Author: peterb51

17th March Saturday

Kelli is continually sending ideas for our wedding, they are very unconventional and unique. I smile each time a new batch of pictures arrive, this may not have the pomp and glitter of Harry and Meghan’s wedding, but it will have colour, music and laughter.

We want to have as many of the most valued people that we know, to share the day with us. We hope that they will remember it for as long as we will.

There was a flurry of snow in Barrington, part of the expected cold snap, but it didn’t last long. It was cold enough to keep me indoors to do some reading, and catch-up on the news.

16th March 2018

Picked up the radiators, and ordered the ones for the upstairs and the bathroom.

I managed to add a new timber to the rotten joist in the bathroom, bolting it to the existing one, there was a spare piece of five by two, (that I obviously paid for,) and long nuts and bolts (I also paid for) that were just right for the job.

The next job was to tidy up the window surround, this needed some timber to build out and support the plasterboard. At lunchtime I walked into the town, passed the ripped-up road to collect my shoes from the cobbler, and to have a veggie breakfast. Then fully fuelled headed back up the hill to the building site.

I think Pompeii is in better condition, but Andy is doing a good neat job with the pipes, nicely aligned and all corners square. Diplomatically he asked if I could remove the wooden frame AGAIN to make the routing of the pipes easier. So I swept up again, removed the frame and waited for the next pile of rubble to fall.

Ten minutes later the first of the new rocks and debris hit the floor, as Andy chipped away the stone hindering the way for his pipes. My hand twitched, the brush was moving towards the fresh pile, raising up as if to assume a sweeping position, but I regained control, and just waited for him to finish his soldering. I hadn’t seen Louis the builder for a few days, I was a but worried that I might have swept him up and emptied him into a black bag.

15th March 2018

I was supposed to collect two radiators from The House of Radiators, but unfortunately they had not arrived. This was not convenient as I had dusted myself off especially for the trip.

The highlight of the day was placing the order for the bathroom furniture, now the countdown to mid April has begun.

By the time I got back to the house the bathroom ceiling had been removed to reveal the condition of the joists. Only one was affected by rot, so not as serious as I thought.

The bathroom joist is just an example of the rot that seems to be happening around the world. Listening to the news on the radio whilst I’m working, makes me want to distance myself from everything. I just get on with building a cocoon to hide away.

On a lighter note, Kelli is finding some really good things to up-cycle, and make her space look inspiring. Even though I am not there to take any credit, she finds some great things, although I do try to take credit for those as well.

She has roped in her father to help with the woodwork repairs, where “Bondo” won’t work.

We give him the line that we needed a real craftsman to do the work, but we couldn’t find one, so we gave it to him. It’s an old joke, but always gets a chuckle. He replied by sending me a bill for twenty seven dollars.

14th March 2018

I put right the mistake to the frame that I made yesterday. It took me a while because of the bloody complicated way I made it. I agreed with myself that at the time it was the best way to construct the frame. To make the changes I had to dismantle part of the structure.

I was calm, and took a methodical approach.

Firstly I swept the floor, noticing the length of the bristles were much shorter now from when it was new. I must have swept nearly a thousand times, and every day I can always find more to collect. Next, I cleaned the makeshift bench, uncovering unopened post covered in tools and rubble. The letters, including one from TV licensing advising me of a impending visit, good luck to them. The other was a padded envelope containing a CD from my old tenant. I thought he had disappeared into a dark hole of filth, but no, he had thought to send me a copy as I had helped to produce it. That arrived at the end of January, so I felt bad that I hadn’t acknowledged it. So I rushed off an email apologising for the lateness of my reply, which eased my conscience.

Once my workspace was clean, I was able to start the revision to my framework, only to find my Mikita’s battery was flat.

Eventually the change was complete, and I re-fitted the frame back in position, a job well done.

Andy the plumber turned up to work on the piping. We agree that the bathroom ceiling should come down so that we could check the condition on the joists, and do a proper repair.

I keep telling myself that it will be okay in the end.

13th March 2018

The truck failed its MOT on worn rear brakes, boo! So that is booked in for repair next week.

Bradford on Avon was in chaos due to one of the main roads closed for resurfacing, there was traffic everywhere not sure where to go.

This made me late, and reduced my chances of getting a parking space.

I had the house to myself for a day, I had my job list and I had my chop saw.

I started on the wood frame to fill in the old fireplace. I spent a lot of time chipping stone that was in the way. I used a chisel that did not have a hand protector, and discovered the advantages of one that has. It baffles me why a large headed hammer still misses the top of the chisel, fortunately I had the soft part of my hand to absorb the shock.

It took me most of the day to build the frame, and it fitted really well until I remembered the a service box needed to go where I had place a batten. I couldn’t be bothered to rework it, so that was carried over to tomorrow.

They say that talking to yourself is a sign of madness, but I disagree, the madness manifests itself when you answer yourself, then argue. Therefore I am mad.

12th March 2018

Three trips to the Trowbridge tip cleared all the concrete bits, the Shogun is certainly earning its keep.

Gavin continued to create more dust chasing the boxes into the walls. It seems the current method for attachment is squirting expanding foam into the gap, this apparently allows a bit of movement when the plasterboard is fitted, I say it’s just bloody laziness.

He fitted extraction ducting into the bathroom ceiling, but first he removed a portion of the plasterboard. When he tried to refit it, he discovered part of the joist was rotten. I dug around to see the extent of the rot, and concluded that I need to cutout the bad wood, and set-in a new piece. This is going to be a time consuming task. I also wanted to establish the squareness of the kitchen now that the fireplace has been removed. As a rough guide I used a sheet of plaster board laid on the floor. Taking measurements, found it was about half an inch difference over eight foot, not bad as I thought.

11th March 2018

It is wonderful just to rest with no fixed plan for the day. I have come to value this time, the work on the cottage has been going on for a long time, it’s progressing, but there is still a long way to go. It is so relaxing to take a walk in the country, the breeze cleanses my lungs and I feel purged of all the dust and dirt. A quick drive into Ilminster, and a dash around the supermarket was the extent of my activity.

My sister had found a copy of The Design of Herman Miller, in the Barrington Court book barn, and bought it for me. I have a copy packed away, so I settled down and started re-reading it again, the yellowing pages holding the legacy of the company I remember.

10th March 2018

It was a day for the family, I hadn’t seen Ethan for a few weeks, and was excited to see how he’d changed.

I was warned he would be a little grumpy, but undeterred, I wanted to see the little fella.

Damian had just returned from the Geneva Motor Show, and with flight delays, and motorway maintenance he got home at five in the morning, so wasn’t at his best.

Ethan let his mood show as soon as I arrived, he hurled his Postman Pat van across the room. This was followed by most of his other toys, and any attempts to pacify him was met with burst of incomprehensible words, and more toys becoming airborne. It is times like these when I remember when my own boys had their moods, there was never any point in getting angry, unless they broke something valuable, it was letting them vent whatever was troubling them.

Patiently I rebuilt the farm, and collected the animals scattered around, placing them in the scene. Ethan would watch, and attempt to decimate everything again. I would divert his attention to the train set, and slowly his facial expression changed from the intense frown to a slight smile. I was recreating my own childhood playing with his toys and making car noises. I could have spent the whole afternoon playing by myself, but in the end he was back to his old cheeky self, stuffing the animals into the barn whether they would fit or not.

I love the opportunity to get away from the crazy world, and just for a brief time indulge in a place of innocence.

9th March 2018

I didn’t remember how heavy concrete blocks were until I had to move them. The first task was to separate the limestone slabs from the blocks, then transport them to the end of the path in my green cart. I stacked them against the wall ready for disposal next week.

Once this is done there is little work of me to do, but soon I will have the task of carrying bags of cement, floor levelling compound, plaster boards, and bags of plaster, up the side of a mountain, apart from that, job done.

Further down the terrace there are other builders doing renovation work, they have a dumper truck to do all their carrying.

That takes the fun out of gasping and wheezing, and also straining my undercarriage. I suppose my approach is a more vegan style of rubbish moving. No mechanical equipment, no skips and no bacon and egg rolls, the way I choose is for a more heathy form of death.

8th March 2018

Gavin the electrician turned up to start the first fix. Most of the dirty work had been done on Tuesday where more dust had been created, so this would be a more sensible day……….no chance. I was working upstairs thinking that any minute the drill bit would burst through the floor board and into my foot.

My job for the day was to remove the skirting boards from the bedrooms. These were the originals, that would date to the late fifties when the place was modernised. They were held in place by one inch diameter wooden plugs inserted into the stone. As I was prizing the boards off, the wooden plugs pulled out as well. These were quite long, and with the knowledge that the dividing wall was only four inches thick, I was afraid that the skirting boards next door could be attached to the same wooden plugs. I then expecting my irate neighbours to be banging on the door asking why their skirting boards had fallen off, but so far all was quiet, and I haven’t heard anything.

Gavin left the downstairs rooms resembling a jungle, with bunches of cables hanging down like thick creepers. It had been a day of decision, ” where do you want the sockets, switches and lights?” A constant bombardment of questions that I had drawings and sketches to answer with, but many that I hadn’t considered. Modern regulations meant I had to have master switches for nearly all appliances. There will be neon lights everywhere, the kitchen will look like a command centre, but hey ho that’s what money is for.