Days 53 to 66 in isolation at Tony and Nickys

Little chicks seeing big ducks for the first time

It’s been a long time since the last blog, for no other reason than we are working hard. By the time we are finished, mucked out the chicks, showered and sat down it’s 19.30 at the earliest, often later, much later. Is this a problem? No, we eat later, and go to bed a bit later. This is partly forced on us by the fowl, with sunset tonight being 21.53 the birds, particularly the youngsters, who were in a separate pen when we arrived, are loving being out. They can take a bit of persuading not only to leave the orchard but once in their run to actually go into the house! Eggs are still good though, and we haven’t lost many more to the crow. The geese seem to have stopped laying outside, this morning I found an egg in the doorway of

Tufty builder cat

the hen house which would have been a very tight squeeze for her to get into. Shame I didn’t see that! Two of the ducks have taken to laying in random places so we do have to check around the trees and under the hedge. There was the remains of a blue egg (the brown duck lays blue eggs) this morning just in the run, so I think that must have just been dropped yesterday and ‘crowed’.

The chicks are huge, I think they might be ostriches, but are so cute. They went outside on my birthday (yes, I had one of those) for the first time. We put them on the lawn, under their cage. This was all very scary, but quite interesting, till a breeze got up and a little shivering was done. We took the

Building scaffolding ready for slaters

opportunity to give the base of their cage a thorough clean and to move it to the garage, they were lovely to walk past in the office, but they were very noisy, and a bit smelly between cleans... So now they are three weeks old, they have lots of feathers and very little down, are eating us out of house and home and in theory have another three weeks before they can go outside...

We’ve built and dismantled and moved and rebuilt scaffolding, the slaters started last week, did the porch in a couple of days and have moved to the opposite side of the building, the sunny side of the building, and it has been sunny, but also very, very windy. Would not have fancied being up there on Friday, and glad they weren’t in over the weekend! Before they started on the main building the coping stone from the edge of the gable had to be repaired. One had fallen off, at some point, allowing the one above it to slip down. ‘Spares’ are available from one side of the gable end of this building which was replaced with new stone when they did the build here. These are large sandstone blocks, so how to physically get it there was the first problem. The farmer, with his telehandler (like a larger, much more impressive fork lift truck)

Wilson with his telehandler loading slates

was the first idea, but he is being called on to lift crates of slates up on a regular basis.... in the end it was cut in half, and inched, step by step, up the ladder by Tony. This probably gives a false impression of the weight of this thing. Tony lifts and carries things most people can’t even budge! They did a really good job of it though, so that’s another good tick. Only the two at the other end of the building then....

We’ve done a lot of woodwork which is great, you can see it, and you know what you’ve done. I’m chief cutter, which is a bit scary, particularly now we’ve started using the ‘big wood’ 9” x 3” and 6m long “50 quid”, Tony said as he walked away from the cutting

Here's the capping stones we had to sort out on the roof. There's a bit of a gap with a lump of wood stopping things getting worse. The second to bottom one actually slipped down from where the wood is. We (Tony that is) manhandled it back up to be relaid in position and two smaller stones cut to fit in the gap below

bench ... no pressure there then! Trouble is these are the ceiling joists that were loaded onto a lorry as

Tony and Brian take a break watching chicks on the lawn

lockdown started and were delivered a couple of weeks ago, consequently they are split and warped, and at £7 a metre, jolly expensive firewood. After arguing with the supplier and the wood mill, they will take any that are too warped back, but splits apparently are acceptable...?

I wrote this yesterday (or was it the day before?), the slaters have romped ahead, they’ve probably done about a third of the south side now, including vents, brackets for solar panels and ‘chicken pots’ for ventilation (this was another job we’ve done, they’ve all been modified to reduce the amount of draft they let in and to prevent bugs coming in. This was a wet and windy Sunday job, we set up a little crafting production line, I quite enjoyed it, the boys hated it, so there are still three to go, and all the bits have been scattered here there and everywhere!) We’ve fitted half a dozen ceiling joists (the heavy timber) so have been able to go upstairs for the first time at that end of the building. Today the chicks have been outside for most of the day, they’ve been visited by ducks and shared a worm, don’t think they meant to share but as one ran off with it, they all chased and the poor thing got smaller and smaller as it was passed

Brian working out sawing lengths

from bird to bird! We’ve built a hen flap, bit like a cat flap but to modify the outdoor arrangements. The chicks will have to go into where the youngsters were when we arrived, they have a little house and small run, which opens into a bigger area, before opening into the main area and orchard. So where are the youngsters to go? Well as the guinea fowl spend half their time in the duck house, this leaves their house mostly empty. The only problem was, this house and area didn’t link to the main area and orchard. Well it does now!

This is the wood we have to work with. These are 9" x 3" 6m lengths that have cracked and warped after being left outside during lockdown. The one on the right is turned on end and the gap underneath is the warping

But we're making the best of it and Brian takes a break while Jackie cuts the next piece of wood

This could be art, but actually its the stone wall behind the saw bench with layers of sawdust on each stone. Its like freshly fallen snow

Tony and Brian fitting the 9" x 3" first floor joists, Brian being the first one to be 'upstairs'in what will be Tony and Nickys huge bedroom

And this is the view out the front showing the porch we've built since being here, now fully slated and waterproof (apart from the gable end not quite finished)

Here's the work to date on the woodwork. We're in what will be Tony and Nickys kitchen (big isn't it) and, beyond we're building a utility room and toilet and shower room. Above will be their huge bedroom. There's the saw bench on the right that Jackie spends a lot of time at 

Here's a short time lapse video showing progress

Work to date on the utility and toilet/shower room

And here's the work the slaters have done so far. Just under a third of the roof done with three 'chicken pot' ventilators fitted to the ridge

Here's another time lapse video showing progress on the roof

Here's  Jackie and Brian's efforts on a chicken access gate, down there bottom right. We can slide the plate up to allow chicken to come into this area. The area to the left can be sealed off from the rest so, at six weeks old, the young chicks can be put out there away from the rest to get used to being outside. The 'teenage' chickens who live in there at the moment will be evicted and they'll have to find a new home in one of the other three chicken houses 

And while all this goes on, Genghis cat sleeps with teddy

And Gummy cat attempts to play the keyboard

Days 45 to 52 in isolation at Tony and Nickys

How big a piece of cake? Oh, mine's the same size on the sofa arm

The chicks are now 10 days old, and they seem to change between morning and evening, let alone day to day, gone are the little fluffy things, now we have wing feathers and tail feathers giving more colour variation. They stand up tall, stretching wings and legs, there’s lots of flapping and jumping, though it’s probably not really flying, they do almost try. Number 10 grew fluffy yellow down on her legs, but her legs have grown and it seems to have been left behind. Their feet are huge, and although they both have two, anyone else’s seem like fair game for pecking at. Anything and everything gets pecked at, favourite at the moment seems to be the blood blister on my finger.

Just look at those wings and tail feathers!

Its a hot day, I'm going to have a bath!

In theory they should be able to stay in this pen until they get brought outside, but this seems to be in doubt, not only are they growing ridiculously, they have completely manic moments. After which they still all go “and sleep”. I can hear nothing from them just now. Perhaps if it goes warm again (we’ve had snow and/or hail every now and then for quite a few days) we can somehow let them play in the trailer with a piece of fencing over the top to keep them in and let them tire themselves out.

The outdoor birds have also been providing us with entertainment, and eggs. Laying seems to be up, and people are keen to buy, so that’s good. I’m currently collecting, goose, hen, duck and now guinea fowl eggs, though possibly not enough from the three

And we're going for a paddle

wandering hens and the three guineas, are they laying wherever they fancy? It wouldn’t be the first time. These six are also visiting the farmers field next door, (hopefully they won’t get shot) pecking at the green shoots growing. The chickens seem to make their way under or through the fence, not sure how, but they do make their own way back. The guinea fowl however get there, but don’t make their own way back. They can fly, but they are a bit wayward and never seem to quite know where they are going. Trying to get them back is not easy, if approached they will run away, so a pincer movement has to be carried out. Getting round both sides of he property is a trek but it has to

Look at the porch, roof on and papered, leadwork done on left, Velux windows in, gutters and downpipes fitted

be done. A hole in the fence is probably how they got out, but never how they get in, they have to be encouraged to fly, in the right direction and not into a fence! They are very stupid and chasing them can take a while! Last time we had a problem, it was all three guinea fowl, they flew into the orchard and have moved back into the duck house!

Here's  the long awaited delivery of 40 planks of timber for the first floor joists. They are 220mm x 75mm x 6m long and weigh a lot. Tony and Brian had to carry them all in, one by one. They had been stuck in Glasgow from the start of the lockdown and have sadly deteriorated, quite a few have split, some have twisted. Hopefully Tony can use most of them, but some will have to go back.

Brian setting up the camera trap in the orchard

The geese have no access to their house during the day so if they need to lay an egg they have to use a nest, we know where this is so it’s not a problem, except that twice now, an egg in there has been compromised. The first time during the day and the second overnight. (I had been collecting when birds went to bed, but after playing ‘chase the guinea fowl’ I’d got distracted.) Who is the guilty party? Rat? Pine marten? Crow? Otter? (They lost five ducks to an otter the other year). So, out with the camera trap (yes, they have one), and attach it to the tree, cracked hen egg in the nest. First night, nothing, but no Brian setting it up either, second night (yes, we had to sacrifice a second egg) a mouse, but no, and then, just at dawn a crow, good news as they are not protected and can be discouraged!

The first siting didn't work as it was too far away, but here it is for the second night strapped to a big post and right in front of the nest area that had an egg placed there ready

There is some light relief to the hard work, but that is still continuing, velux windows, lead flashing, gutters, all take time. Brian has spent three days taking plaster off the walls. I started, and he’s finished, but what a mess, we’ve been absolutely filthy, dust from him and cement that we’ve been using to fill various holes round the walls. Thank goodness it’s over and we can begin to think about building woodwork in the opposite end to where we started last year. Today was meant to be fitting the floor plate, which sounds easy, but always takes more time than expected as it has to be right! 



And here's the results - a little Youtube of what we recorded

Lots of measurements to be taken and calculations done to work out where this will put the ceiling and the upstairs floor. We are just waiting now for Tony to angle grind the concrete of the floor to make it perfectly flat. Imagine the effect a little pimple on the concrete floor could have on a four metre length of wood and then all the verticals going up from it? It’s his job, and he will come in looking like a snowman and be put straight in the wash! So I’m writing, though I might go and look at prepping the kedgeree for dinner later....

Here's Gummy cat perched on top of some roof trusses right in the top of the Steading

He climbed up those insulation boards to get there

Genghis cat taxing his brain with a crossword. Three letters, an anagram of tac. Mmmmmm

Here is a photo of the far end of the Steading. Why have I shown you this? Well, Jackie and Tony are at the far end pointing with lime plaster and I had been breaking the plaster off the walls. The far end is done, but there's still plaster on the left wall just by the porch entrance. Over the next few weeks we'll be building the framework for the kitchen, utility and lounge and filling that lower bit in the foreground (where the lounge will be) with 12 tonnes of concrete. Future pictures should show a big difference

Here's a pphoto from the other end, about wherre Jackie was standing in the above photo. I took that one from the top of those temporary stairs. The green bin marks where an island unit will be in the kitchen. See that timber? That's the first floor joists Tony and I carried in from outside. The remainder we carried round the back into the garage. 

The final bits of plaster bashed off with the drill. Clearing up the debris was almost worse than bashing it off. Can you imagine how dusty I was?

The beautiful warm weather has gone for a while and that, you might be able to see, is a thin layer of hail stones giving a light white cover. We've got night time temperatures of 1 or 2 degrees and daytime of 5 or 6 with a bitingly cold north wind. What happened to the calm, blue skies and warm temperatures? Typical Scottish weather, warm and sunny one day, cold and snowy the next. It can't last long though surely, it's mid May after all with sunrise at 04:53 and sunset at 21:25 now 

Days 33 to 44 in isolation at Tony and Nicky's

Making more home brew - another 22 litres!

It’s all more of the same really, lots of work, though a more gentle week as Tony was in Aberdeen on Monday and Tuesday, which did a good job of wiping him out! Brian and I built a truss as we’d decided an extra one would just make everything easier and stronger. Precision angle cutting was the main challenge. We’ve finished installing the trusses, put on the sarking (rough wood to which the slates are added) and the paper to make it nearly waterproof.

Built wigwams for tomatoes and structures for beans in the polytunnel and set up the irrigation system. It looks amazing in there, though most of the hard work is down to Nicky.

Brian has spent time helping Tony writing for his iCheme chartership, and I’ve done the final corrections on the PhD write up. It was decided that I was good for proof reading and Brian was good for ‘padding out’.

Helen commented in a message that eggs were slightly in short supply, so she was being careful... we sent half a dozen through the post, in an egg box, then an ice cream tub, they all arrived in one

Brian on the porch roof marking out and fitting trusses

piece including the one we’d wrapped in a cream egg wrapper that she dutifully carried up to Ian before realising actually it was a bit big, so perhaps not!

The work is still great, but what has really happened this weekend is chicks.... we were expecting them on Sunday, but about 11.00 on Saturday, just before going out to work I popped by to say hello and there was a damp scraggly little black chick. I couldn’t decide if it was alive or dead and then it cheaped and tried to stand! It managed this remarkably quickly, though not necessarily steadily while making lots of noise, which amazingly seemed to kick start the whole hatching process. Eggs were moving and rocking with little holes appearing, and that was it, Nicky, Brian and I were fixated. A little beak came out of a hole that we assumed would be number two. In the end she was number six or seven, but seems absolutely fine, not exhausted as we worried. (They will all be referred to as she, as they don’t want a cockerel (unless it’s very good), so keep everything crossed!) Real number two was also dark, but has some white patches on her, so we can still identify her, she and number one were pecking at each other before she was fully out of the shell, it comes instinctively then. Bacon and egg rolls for lunch, seemed wrong, but the arrivals were a day early, so I’d banned eggs for Sunday....

Brian went out help Tony after lunch but Nicky and I remained on hatch watch. Number three

Here's the truss we built. It may not look much but its precision!

appeared, also dark, but with a big head which she struggled to hold up. By the time I’d looked it up on the internet though she was doing much better and without comparing them now it’s not obvious which one she was. Number four was blonde, but dark underneath and number five blonde on ginger. After that they have all blurred into one a bit.

We cleared out the empty shells but decided to leave the seven of them in the incubator overnight, all warm and snuggly (37 degrees and 60% humidity). They were so funny, they’d all blunder about, pecking each other’s feet, or at shells, or each other, and then, like Derren Brown had entered the room, “and sleep” and they all would, heads just falling to the floor.... We came down to nine chicks, five dark and four blonde, a great mix and 75% for eggs that have been sent through the post is pretty good going. We moved them into their pen, with heated lamp, Brian and I having to carry them individually from the utility room to the office (what a hardship) so soft and fluffy with very big, very hot feet. There did

The polytunnel. Lots of planting out going on

seem to be tiny movements from one of the remaining three eggs, but was I imagining it? Nicky called me in from the garden, so we were both there to witness the hatching of number 10, another blonde, but very pretty and distinctive. Would she fit in? Arriving alone and almost 24 hours later than most? I put her in about 5 o clock, and you wouldn’t know. The blondes are the bravest, in fact I’ve just had to help one down from on top of the heating pad.....

Oh my goodness they are so cute, we are all quite obsessed, except, fortunately, for the cats....

View of our hard work from the road. The porch is the building sticking out just where the main roof is tiled to and you can see the green waterproof paper where tiling is yet to be done

Here's a closer view of it. We've now got the green waterproof paper on and have done the lead flashing joining it into the main building wall

View into the porch after we had fitted the trusses but before we completed the roof. The main door into the house will be the opening on the right and theres a window on the left. The end will contain hot water tanks, heated from solar thermal panels and there'll be a gas boiler in there too for backup

An amusing (to me) photo of a fish in one of their fish tanks

And three of five pussy cats lounging on our bed

I thinks this was a bit more than one days haul of eggs (I think the larger goose eggs at the back were from previous days, but the rest were laid in a day! 

Chickens need attending to as well, here's Jackie changing their hay bed and, as usual, they are very interested and getting in the way

It didn't last long though. This is the gooses house the day after their new hay bed

And here's some of the incredibly cute little chicklets. The one at the back looking a bit like a penguin is the last born. But she's doing very well

Here she is in Jackies hand looking very photogenic

They are quite inquisitive, this one had just pecked my camera

Outside by the old cat pen we found this scruffy looking nest that appears to be a blackbird. Think she needs lessons in tidy nest building 

More chicklet photos, they're a bit shy in this one. Obviously we have a huge number of photos and just can't help taking more. We'll finish with another short video taken a few minutes ago...