THE DOG! - July - Nov 2015

So, with renovations on the holiday let more or less complete, we decided we needed a rest before continuing with our part of the building.

So we . . . I mean Will, has had time to spend with the dog, who has grown from a little stubborn dog ...

to a big stubborn dog!!!

Will's dog . . . NOT MINE!!





Next blog - Walks, weather and washouts

WE DID IT! - July 2015

So, the evening before our first guests arrived, we were in dire straits. Taking it in turn to finish off the bathroom. Me tiling, Will plumbing. And only enough room in the tiny space for one of us at a time!

As I showed in my previous entry ...

By 4.00am, we had done it!

The following morning, we still had a lot of 'stuff' to remove from the lounge before guests arrived. 

We all set about moving it as quick as we could. 

But in doing so, it put our own conservatory out of use. And has been out of use ever since!!

At the 11th hour a new bed was delivered, and erected!

And all the rubbish that had been hogging the driveway miraculously disappeared into any space available and out of sight!

We did it!!

PHEW!!

Next blog - The dog!

MORE HELP ARRIVED - July 2015

With little over a week to go, we laid three floors ...

And went from this ...

 to this ...

And from this ... 

to this ...

And with one week to go, having just laid the double bedroom floor, the bed collapsed!

Outside, there was an impossible amount still to be done.

Areas needed to be fenced and gated. And a huge pile of rubble had to be cleared. I had very slowly been clearing this pile, spade by spade, hating every minute. 

Feeling very disheartened I was cheered no end to see a knight in shining armour come to my rescue - the farmer in his tractor!

In the blink of an eye, the tractor relocated my pile of rubble.

And, then went on to erect all the fencing, in just a couple of hours. 

All in exchange for Will helping him to herd some sheep down from the mountain.

Outside soon transformed from this ...

to this ...

And the evening before our first guests arrived, we still had a bathroom to complete ...

HELP!!




Next post - We did it!

HELP ARRIVED - July 2015

With just three weeks to go, help arrived in the form of 

one very good friend ...

one very strong son ...

one very wet daughter ...

one very squashed son!

and one very useful daughter ...

Then Will bought a dog!!!

HELP!!

Next blog - More help arrived

I'M STILL HERE! - June 2015

Yes, I'm still here. I find it hard to believe that it's been nearly 6 months since my last entry. We've had a VERY busy time. Now things have slowed down a little and I've been getting some disgruntled mutterings that I'm failing in my duties, I guess it's time to put pen to paper (or fingers to keyboard!) and continue more or less, where I left off back in April, but moving on to June. Just let's see if I can remember how to write a blog!

So what's been happening?

Well, for those of you who don't already know, we have split our house in two so we can run the other half as a self-catering holiday-let specifically for families with a member on the autism spectrum. See website: autismfamilyholidays.co.uk

Despite still having a fair amount of work to do, we decided to advertise in the Spring for a Summer opening. With our first guests expected at the end of July our energies have been focused on finishing the renovations in that half, and developing a website, rather than writing blogs.

We had a vast amount to do in a very short time. We had been keeping many things in the holiday-let which we needed to make room for elsewhere - namely our upstairs room which was far from finished ...

Once we had finished that, we got working on the holiday-let. 

We had a bathroom to put in ...

gas cylinders to hide, rubbish to clear ...

fencing and gates to erect ...

piles of rubble to clear ...

steps to build ...

a fallen tree to clear ...

and floors to lay ...

And just as Will was trying to convince me that it was achievable, he fell ill with a severe bout of food poisoning which put him in bed for two weeks and unable to do any work for at least a further fortnight!!

Then we had just over three weeks to go, which included 3 days off to travel to a family wedding.

HELP!!


Next blog - Help arrived!

BREAKFAST - April 2015

We recently spent a weekend in Cardiff. We stayed in a B&B and over breakfast we found ourselves chatting with a couple from Spain. That's not to say they were Spanish, but they were a British couple who have lived in Spain for the past 10 years.

Their reason for living in Spain? Primarily the weather. Even in March, they can throw open the patio doors and enjoy breakfast al fresco.

Well, they're not the only ones ....

Ok, it doesn't happen every day. And we might not have removed our fleecy jumpers, but it beats Spain any day!!!



Next blog ???

DR DOOLITTLE HAS NOTHING ON ME! - March 2015

I think I have mentioned before that I talk to the local animals - in their language. I baa back at the lambs. I guess it's no different from people talking to their pet dogs. Well, as we have no dogs, and the cats are batty, I talk to the farm animals.


So, I was taking my morning walk along the lane, 

when I came upon two wild goats. I startled them. They startled me! I carried on walking. They both jumped - one over the fence to my left, the other over the fence to my right. We were all heading in the same direction - the three of us, side by side, two wire fences separating us all. Me at a fast walk, them at a slow trot, clearly unnerved by my presence, and me by theirs!

The one on the left blurted out a loud 'meh meh meh' as it trotted along, the one on the right continued trotting and replied with a very similar 'meh meh meh', to which I answered both with what I considered a very similar 'meh meh meh'. At which point they both suddenly stopped dead in their tracks, turned their heads to look at me as if to say 'What the ...?' Then nonchalantly continued with their walk.

I wonder what was going through their heads. As far as I was concerned, I was just joining in the conversation!!

Dr Doolittle had best watch out!




Next blog - Breakfast