have black glazed tiles in this part of town , which lends a seemly uniformity to the street ..... but I'd so much rather have slate and the way its colour changes in the rain .

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  7. Lins' lleisio3 April 2011 at 11:50

    I am so envious of the logs - we are just scrabbling around for the last of ours this year. We have plenty of trees, but of course they need felling (this minute really) and cutting down to size ready for next year. How wonderful to have a stock pile like yours.

    I love the slate roof too. Ours is slate but looking a little worse for wear, still it doesn't leak so it could be worse :)

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  8. Maggie Christie3 April 2011 at 12:59

    Some logs? Wow what great neighbours! Beautiful shelves too.

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  9. Anonymous3 April 2011 at 16:09

    I thought I had a log pile, but you have a LOG PILE. Congratulations!

    (and what generous neighbours you have, too)

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  10. Bluestocking Mum3 April 2011 at 16:35

    You busy Bee. Love the Emma Bridgewater polka dot cake tin!

    And I have log envy. Super neighbours indeed.

    We are planning to stash up now and dry it out for the Autumn.

    xx

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  11. Helen/patientgardener3 April 2011 at 17:15

    It would indeed be lovely to spend all day outside pottering although that wouldnt pay the bills? I am confused why do you have a front and back kitchen? Is one the old one and one the new?

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  12. Anonymous3 April 2011 at 17:48

    Hi there! Enough logs then? Thank you for the update on what is happening in your garden.

    I saw Jeffrey Bernard many years ago, and should imagine that Robert Powell was excellent.

    R

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  13. Pondside3 April 2011 at 18:52

    That was a very nice springtime post. You are way ahead of us, as nothing can go out safely yet. We are having the latest spring that I can remember, but the upside is that the camellias are lush and pink and long-lasting.

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  14. Dobby3 April 2011 at 21:49

    Love the log pile. Just think of all the little beasties that will find a home in it before you get to the bottom!
    I too am confused as to why you have 2 kitchens. One is more than enough for me.

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  15. MaryMaryQC4 April 2011 at 13:45

    I know exactly what You meanb Liz. I had a lovely afternoon planting some new arrivals I found at Bodnant and moving stuff that looked better somewhere else. It kept raining and I was so engrossed I got soaked!
    All your projects sound great!
    x M

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  16. H4 April 2011 at 16:28

    What a smart and sturdy roof and those logs will keep you in fuel for quite some time!

    It would be lovely to spend days and days in the garden wouldn't it!

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  17. Posie4 April 2011 at 21:03

    the roof looks fantastic what a good job they have made of the slates. Glad all is going well,
    Posie

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  18. Elizabeth Musgrave4 April 2011 at 22:34

    MBJ - it is fabulous to wake up to. I try very hard not to take it for granted!
    Chris - we have a multifuel stove which burns both wood and coal. usually burn wood as generally don't pay for it and greener!
    Marcheline - yes, just a few:)
    Nora - what a lovely thing to say! I haven't been feeling too lucky of late but you are right to remind me. And yes, the yolks of our own eggs are orangy yellow and they have the most fabulous taste.

    ReplyDelete
  19. Friko4 April 2011 at 22:44

    yes, it's time for some serious gardening again. The promise is for a bit of warmth and some rain, should be very good for growth.

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  20. Esther Montgomery5 April 2011 at 18:41

    Happy post!

    Esther

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  21. Anonymous5 April 2011 at 23:53

    The slate is just beautiful. Heather grey, so soft.

    Btw
    Drum roll…. You have a won an award!! I’m passing the LIEBSTER award on to you, if you’d like to take a wee look on my page hope you don’t mind!
    Sorry there's no real prize but have some love!

    ps I read but don't comment normally just in case you wondered who I am

    ReplyDelete
  22. Joy6 April 2011 at 03:18

    Oh, you live in a beautiful location. Wonder logs for firewood, looks like you might be all set for next winter already. That slate roof is fantastic--I should think it will last for the next 100 years?

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  23. Elizabeth Musgrave6 April 2011 at 20:22

    Mark - the consultancy business has been going for about a year now and is going well. The only problem is trying to find the time for the work and all the other things I want to do!
    S&S - the shelves are lovely aren't they? Ian is clever like that!
    Lins - there is nothing like a good log pile to make you feel safe and virtuous somehow.
    PM - yep, you are right - great neighbours!

    ReplyDelete
  24. Elizabeth Musgrave6 April 2011 at 20:26

    beangenie - hi, good to meet you and thanks for taking the time to comment. It is a bit of a special pile isn't it!?
    BM - hi and lovely to see you. I have a bit of a weakness for the polka dots. I have a little jug with them on too. I have to control myself to make sure I don't end up drowning in them!
    Helen - yep, one old kitchen, one new. The one at the front was the dairy for the farm at one time. The one at the back is in a small extension put on in about 1980. Trying to move the cooking kitchen to the front and to make the back into a utility!

    ReplyDelete
  25. Elizabeth Musgrave6 April 2011 at 20:29

    ronnie - I think the logs should keep us going for a week or so, or maybe a year or so!
    pondside - I have a beautiful camellia out but as it is surrounded by builders' bags of rubble I haven't bothered to photograph it. Undermines the impact somehow!
    Dobby - hi and good to see you! Not long now to Malvern. Yes, I love the way a good log pile is home to so many creatures, just as long as they don't run up my sleeves.

    ReplyDelete
  26. Grouse6 April 2011 at 20:56

    Most of the houses in the Peak District (those not stone-slated)are roofed in Welsh slate. Apart from it's beauty, why is that, do you believe? The terracotta pantiles found in my homeground of East Yorks were ballast used in the trading vessels from Western Europe (Holland mostly) I believe. Anyone know?

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  27. Janet/Plantaliscious7 April 2011 at 10:49

    That is one impressive wood pile, but the roof is a thing of beauty. Such skill.

    ReplyDelete

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