every day can't be a good one...
Odd how feelings change over a few days.
At the weekend Mike and Andrea joined us and we got through an amazing amount of work in the pine woodland. This part of the garden had been densely planted with non-native commercial conifers after World War II and then had been neglected. We inherited 'pompom' conifers that had rushed to the light leaving them with slender, unstable trunks and an understorey of chest high brambles and a few strangled elder trees.
We have worked steadily since November 2011 to reduce the number of trees and create more diversity.
Our work at the weekend saw our son Dave with us too as we removed trees that were too close to the garden boundary. Trees were pushed over using a machine followed by the arduous task of 'snedding' (removing side branches with chainsaws) and then disposing of the brash (branches). Stumps were used in the Stumpery and good logs carried away and stored.
There's more to be done, with the possibility of another visit later in the month by students of Brackenhurst College to practise their chainsawing skills.
But, by sundown on Sunday we felt we had achieved a huge amount and like the embers of our fire, were glowing with pride.
By Wednesday our moods had moved by 180 degrees.
We had not slept that night due to worries about money. How many of these nights have we had?!
And then work on Waxwings just didn't go well for us.
First we'd begun the day with a chase around the automated answering telephone system of British Telecom attempting to arrange a site visit. Little success there I can tell you.
Then at Cordwood, Roger realised that an electricity box in the annex had been fixed too close to the wall and would need to be moved. We didn't spot it at all.. We ran out of 'twinnet' tape for fixing the glass fibre airtight sheeting to the walls and ceiling; and we spent the entire day trying to wrap the airtight membrane over the top of a cavity wall using 'gunge on a roll' as an adhesive. Beastly. And still not finished.
Our electrician had forgotten a necessary box for the solar panels ..
And I didn't have warm socks and was cold all day.
Bless Dad who sawed battens cheerfully, Trev and Linda who also had a job applying 'gunge on a roll' down vertical block walls. And Roger who sailed on above it all fixing ceiling battens without a grumble.
A miserable day.
We have worked steadily since November 2011 to reduce the number of trees and create more diversity.
Our work at the weekend saw our son Dave with us too as we removed trees that were too close to the garden boundary. Trees were pushed over using a machine followed by the arduous task of 'snedding' (removing side branches with chainsaws) and then disposing of the brash (branches). Stumps were used in the Stumpery and good logs carried away and stored.
There's more to be done, with the possibility of another visit later in the month by students of Brackenhurst College to practise their chainsawing skills.
But, by sundown on Sunday we felt we had achieved a huge amount and like the embers of our fire, were glowing with pride.
By Wednesday our moods had moved by 180 degrees.
We had not slept that night due to worries about money. How many of these nights have we had?!
And then work on Waxwings just didn't go well for us.
First we'd begun the day with a chase around the automated answering telephone system of British Telecom attempting to arrange a site visit. Little success there I can tell you.
Then at Cordwood, Roger realised that an electricity box in the annex had been fixed too close to the wall and would need to be moved. We didn't spot it at all.. We ran out of 'twinnet' tape for fixing the glass fibre airtight sheeting to the walls and ceiling; and we spent the entire day trying to wrap the airtight membrane over the top of a cavity wall using 'gunge on a roll' as an adhesive. Beastly. And still not finished.
Our electrician had forgotten a necessary box for the solar panels ..
And I didn't have warm socks and was cold all day.
Bless Dad who sawed battens cheerfully, Trev and Linda who also had a job applying 'gunge on a roll' down vertical block walls. And Roger who sailed on above it all fixing ceiling battens without a grumble.
A miserable day.
No comments:
Post a Comment