28th July
Wow, what a year, can’t believe we’ve been here that long. It only seems a short time ago that we were shoehorning all our possessions into numerous vans, lorries and cars. And then getting here and realising we still had too much stuff. We filled the garage to bursting point, double stacked boxes everywhere and still needed a shed to free up some more space before starting sorting, unpacking and starting the main work. Some boxes remain untouched and I think a grand sale of surplus furniture is imminent once we have finished the chalet and/or a skip.
When I look around, I am amazed by what we’ve achieved inside and out with only a little help. Perhaps without the lockdown we may have done less instead of being confined to barracks. Six of the rooms have been decorated, leaving kitchen, bathroom, hall and Junes bedroom outstanding. The garden is taking shape with most of the ash trees sorted, an overgrown path opened up and numerous shrubs planted. Junes chalet is nearing completion and the garage, well, that’s work in progress. We’ve added a picket fence onto the patio, which adds definition and a safety barrier. And of course, June has a new hip, so she can now start to sort out her bits and bobs with renewed vigour and pain free.
Even though we miss our old friends dearly, we are closer to family but a little further away from Emma and Martin.
July 17th
Writing this at 21:15 with the hope of seeing some more owls later. Last night I captured two flying blobs on my iPhone as they flew across the side of the garden. A few evenings previously, I walked onto the patio and looked down at a tawny owl sitting on the arbor about 7m away. We looked at each other for less than a minute and it decided to fly down through the woods in search of something more edible. Perhaps we should change the house name to Owls Transit instead of Owls Lodge.
Made it to tender age of 66 a number of days ago. No bolts of lightning or fanfares, just another enjoyable day with some lovely presents, cards and a takeaway. After strimming in the garden I developed a very itchy rash on leg, arms and neck, thinking wrongly that it was insect bites. Turned out to be the sap of the common hogweed, which when exposed to sunlight, blisters the skin. I’ve seen some protective gear on eBay, but a full black rubber suit may be too hot for gardening and they don’t seem to be available with pockets for phone, screwdriver etc and I can’t work out if the ball by the mouth holds cold drinks or what.
Mum came over the other day and I managed to drive her around the garden on June’s chariot so she could have a look at the bits that were too far or too rough to walk to. Just wondering about modifying the steering column for remote control. Definitely a winter project to consider.
June’s mobility is progressing well. She has the occasional off day following one where she tries to do too much. Went for a stroll part way around Mynydd Mawr nature reserve, which was a former colliery. A very peaceful setting with good paths. It was the first real outing for June without her chariot. Wiped her out for the afternoon through general tiredness not operation related. We’ve also been to the Llyn Llech Owain nature reserve, the other side of Cross Hands, and had a lovely few hours. This time with the chariot so she could walk and ride (also gives me a short break too). No sign of the pair of otters, but plenty of damsel and dragon flies and a hare.
June’s chalet interior is starting to take shape following the decision to line the walls with plasterboard as other materials were cost prohibitive or unsightly. The electrician finally turned up after I threatened to take my business elsewhere, well come on, it took him 15 mins to put his cable through a hole I’d made and tape it onto the cables I’d prepared. Hopefully, he’s back on the 22nd to do the rest.
Spent a few hours at my sister Margaret’s helping Steve and Dave (he did our path and chalet base), to prepare a base for Steve’s new greenhouse. Fortunately a cooler day than today, but still exhausting. Dave made the job look easy, especially when you have the experience and a laser spirit level which gives 1mm accuracy.
Picked up a few more shrubs from Lidl and Home Bargains, so more digging and hole boring. The bamboo I transferred from the front garden is really taking off. In a matter of 6 weeks it has put up a pair of new shoots, one 8ft and the other 5ft.
Well, 22:20 and no sign of the owls. Just seen on Twitter that there’s a hootenanny in the next valley following lifting of some Covid restrictions. Could also be why so many bats are out, looking for their next virus hosts.
4th July
Hooray, it’s independence day for the USA and in typical style, I will ignore it and continue as normal.
Having had the chalet erected, the first splash of rain pointed to a few leaks. These turned out to be a bit of poor installation as the roof screws missed the wood beams and had nothing to anchor to. After an email or two, where I was accused of pushing up the roof from inside, I sent photographic evidence of their workmanship. I received an email saying they would replace the sheet! I informed them I had fixed it myself and was awaiting rain to test it out. So far, so dry, but today may be the test.
June’s new hip is doing well and the physiotherapist was very pleased with the movement and healing. She has a follow up this week with both the consultant and the physiotherapist. Use of the walking aids is reducing and she has been spotted walking unaided in the house and yesterday made a quick dash from the conservatory to the chalet when I slipped carrying an 8×4 foot sheet of OSB! Wasn’t aware she was spying on me, but no injuries this time.
Basic insulation has been installed in the chalet and I will do the first fix wiring this week. After getting some material quotes for lining the inside, we will put that on the ongoing list of things to do.
The back garden has now got an edge between the shrub border and the lawn. This serves two roles – to make a nice edge to the barked area and as a barrier to stop me mowing on the steep area of the lawn. I created a rose garden for June in the front lawn outside her bedroom window. This had been planned for a while, but I wanted all the heavy work with the chalet to be completed first.
June’s car failed its MOT due to a broken spring. It seems that is a common problem in this area due to the very high incidence of speed bumps. It’s a shame we don’t have one on our road.
Had a fly-by the other day of 8 fighters in two batches, not quite low enough to count the rivets, but still ear shatteringly low. No sign of them on the ADSB radar coverage, so they were flying with transponders off.
