BLOG 6🏡January 2016🏠

🏡  It’s January 2016 & no snow YET ! Glad though as it means the driveway has progressed and should be finished by this weekend so next photos it will be completed !  This is progress so far up to last weekend:

It was dog walking time so walked around the village, still quite wet & muddy, the views are amazing !

And look at our house on the hill, taken from the Village Hall.

We’ve ordered new front door, keeping the black front door but new interior door & back door.  Back door needs attention as it leaks & letting in the cold weather as not sealed properly, so quite cold in the kitchen !

We’ve started looking at decorating so started on smallest cupboard, the larder ! Needed the old shelves removing & holes in walls filled.  Looking at paint charts for next stage, thinking maybe a cream colour to brighten everywhere, colour is yellow in the kitchen at the moment, which is nice but needs a new fresh colour.

So looking forward to seeing the driveway so here’s to the next blog….xx

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BLOG 7🏡January 2016🏠

🏡  Driveway all done, so much better.

So good to be able to park off road ! Remember how this looked a while ago, what an improvement ! ⏬

Worked on tidying up the front flower beds today, so big bushes gone from in front of window, much better ( shame  forgot to move bin in photo!) ⏬

Remember the front too ?!  ⏬

Much better all cleared, waiting on better weather to clear the back garden next, will the good weather ever come !
Until next blog……enjoy x

BLOG 8🏡February 2016🏠

🏡   Half term spent at cottage, nice change not having to rush back !

Few jobs sorted:-  Chimney Sweep in to check the wood burner & camera up flue to check in one piece, everything good so it was lit to warm the house !

Aga was looked at & good news, just needs a good service & clean & should look like new afterwards !

Thatcher was in to check the back thatch & quote, also the ridge will be sorted on front thatch & all the moss will be brushed off, should look much better.

So this weekend new front & back door to be fitted, that will be a great improvement for keeping in the heat !  The back door has been letting in the wet & cold, believe it is an internal door, hopeless !

Spent our days going to the coast, Sidmouth, Charmouth, Lyme Regis, West Bay, all lovely places, the dogs enjoyed it too !

Now who recognises this house ? Hint: David Tennant !

So until next time, thank you for reading this update !

BLOG 9🏡 April 2016🏠

🏡 Easter holidays are here so Devon here we come !
A busy time:-  look at our new doors fitted last month, front & back, love them ! Make all the difference to heat & light, especially the back door.

Another difference to heat the house is the Aga !  It’s been serviced & cleaned thoroughly & now producing lovely heat after being switched on this week, especially in the kitchen, hopefully heating through the house eventually. Enjoying learning how to cook again ! Instant heat all the time, so cups of tea always ready ! Have put away the plug-in kettle, toaster & microwave not been used all weekend !  Used a toaster gadget on Aga this morning & cooked lovely toast, next step is to bake some bread to make toast !  It will go with the fresh eggs from a neighbour’s hens this morning ! We have the wood burner on tonight & not too bad with boiler turned right down, so ok as it was a cloudy, wet day too !

We have a great table/pool table which has been used alot !  We visited a Furniture Recycling shop locally & found some nice chairs for the table.

Another shop selling antiques & bric-a-brac had a kitchen table, the right size, but a dark colour so it will be a project later to strip the wood & stain it.

Another addition is a washing machine, only you ladies will understand how important that is !  Have been here for the week so glad it’s sorted !

So until the next Blog…….thank you for reading x

BLOG 10 🏡April 2016🏠

🏡  Decided to change the two rooms downstairs around, using the log burner when you’re not sitting in the room seemed daft so moved settees into that room, they are slightly big but fine for now….

Back out to garden as weather so good at the moment, thought next job would be to pull apart the chicken house as we are clearing that side of the garden……

BUT look what the chicken house was resting on ! Wheels …! Maybe you could move it around ?

Another shed to knock down was next to the original outside toilet ! (Will not be using that !) From this….

To this……… (that’s the toilet house !)

Problem is we’ve got to get rid of three huge piles of brambles, trees & wood now !! Now it’s lucky across the road lives a neighbour who has a tree cutting/garden clearance & shredder company so when we ready it can go ! Oh and that’s where we get our fresh eggs too ! Handy eh !

Garden looking much clearer on this side now, gained metres due to those nasty brambles, you can see in photo how much gained & where the original chicken house stood.

Well that’s April photos sorted & blogged, it’s May on Sunday so here’s to next blog……thank you for reading xx

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 31🏡 April 2018

🏡 Decorating time ! Once we start it’s ok but it’s the starting that’s hard ! But we did start on the bedroom, deciding to match in the colours from the curtains including a feature wall colour. After clearing the room, made a start using Dove Grey, Taupe and Classic Red…..but would the Red look right and we were happy with it, but it took 3 coats to look right ! Finished off with Camel colour carpet & oak colour furniture matching the walls. Good job !

Next bedroom using Dove Grey, Victorian Lace & Princess again using colours in curtains. Also happy with this feature wall colour Princess. Having white furniture in this room, make a decision on having same colour carpet in all the bedrooms or different colours ?

Very different bedside tables, cute ! 📚

Moving on to next bedroom, lots of paint left, maybe use in other rooms ?

🐔New plastic roof going on for the chicks to hopefully help keep them dry. 🐔🐓

Cleared out Summer House, what a mess made by mice deciding to pull apart the sun lounger & use the foam for nesting !! Also eaten the grass seed & box, the bird food & box, they were lovin’ life in there !

And now a big TREAT of fish & chips at the seaside ! #lymeRegis #TheCobb 🌊🏖

BLOG 32🏡May 2018

🏡 Thinking about the colours for next bedroom, this bedroom is bigger and all the walls have artex so guess this will be fun ! Also will be a challenge as it has a very high ceiling with black beams, they will be painted to blend in, (if we can reach !),

not one wall is straight up & down so choosing colours is fun !

This end of the room has different levels and a “lovely stained” ceiling from the original leak through the thatch.

Would still like a feature wall which will have to be a lime based clay paint as it is the original part of the house before the extension, the other two bedrooms are part of the extension so traditional paint was used. Trying “Riding Hood” as colour choice for this wall. A project still to start, weather has been so good so been in garden so will be taking a while I reckon. Did start in September so all about it in Blog 37.

It’s the chicks ‘brooding’ time, started with Dawn, Pam soon joined her ! When we eventually gather the eggs they are so lovely and warm 🐔🐓🐔this ‘brooding’ could happen for days or weeks I’ve just read, I hope all four of the chicks are not going to be broody all together, not sure where they’d all fit !

🐔Nessa and Gwen….you next ? 🐔

🐔Help needed to drink 😉🐔

Managed to collect the eggs when Dawn moved out the Coop ! 🐔🐓🐔

Lovely Lyme Regis 🏖🌞🐾

Lovely Seaton Beach…..chill out time, sitting on a blanket with a Latte with just the sound of the sea, Wonderful x 🌊🌞🏖🐕🐾

BLOG 41🏡 January 2019

🏡 January already (actually it’s February when writing this but time moves so fast ! ) Had our first snow this month, two lots but not as bad as last Winter, not yet anyway ! Somehow a conversation one day developed into a visit to Ferne Animal Sanctuary ( Animal Rescue Centre ) on the 21st of this month to see a couple of rescue ex-breeding Shih tzu dogs, age around 5 years old (10/01/2014), which were found on a ‘puppy farm’ in Wales & that’s all the Sanctuary know about them, they were to stay together as they were very timid, to the point they did not know how to walk with a lead, not quite house trained, run away and hide if you went near them. So can you imagine when we saw them that they just had to come home for lots & lots of love & cuddles. So after all the checks Edna and Edith came home on 25th January. Smudge & Toby our Cocker Spaniels seemed very chilled out about the new arrivals, maybe they thought they were just staying overnight !! We decided to keep the names the Sanctuary had given them, sweet & old fashioned names. So we now are officially a four dog family !

Our first trip out together to Seaton Beach, Edna walked fine, Edith needed some carrying 🐶🐕
So when the first snow of the Winter came our way it was great to introduce Edna & Edith to the white stuff ! Smudge and Toby take the white stuff in their stride, they all had fun walking in it, maybe not Edith ⬇ 🐾🐾 !

Edna was quite confident straight away, walking well with a lead but Edith would not move when you put her in the garden, no way was she going to go anywhere ! She’s fine indoors so being persistent will get her walking outside, it’s only outside she has a problem with, she does not like grown ups when we are out walking, she freezes ! But sees a dog and she’s off to chase them ! We’ve been on a few beach visits. Keep at it, that’s the best way. 🐕🐶🐾🐕🐶🐾🐕🐶🐾🐕🐶🐾🐕🐶