October Scotland update

Not quite what it looks, but still impressive!

More insulation, more wood, more fluff (fibreglass insulation that I can handle, as opposed to 70 or 100mm sheets of PIR board insulation that Tony has to precision cut with a saw and knock tightly into position, with no gaps). We all have to go in turns in our allotted spaces, but it seems to work. Yesterday the first insulation even went into the ceiling space. Not exciting for most, I’m sure, but in terms of rooms being constructed it’s a big step forward.

More exciting possibly (though I understand it’s all relative) we’ve started work on ‘the big opening’ the last big challenge, I think (though I’m sure something else will crop up. This is the doorway from both the downstairs and upstairs lounges to outside. When we started there were five quoins in, on the upper left side. Nice looking quoins, but in the wrong place, too far out, making the space too big, so they’ve still to be carefully removed. We’ve taken out all the random bits of concrete and blocks that had been put in at various times, which leaves us with a good starting point.

The  'Big Opening'! Whoever owned this property before Tony and Nicky had blasted  a huge hole through the 600mm thick wall for some reason. There was an upper doorway, evidenced by the quoins in the upper left side, but unfortunately they are in the wrong place and will have to be moved. Down at the bottom Tony has fitted the first layer of quoins and Jackie has selected stones to fill the gap to the existing wall. This line will be continued all the way up, with a lintel halfway, extending the roof up a bit to create a large window downstairs and a matching one upstairs. Lots of work to go!

It’s obviously not just the quoin that has to be put in, but supporting blockwork behind, making the wall the same 60cm thick as all the rest and the ‘pretty bit’ filling in gaps in the outside wall with suitably sized pieces of granite, all with the strata running horizontally, just when you think you’ve located something the perfect dimensions..... it’s not! So again, we all have our roles, Tony actually does the building, Brian cuts the supporting blocks to fit, and I mix the cement, fill the buckets for Tony, pass slate, odd shaped filling stones and whatever else he wants AND run around like a headless chicken looking for the perfect stones to fill the gaps. It’s never as easy as it sounds, it would fit if it wasn’t for that little lump there, and that bit of old lime mortar or cement has to come off, so I spend quite a lot of time with a hammer and chisel, just modifying things..... I wonder how long the hammer rash will last on my thumb! The last two quoins we fitted today were behind the temporary doors as it was wet and windy, just as well I’d found a couple of options for each side earlier when it was sunny! I still ended up outside in the rain positioning, but hey, one has to suffer for ones art!

Day 2 and Brian has constructed a wooden frame to give Tony a line to build the quoins to. But first, its tea time!

Time for some 'air guitar' to very loud Status Quo

Nicky spent the last few days of her weeks leave looking at doors, kitchen cabinet doors from Howdens, and actually not at the doors themselves, we know there are three sorts, blue wood that will actually be going in the kitchen and pale and dark grey ones that will be going in the bedrooms and all sorts, but at the sizes and shapes of what was in the garage. These had been discontinued some long time ago, so picked up for a fraction of the retail price. This is not how most people buy a kitchen, we reckon there are probably 150 door and drawer fronts, all of which Nicky and I carried into the house from the garage to sort into size and colour. This was prompted by Howdens discontinuing some of their units, (built, not flat packed) the first 8 were bought from the local branch, 26 arrived the other day from the Nairn branch, and there are 70 to be collected from Aviemore.... sounds crazy, but when you realise that they’ve got many of these units for £10 or £15 instead of £150 or more (that is the cost price, not the general public price) it all begins to make sense, as long as you’ve got the storage space.... The nightmare of trying to work out what combination of door and drawer fronts works with what sort of cabinet is a headache I don’t envy her!

Tony and Jackie have a discussion about something. Here you can see the blockwork that needs to be constructed behind the quoins for the 600mm thick walls. They are 430mm x 215mm x 100mm thick concrete blocks laid flat and each one cut by Brian to fit. The stone cutter throws out a trail of dust as it cuts, so I end up looking like a snowman!

The slaters have actually been here for a couple of days, the lead work has been done on the raised roof so the slating can be done on all except the roof above the big opening and then we can work on the other end of the building once it’s dry.... Sod’s law they came the day Nicky and Tony had to go to Aberdeen, so there went our lie in! Just as well really as it would have been embarrassing to unload 26 kitchen cabinets in our dressing gowns!

Gummy cat comes to inspect the work...

So really still just work to talk about, we’ve been spoiled rotten and been brought a TV dinner for both episodes of Strictly Come Dancing, and Steve from up the road came over one evening to practice some caving rope work with a friend in the large space by the stairs! Very interesting to watch, till I got too cold, but he did ring today to ask if we’d like to go out caving with him at some point, the answer obviously a resounding yes, though time and date could be a long way off!

It requires careful inspection....

But it passes the first cat scan at course three...

And, in fact, the second cat scan by Genghis cat

Talking of Genghis, here he is in the old dog pen (the dogs have long since died). He got himself in quite happily (somehow), but when Jackie went out and he wanted to get out to see her he apparently had forgotten how to get out. He's decided the square holes in the mesh fence are too small for him....

So he climbed up the post hoping it would be easier higher up - it wasn't! One paw through...

Two paws through and a body squeeze - you need to cut down on the cat biscuits Genghis!

A final squeeze and he's through. That's a relief!

Slaters on the roof and they've done the leadwork - you can just see it on the side of the raised bit of roof. Nice job they've done. Just got to slate the green bits now (not the bit further down, that's the 'Big Opening' we're building up with the quoins. The roof will be raised like this bit eventually. Might have to dodge the winter showers when we do that!

Steve practicing his caving ropework in the Steading one night

Robbie lifting Steve in a simulated cave rescue. It was really interesting watching the techniques they use

One of the teenage chickens has got into the habit of flying over the fence and into the garden. She likes to have a nibble at the veg and fruit and generally have a look round so, each day we've had to pick her up and return her. Fortunately she quite likes to be picked up.

Sunrise from our bedroom window this morning. The scaffold is for the slaters on the roof, through it is the huge garage number tow, next to the poly tunnel. Further right are the chicken pens

Jackie trying a stone she's selected on the fourth layer. Later on Tony managed to fix the quoins for the fifth layer (that Brian had previously cut and prepared). Only one more layer to go before installing the lintel across for ground floor and the building on up for upstairs

This is a photo inside the lounge at the moment and all those boxes are some of the kitchen cabinet doors Nicky is now trying to sort out....

And here in the Steading are some of the kitchen cabinets they have bought for £15 each. 26 delivered, only another 71 to go! They may have over bought but at that price they'd be mad not to. They can become bedroom wardrobes, bathroom cabinets and service access doors, so there will be a use for them all. Just got to find somewhere to store them all in the interim

These are two of the chicks we saw hatch out in May. Their wings are working well and here they are on top of the fence having a look round. Hope they don't end up in the field beyond and need rescuing, it's a long walk round there!

But all this work - and him getting stuck in the dog pen - is a bit too much for Genghis, he needs a sleep on our bed with teddy!

Still Covid 19 Refugees in Scotland

Us with Tony & Nicky. Photo taken by cyclists Lyndon and Julia

A long time with not much to write really, we’ve settled back into the old routine working, cooking, eating, sleeping. The bedroom is coming on with Brian and Tony alternating, wood, insulation, wood, insulation. Just at the moment Brian is in the lead, but Tony keeps having to do ‘school work’ even though last week was half term, he still ended up teaching and prepping. He’s also trying to empty one of the shipping containers (there are two) so it can be taken away. This will greatly enhance the view of Alison and Ainsley who will be very pleased. It’s another slow process, as only he can go through what is in there really to make sense of what he’s got, and what to keep and what to bin.

A forlorn looking Cookie cat wondering where to go. Her usual daytime place is on the chair on the left, but on this day she came out to find Genghis on it, with Gummy on the other. We could imagine her thinking "where am I going to go? And I'm only a small cat with only three legs". Well, that's how it goes in this house

Genghis, Tufty and Gummy cats 

Nicky and I spent a few hours today going through two of the chest freezers, to ascertain what was actually in them and to rationalise the packing. We may not have created much more space, but it’s a whole lot easier to find things.

The first cables have been run, for outside lights, so I guess were relatively easy, they went between the wall and the wooden framework, all internal cables will be inside the framework with the insulation board between them and the outside world, so will involve drilling holes in all our hard work.

A formation of geese flying overhead on their migratory route south to avoid our winter. We've seen lots of these recently, alerted by the distinctive noises they make as they fly

The structural engineer who has to sign off the building came on Friday, he was very happy with what he could see, the standard of work and the way it’s all coming together, so that was pleasing. Just on leaving he did comment, that although it wasn’t a problem, much more light would be let in through the windows that Brian and Ian fitted in August if the top section of wood was parallel to the floor rather than at 90 degrees to the window. How ridiculous, nobody had noticed, and that is how they have been done in our usual bedroom in the house! It took nearly two days of careful surgery and building for Brian and I to remove the offending articles and construct something to take their place. Neither are actually in position, one is waiting for Tony to put some insulation in and the other for the slaters to actually turn up for more than half a day, and make more of the roof weatherproof so the area can dry out.

So this is the window in question. There's two of them, one each side that Ian and I fitted in July and they were quite tricky to align correctly. For each we bashed a hole through the 600m stone wall (that Tony and Jackie then had to rebuild to fit the frame), cut a hole through the roof and fit new timber around the upper window to support. You can see the three pieces we fitted, two vertical each side and one across the top that we fitted square to the roof line. Its been like that since July and no-one noticed a problem until the Structural Engineer pointed out that it would allow much more light into the room if the top beam was horizontal or parallel to the floor rather than square to the roof, so angling down into the room. Obvious when someone points it out! Lots of subsequent work by Brian and Jackie to cut it back out and make a new piece with accompanying modification pieces. Not fitted yet as insulation has to be done first, but finished picture will follow...

We’ve had another night in Ted, two sets of guests were due at the same time, typical! Not that being in Ted is a problem. One of the couples are related to Steve, from down the road, and are cycling the coastline of the U.K.! Yes, really, 5000 miles! They are doing it for a hospice local to them and for Pancreatic Cancer UK. They stayed an extra night, well it was day 100, Julia’s birthday and jolly miserable weather, though it hasn’t been much different for the last week. They are on the last leg, hoping to finish in the next month, they’ve only got to get from here to Norfolk, if you see them, give them a wave. Their just giving page is at https://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/Wewillride5000miles

Brian and Tony fitting outside lights

Tony and Brian did an emergency dash to Elgin, the pub Shannon, Nicky’s daughter works in was trying to lock up, but couldn’t close the door, the new lock had been put in the wrong way round! Just as well she knew who to call!

The weather has not been good, the chickens are all tempted to grow webbed feet like the ducks to enable them to walk better on the mud. We are so glad to be here rather than in Ted, the idea of a short break is tempting, but not till the end of the half term break, and the weather improves. Who knows whether travel will still be possible at that point!

Why is this here? Well, its a screen shot of the Met Office forecast for the afternoon of 15th October and we've had several discussions about the accuracy of their forecasts. Jackie believes we should just look out the window, but that won't tell us what's going to happen later! So, anyway, Tony has a weather station in the garden for which he records the weather for use in his thesis on solar thermal energy for his doctorate, so we thought it would be interesting to compare the Met Office forecast with an actual.....

Here's Tony's actual readings from 15th October. At 1:00pm, the actual temperature was 8.5 degrees (cold huh?) against 9 degrees forecast; at 3:00pm it was about 9.5 degrees against 10 forecast and at 5:00pm 9 degrees against 9 forecast. A pretty accurate forecast. Wind speeds were a little less than forecast, but not by much, so, overall, the Met Office wasn't bad on that particular day - surprisingly good! I'm not sure whether all that was worth explaining really, but they are nice charts aren't they, so worth including!

That's it for now, see you next time!

Scotland - well, it seemed like an appropriate title

Tony tormenting Genghis cat (who probably quite liked it!)

The drive is finished, it looks like it always should have, within moments it’s hard to remember how it was! Ainsley and Alison, the next door neighbours have also refreshed their drive. Alison is thrilled, not sure Ainsley so much, he had to empty the trailer of 4 1/2 tons over two mornings before going off to do his day job at the distillery.... Alison is so thrilled, that for delivery and petrol, we’ve had millionaires shortbread and biscuits with buttercream, and more to come as she ran out of butter...

No photo of the finished lock-block path, this is half done

We’ve also finished the path, which looks a treat, we’ve made the most of the good weather! The weekend wasn’t so good, very wet, not that we were particularly bothered on Saturday, we had a social engagement! Simon and Diane from Edinburgh were just finishing a two week tour in their new camper van so we met up for a very chatty lunch. Just as well we did, it’s all becoming harder again up here from tomorrow- the start of the two week half term break!

It was lovely to see them, and time flew, we felt quite guilty as they set off for a 4 hour drive, most of which Diane reckons they aquaplaned!

This is Genghis asleep on our bed one morning, which really does look like he fell asleep whilst checking his emails

And here's 3 legged Cookie cat with Genghis

Indoors Brian (Jr) has been building woodwork to match that of Brian (Sr) (Tony’s Dad). I’ve been using the pneumatic stapler non stop, putting wire mesh between the A frames, where the roof doesn’t quite meet the wall to stop flys and wasps from making their way in, and then wrapping tape around all the woodwork so that when the 100mm thick insulation is precision cut and rammed into position it doesn’t go too far! Tony has almost insulated one side of their future bedroom, bathroom and the office, but it doesn’t feel any warmer! There was much hilarity today when we had to move the power board out of the way of the oncoming insulation. “Put it there where that bit of sarking is instead “ hmmm, removing the sarking was easier said than done, most of the screws sheared off. Just cut them off with the angle grinder, but the angle grinder needs power, and there’s no power as we are moving the power board! A real “hole in my bucket, dear Liza” moment!

She didn't mention that the button on my trousers fell off and after days of hoping it would magically re-attach itself, I decided there was nothing left but to do it myself. Why it was amusing that I would choose to sew it back on while still wearing them defeats me, it worked and, so far one day later it is still there!

Now look at this: that's the drive with just the hardcore down...

Today in a slight variation we cut some roofing sheets to put a new room on the ‘guinea fowl house’ called because that’s where they sleep along with half a dozen others, except apparently for tonight when the three guinea fowl had squashed themselves into the ‘duck house’ along with 16 or so others. It used to be one more, but as we were cleaning out on Sunday, there was a poorly looking hen, she just sat on the floor with her head on the ground until Tony ‘dealt’ with her. Very quick and so painless Brian didn’t even notice it happening.

Yesterday we had a little trip into Elgin, the solar panel controller that had been ordered in June had finally turned up so we went to get it fitted, and Brian’s new glasses were ready in Specsavers, the Redditch branch had handily sent them up to Elgin for him! A little look round at the ‘Dandylion’, one of a selection of designs that had been submitted, only to be voted for by the 6th year students at the academy in a real ‘Boaty McBoatface’ fashion, they had all thought it ridiculous, it has caused quite a lot of controversy. I quite like it. I also made a purchase, it was sort of going to be for Brian, but hey, it had my name all over it, I now have an alternate rugby shirt for when my old faithful is in the wash!

...And this is it after we'd laid all the gravel. Did you stifle a yawn then? We'll have you know there's a lot of hard work gone into that, must be at least 12 tonnes worth there, all shoveled by hand. That was a yawn wasn't it!

Here's something completely different. This is in Elgin town centre and that's the Dany Lion statue, described by a councillor as 'intellectual vomit in technicolour'. I've just noticed Jackie has the same colour coat on, good job she wasn't wearing green tousers and a top hat as well

This is also in Elgin. This is Thunderton House and, apparently, Prince Charles Edward Stuart stayed here in 1746 prior to the battle at Culloden

These four splendid specimens are the remains of the ten chicks we hatched out in May. The three on the left are hens, the one on the right is a cock. The other six were all males and were despatched by Tony, as there would be problems with too many males. The one remaining was the perfect white chick and is a splendid male, although he doesn't seem to know it yet, being bullied by all the other hens

That was him back in May, there on the left. The one next to him in the photo above we think is 'Number  10' as we called her (being the last one to be born), and is the one in the background with the little 'V' on her head

'Show me some more pictures of the building work' I hear you say. OK, here we are: there's Jackie in the top she bought in Elgin. She picked it out for me and then decided she'd have it. Actually, not my colour anyway, I don't mind the pink, it's the black stripes I don't like!. Now that woodwork there is the studding Brian Senior made. I've now done half of the other side of the room that you can't see here, but I've put this on to show the strapping Jackies done. Further up the room you can see the 100mm thick insulation boards Tony has fitted and they are bashed it up to the straps, them stopping the board going back too far, making sure there's a 50mm gap between the back and the outer wall to ensure adequate airflow at the back

I know you want to see some more, so here's one. What's this? Well, its inside the roof where it meets the top of the outer stone wall. Jackie installed that mesh to stop insects getting into the roof space from under the eaves. The flexible pipe is conduit to get an electrical cable outside for external lights

That's the side wall I built. Behind is the original stone wall and the inside of the roof above. The mesh (in the photo above) is just behind where the roof meets the top of the wall

I'm going to put a couple of short videos on now. This one is the chickens, ducks, geese and guinea fowl dashing about as scraps of food are thrown for them

And this one is of little three legged Cookie cat delicately drinking water by dabbing her paw and then gently licking it. Nicky thinks she a spoiled brat, we think she's just misunderstood! She certainly wailes at high volume if one of the other cats so much as looks at her!

Well, that's all for now, see you next time....