BLOG 61 🏡 APRIL 2022 💐 🌸🌻

This is goodbye to Honeysuckle Cottage this month, had a fantastic 5 years living here, time to move on to Dorset UK. Carry on & have a read from BLOG no. 1 🏠🏡🏘🏠🏡🏘🏠🏡 X

BLOG 1💐🌸🏡 August 2015 🏠💐🌺

🏡 We found this lovely thatched cottage in Devon & decided to buy it !

 

The garage needs knocking down due to parking issues, that will clear the cottage side windows & let the sunshine in ! A gravel driveway is planned, it’s a tiny tiny garage, no proper parking in front to fit even my mini on it so has to go !

The garden is very overgrown ! A gardener is booked to clear it so will be much better !

Garden was cleared, looking much better !

Calling a thatcher (Phil) was next priorty, he called round & Andy went up the ladder too in the pouring rain ! I stood under the thatch & discovered that rain pours off everywhere, no need for drainpipes ! BUT the cottage does have drainpipes which are not connected at the top, why ? Maybe not originally a thatched roof ? Looking into that ! We do have to have some work done as thatch is thinning a bit around chimney & back of house so that will be sorted as soon as move in. Fun times coming ! 🏡🏠🏡 XX

BLOG 4 🏡December 2015🏠

🏡  Went to Cottage today to check on new heating system & garage is being knocked down !

Everything seemed good with the garage, lots of rubble & soil to get rid of !

Then walked into a heated house, felt good, BUT
the kitchen had a different story awaiting us !!  As the water system had been off for over a year & now our new boiler installed & water switched back on, the bath tap upstairs had a leak & has dripped down pipework & soaked part of the kitchen ceiling !! Of course we thought it was a problem made by boiler installation but discovered this leak under the bath so quick tightening up of tap & dripping stopped, luckily ! But part of ceiling fell down, so another job and hopefully be fine to fix !

All cleared up, no need for red bucket now !

Well that was a busy day, hopefully not too many more surprises but suppose that’s what it’s all about buying such an old cottage ! 🏡

BLOG 21🏡Month of June 2017 – Our MOVING IN Month

🏡  This is the Month we have waited for & by the end of it we’ll have moved in ! 🌞 🏖  🏝

In the garden we moved the ‘Beach Hut/Summer House to the area of the ‘outside toilet’ (Imagine when that was last used ?!)  Made the patio area all clear of weeds & levelled the soil.  

Andy removed concrete slabs, broke them up & put them & the other rubble into a path edge around the hut, to then fill with concrete/sand and finally shingle.  The edges to hold all this in will be sleepers, needing a couple of steps made as hut is higher than patio. Good way to bury the rubble.

Wobbly floor in bedroom is now sorted, can now walk ‘straight’ in the room!🐭 Couple mice nests found when lifted floor 🐭…& very dusty boards ! What a job that was to clear the floorboards to the rubbish tip ! Still have another trip to make but most has gone.

(completed floor photo coming soon !)

Here’s to moving in next, but where’s all our stuff gonna go ?!  Oh well, sort it all one day, maybe when it rains because we’re gonna be at the beach otherwise !! 🏖  🏝 🍦 🍨 🌊 🐾 

BLOG 22🏡 A Special Day Today….

🏡Today we move In **Friday 30th June 2017** 🏡🎉 Here’s to lots of FUN times🍸🍷🍹 🏖 🌞xx

#LymeRegis 

BLOG 23 🏡 Chickens are here🐔🐔 21st July 2017

 

🐔🐔 Chickens now in the family (Egg laying family members only) !!🐔 Pouring with rain we visited Manor Farm, only 15 mins away,  luckily for us & them they were indoors. He had quite a few, different ages, we picked 4 aged 12 weeks, trying to catch them was fun, oh no not by us but the expert farmer ! Should hopefully start laying in around 6 weeks 🐔, so looking forward to first egg, who’s gonna have that, me ?!  Abbie held the box tight on the car journey home, little tweets coming out of the box, but they were fine, got home & straight into coop & run, not sure to come out at first but lovin’ it now 🐔. 

Abbie has spent many hours in with them, even in the pouring rain under a cover, feeding from her hand, stroking them, handling them, they’re used to her already ! 🐔

Their first morning was the perfect picture & they climbed up there themselves ! 

Introducing Gwen….

Introducing Nessa……

Introducing Pam & Dawn…….

Where did those names come from…name the TV Show ?! 🐥

Oh dear Smudge, have to keep away ! Toby is playing up too, fingers crossed they calm down eventually ! 🐔

Brilliant photos taken by Abbie sitting in with them x 🐔🐔🐔

Next move is to corner off the garden with fencing, put the coop & run behind it so the dogs realise they cannot reach the chickens & let the chickens have a good run around.  So while they’re young they seem fine but planning soon to expand the area….🐔 and that will be another job sorted ! 🐔

August…..Expanded the area for them, have lots to explore now ! 

                  🐔Just chillin’ out ! 🐔

                       🐔🐓🐔🐓🐔🐓

BLOG 24🏡 September 2017 🌻

 🏡 What a wet August that was ! Eventually we were able to finish painting outside house wall and also painted front wall, looking so much better, fresh & clean.

Previously was a white/grey colour I suppose to go with original black window frames so now having oak frames we liked the cream colour (parchment) for the walls. Just leaves two more walls to finish, hopefully before Winter !!  

The garden patio area looking good, sleepers in to support the upper area, then shingled and more shingle on lower area, should be enough shingle !! That was fun (!) moving all that in buckets !   

We have lots of pots we are filling for patio area so buying a plant each time we’re out ! 🌻🌹🌱

Chickens are much bigger now, hopefully first eggs soon 🐔🤔🐔?

                   🐔🏡🐔🏡🐔🏡🐔🏡🐔

BLOG 25 🏡October 2017🌼

🏡 Well the weather hasn’t improved for the Month of October…oh well suppose Winter is coming ! The only excitement having weather like this is visiting Lyme Regis when storms are approaching, quite spectacular !  The dogs love it and we all come back with sandy feet !  

Looking at the ‘wobbly floor’ bedroom, (must change that name as the floor is fine now!) have taken down the bin liners which were stuck over the holes catching the rain from the thin thatch, now sealed up so no draughts, also fixed this in landing ceiling, that had same problem but all sealed and no leaks !  We can paint over the plasterboard when we decorate. Looks very neat work by Andy ! I stood and helped if he needed it !  So this room looking much better, needing decorating, carpet, wardrobe….now thats going to be fun chosing a wardrobe as walls are not straight and beams in the way ! So think only one part of the bedroom suitable to get decent size wardrobe in, so on the look out at the Antiques shops. 

The doorway to this bedroom is very low, ok for me being bit shorter but you have to duck to avoid hitting your head if taller, so the plan is to cut out above the door frame and put in a bigger door.  Andy cut away the plaster and discovered a very dry messy mixture of dirt, a dry cob mix used to build this wall. 

It covered everything, it was so dusty, looking around for a new size door, thought of a downstairs door between kitchen and boiler cupboard which is never used and yes it fits width ways and door frame cut to size height ways, may need a new door frame to hang door onto as original frame, part of beam used before makes the door hang funny angle and will not be moving the beam !

Thinking of sending the chickens back….they still have not laid any eggs !! Only joking but what is going on….they are about 25 weeks old now and things should have happened ! Fingers crossed for VERY soon !  We wonder if they were younger than the 12 weeks when we first saw them at the Farm.  More wood added to their run today to eventually add a waterproof cover over the top to protect them in the winter, should be better for them.  They were trying to shade from ‘Storm Brian’ so putting a cover on will keep them dry.

Enjoying breakfast 🐔🐓🐔🐓

Hoping next blog will include eggs !!                        🐔🐔🐔🐔🐔🐔🐔🐔

UPDATE….🍳First egg laid on 5 Nov 2017 …..at last !! 🐓👍🐓🍳

BLOG 26 🏡November 2017 – 2 yrs ago Completion on house🌻

🐔YES, an egg has arrived ! The chickens are around 26 weeks old, overdue for laying, we were advised to stop the treats & see what happens & Yes 2 days later an egg has appeared, actually on 5th Nov Bonfire Day, did they get the frights last night from fireworks & that helped to get things going ??! As I write today no. 2 has been laid too ! Well done chicks ! Big Question: which one/two are laying ? No problems with it as happy it’s happening ! 🐔🐔🐓🐓 Poor things getting wet in their run today so sorting the roof for water to drain away & laid down woodchippings to soak up the water !!

🍳Know what’s for tea tonight !🍳

🐔Lots & lots of eggs now by end Nov, stopped counting now !🐔

🐓🐔Look at this tiny tiny egg ! Can only think it may be Gwen who laid that one, she’s the tiniest chick of them all 🐔🐓

This month of course included Bonfire Night, we sat on the beach for our first display……Abbie, katherine & Alex joined us for the weekend.🎉🆒

🐔🎉🐔🎉🐔🎉🐔🎉🐔🎉

BLOG 27🏡December 2017💐

🏡 Walks along beautiful Lyme Regis Beach, brilliant sunshine & the views !🌞

🎄Axminster Lantern Parade & Christmas Lights Switch On & lots of market stalls to browse🎄

🎄Lyme Regis switched on their Christmas Lights after a Lantern Parade & Display, what a beautiful glowing Christmas tree🎄

Work carries on in the house, finishing adjusting the height of the bedroom door, if you were not as short as me you had to watch your head entering the room ! A good project, almost finished…

Finished….

Not a straight forward door frame !

🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄