Nearly There

The scaffolding has come down and the outside is being landscaped with the decking framework being completed. The final push has started and the interior is changing rapidly. The kitchen is nearly completed and ready for tiling. The staircase arrived and has proved to be quite a puzzle for the poorcarpenters as it has arrived in small sections, we had expected it to come in the first and second floor sections.The carpenters are now getting the sections sorted and making good progress. We are confident that it will look lovely once completed. Theelectricians have got the electric into the house and busy fixing lights etc. The plumber is working hard to get the heating system completed, the fans which work the air source heat system are much larger than we had imagined.

We should be moving in on 19th December just in time for Christmas so very busy packing up at home. It will be much better when we can start to move things to the house as we are getting cluttered up with boxes.

New Additions

We have been looking for some more goats for a little while and have managed to source another Billy and two Nannies. They are called Winston, Misty and Mo. We haven't introduced them to Horis and Gladys yet as we are letting them settle in first. The new goats are a smaller breed so we have made the decision that we will have to sell Horis. We will be sad but know our hearts must not rule our heads. When fully grown he will be too big for Misty and Mo.

The house is beginning to progress at a fast rate. The roof is now finished and looks handsome.

All the solar panels are in position, they will be commissioned once the electricians do the second fix. It is all go inside as the plasterers, tilers, plumber, carpenters and decorator are working hard. The top floor is nearly completed apart from the electrics second fix. The tiler has completed the upstairs en suites and now working on the main bathroom. The windows are nearly completed and we have a back door in place although that has to be altered as it is in the wrong way. The bricklayers are back building the external wall. The ground floor is being prepared for the screed and the first part should be completed next Friday then hopefully the kitchen can be fitted.

Scaffolding Away!

The scaffolding has been taken down from part of the house and it is lovely to be able to stand back and see the front properly. The rendering has been completed and windows are going in. The single story section is being roofed and should be completed by the middle of next week. The very top floor has been plastered and the en suite is being tiled. The internal doors have arrived and the carpenters are busy making door frames and fitting the oak window sills in the lounge.

Red Roof

At long last we have a roof going onto the main part of the house. To our amazement the roofing contractor has been working hard today throughout the pouring rain. We had expected them to leave it today and wait until the weather was better but no they have worked hard all day. The tiles are a lovely deep red and we think they look magnificent. We are thrilled with them. Whilst the roof has been going on there has been a lot of activity inside. The frames for the studding and upstairs partitions are coming on at a great rate. The underfloor heating is also going in. The pipe work for the en suite bathrooms have also been installed. The electrician is due to begin first fix next week after the holiday and we are hoping the windows will be arriving. The single story roof can't be completed until the scaffolding for the main house is down. The bricklayers have finished and moved on to another job now so one trade completed but an awful lot more to come.

Work on the farm continues and the combine has been busy. All the corn has been harvested and we just have the beans to do. It will be at least another week before they are ready to harvest. There have been many stories of a bad harvest because of the dry spring. Our crop has been very variable. On the light land the yield is down but on the heavy clay land the yield is average.

Although harvest is about finished it is still all go as the land has to be prepared and next years harvest is sown.

Up, Up and Away

The crane arrived this morning and could be seen for miles. When we arrived on site we were amazed at how quickly the trusses had been lifted and in place. It is a lovely feeling to know that we will soon have a roof on our new home.

The carpenters have been very busy and next week the bricklayers will be back to finish the gables and the chimneys. The roofing contracters are due to arrive a week on Monday. Once the roof is on it will be all go.

It has been fascinating to see how the trusses fit together and it was hard to believe how the different shapes and sizes fitted together. The first floor boards were also laid so that the safety cushions could be put in place before the final lift.

Meanwhile the water supply is being sorted. We are going to use water from a well as there is no mains water available. The animals already drink this water but to make it fit for humans we have to install a mini water purifier etc. The water is very hard so a softener is being installed also.

Hallelujah

After a few hic-cups we are finally at the stage where the roof trusses are going onto the house. Last week there was no work carried out at all because the builders were waiting for steel beams which were being made. The roof trusses were delivered but could not be put on because the beams were needed to support the roof. The beams finally arrived and the roof has commenced on the single story section although there are a few alterations which have to be made, which can be done by the carpenters. Next week the crane is supposed to be arriving to erect the roof over the main part of the house.

Meanwhile harvest has begun and the barley has been combined and the heifers have begun calving. The Belgian blue has produced a beautiful calf.

Ups and Downs

The house is up to the first floor and the joists have been put in. We have had a delay as the arch over the front door did not arrive as scheduled. It finally arrived nearly two weeks late and this slowed progress up as well as the building company having a weeks holiday last week. Since coming back this week things have been all go. The arch is in position and looks super. The stone headers above the windows are in place and again we are delighted with them.

We are now beginning to think about kitchens, tiles, bathrooms and other finishes so the next few weeks we will be trawling around showrooms.

All very exciting now.

Alistair has been on a sheep shearing course and able to shear the sheep this year rather than employ someone else to do it. He has done very well and nearly completed them, about 15 more to be done.

This week has had its ups and downs and we have been very upset as our beautiful sheepdog Millie became very ill and has had to be put to sleep. Our vet sent her to the specialist centre run by the Animal Health Trust at Newmarket. They tried very hard to find out what was wrong and save her but it became apparent on Friday morning that she wouldn't pull through. At the moment we are waiting results of a post mortem as they did not know what was causing her symptoms. We also need to know whether her condition was genetic because we are worried that Lass could become ill. She was only 18 months old.

Next week the builders are hoping to put the first floor down and install the underfloor pipes as they think it will help with the bricklayers work more safely and quickly.

Progress!

It is wonderful to visit the farm each day and see how much progress the builders have made on the house. All the foundation and footings have been completed without any rain on them. They are up to floor level and beginning to lay the bricks. Next week the main gang of bricklayers begin. The bricks and blocks have arrived and once they get going we know it will progress quickly. The revised position has been an advantage as we are taking advantage of the views.

The lambs are growing rapidly and there are just a couple more sheep to lamb and then lambing will be over for this year. The latest addition has been another litter of saddleback piglets. This time the mum produced 13 babies but unfortunately laid on 3 which means there are 10 left. The first litter of saddlebacks are going to a new home this weekend. The chicks are growing rapidly and 3 of the 5 Indian runner ducks have hatched.

The latest project has been to build a run in front of the chicken house for the chickens to use in the summer months. Geoff has also installed automatic drinkers which means we don't have to cart buckets of water any more.

Mixed Emotions

Since our last posting we have been experiencing a wide range of emotions. Geoff's father had been struggling with his health for the last eighteen months and after a long battle passed away peacefully on 19th February. He had asked to be at home and this wish was granted. All the family pulled together along with support from the local district nurses, carers from age concerns and the renal nurses. We are very sad to think he will not be able to move to the new home at the farm with us but his ashes are going to be buried in the orchard and we will be planting a tree in his memory, which means he has moved with us after all.

The farm has been extremely busy with lambing, So far just over 80 ewes have lambed so the end is in sight. Alistair has been flat out helping the sheep to give birth and caring for the lambs. Gladys the goat has produced a beautiful white kid, the spitting image of Billy. He has been named Horis and doing very well. We have hatched out two batches of chicks and have 7 chicks approx. 6 weeks old and 11 chicks approx. 3 weeks old. Presently 5 Indian Runner ducks are in the incubator which are due to hatch at the beginning of April.

We are still waiting for the local council to approve the repositioning of the house. Having looked at the web site there have been no objections to our application and we are hoping we will soon hear that permission has been granted.





So the emotions we have been experiencing have been sadness at the loss of a loved one, amazement and elation at the birth of so many young lives, frustration as we await the planning officer to make a decision and anger at the incompetence of a large company.

The anger we have been feeling has been with the lack of service from BT. Originally we had two telephone connections one for us and another for Horace's lifeline. We asked BT to disconnect H's line but they had to disconnect both lines. This left us without a telephone and the internet. When contacted BT announced that it would take up to 7 days to reconnect us. Strange it took less than an hour to disconnect why the wait? To add insult to injury they informed us that we would have a new number. Again we complained and insisted that our original number was reinstated. After numerous heated conversations and days coming and going we finally had our telephone in operation again but no internet. Promises kept being made that we would expect it back in about two days but these promises never materialised. After three weeks we finally got the internet back. What service!

The builders have been and marked out the footings. We wanted to make sure that the house would fit in this time. As soon as we get permission it will be all systems go.
Meanwhile work on the farm building has continued. The pigsties are finally completed giving the pigs a small yard to wander around in. Water has been laid on to the chicken house and the field at the back.

One Step Forward and Two Steps Back

The house has gone completely and the builders have begun to mark ready to begin digging. We have yet again encountered a problem again. The electric pole has two wire braces and one of them is right in the way and needs to be moved before the foundations can be dug. We were very upset as we had discussed this with the architect when he was drawing the plans and we thought he had measured up and made sure this would not be a problem, hence one step forward and two steps back. Unfortunately it doesn't look as if Geoff's dad will be able to make the move with us as he is very unwell and the outlook is not good for him.

One of the Saddleback pigs has farrowed and we now have three piglets. She had four but one died shortly after birth. The other pig is due to farrow in March.

We have four chicks hatched out and four more should hatch within the next couple of days.

House nearly gone!

It is so hard to believe that after all this time things are moving so fast. The contractor anticipates he will be finished by next Tuesday. Just two walls and there will be only the ground to clear.

It was so reassuring to be told that we have made the right decision as the woodwork is full of woodworm and the roof trusses took no effort to destroy. The house has also suffered with subsidence as one end and had been reinforced with concrete but not very well done. The house would have required constant work so we are so relieved that we made the decision to build a new one.

Demolition

At long last we finally feel as if we are getting somewhere. The run up to Christmas was extremely frustrating, the demolition contractor had been in touch with the council for the relevant permits so that he could make a start and that it could take four months for them to approve. The local council decided that they had not received the arborial plan and other information they required with regard to the conker tree and stated that on no condition should work begin. The architect had hand delivered the plans etc. to the council offices two months ago and they stated that they had not received them, clearly they are stuck on a desk somewhere in an unopened envelope. After contacting them and convincing them that they were at fault they promised they would look at them straight away providing the architect re submitted immediately. Permission was given but the contractor has to inform them once the conker tree is protected and they will be out to inspect. The contractor has moved onto site and the work began today. After all this time we can finally believe things are happening.

Work would normally take a fortnight but we are having to allow for the weather therefore the builders have been told that they should be able to commence at the beginning of February.