Category Archives: scotland
The paddock cont’d (Jul 18)
Ed’s concerned about the paddock. The docks, nettles and brambles (a recent discovery) are all really hard to get rid of once they take hold and are turning the paddock into impenetrable bush. If we don’t cut them back our plan for a wild flower meadow will never come to anything.
We’ve been discussing getting a couple of goats (Ed had them when he was growing up) or finding someone with a shetland pony (we’ve seen some in a field near here and I’ve been asking around) but we still haven’t managed to sort anything out. So in desperation Ed started on it this morning with the strimmer.
It was looking like an extremely long day – the paddock is 2 acres – when Mr C turned up like a knight in a shining tractor. It took him, his tractor and his mower less than an hour to do the whole lot. We owe him dinner.
While we don’t have any animals and I’m sure Mr C has better things to do, we need to find another solution. A new tractor is out of the question so Ed’s now intent on trying to fix the mower attachment for the mini-tractor that the previous owners left us. It’s rusting away in the grass – and looks like it’s been there for years. It seems he can turn his hand to anything as he’s already re-modelled the rotting trailer (also abandoned in the grass) so hopefully he can work some magic on the mower too…
A taste of summer (Jul 17)
There are lots of elders here and as the flowers are about to turn Gracie and I were out early this morning to collect them so we can make elderflower cordial. I used to do the same with my mum when I was little…
Adding up radiators (Jul 16)
We have a mishmash of radiators here and as part of our heating overhaul we’ve worked out that some of them (all the ones from the 50’s) have either no impact because they’re not big enough or they’re rusty and leaking. We need to replace just over a dozen.
However the handful of Victorian cast iron ‘column’ radiators we have, work well and look lovely. So our plan is to get more – as cheaply as possible.
Working out what sizes we need has involved a mind-blowing set of sums; I’ve had to work out the heat output (in kilowatts) we need in each room based on the room’s dimensions. I’ve then had to deduct the heat supplied by any existing radiators to establish what’s missing. All my kilowatt figures then have to be converted to old fashioned BTU’s – as this how the heat output is measured in old cast iron radiators. Once I know what heat output I need I then have to find the right size of radiator with the right dimensions so that it will fit into the space (often under a window). At this point my eyes are squinting as there’s a number of options depending on how the columns in each radiator are arranged – from tall and thin to short and fat…Much like the 2 different plumbers who reneged on doing the calculations for me.
It’s all going to be worth it though as I’ve worked out that reconditioned salvage is going to cost us at least half the price of new (a whole other set of calculations) – and hunting around for them is obviously much more fun.
So I’ve been scouring ebay, gumtree and the local flea markets and I even found a farmer nearby who sells stuff that’s been thrown out of old farmhouses. I’ve found 4 on our list this way. But the most obvious place is salvage yards and as there are two near here we headed over today with my copious notes in hand.
Several hours later and I’d ticked off another 8. So we’re nearly there. They will all need to be sent off to be pressure tested, sandblasted and painted (colour still to choose) and given that this is a 6 week turn around (with a round trip to Edinburgh) they should arrive in time to coincide with the installation of the new boiler…
Surely this can’t all go to plan….
Morning dew (Jul 12)
The early mornings are so lovely here at the moment, Gracie and I go out in the garden when the day starts. We don our wellies and I sit in my dressing gown drinking tea on the garden bench while Gracie runs around naked (aside from wellies) in the morning dew. Today the lawns are covered in these tiny cobwebs….
Today’s job in the walled garden… (Jul 9)
The Vegetable Patch (Jul 6)
There are 3 huge old vegetable patches in the walled garden that are overgrown with grass and weeds. Ed’s been working on one of the patches this week – and this morning he turned over half the soil ready for planting.
It was sunny and hot so we had a picnic lunch under the apple trees before getting down to some planting.
We put in several seedlings; sprouts, kale, purple sprouting broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage and leeks (as we’re a bit late to plant these from seed). Apart from the leeks I’ve discovered that these are all ‘cruciferous’ veg from the ‘brassica’ family. We also replanted what we think might be some ropey old courgettes (that were already in there) hoping to save them. From seed, we’ll plant beetroot, carrots, lettuce, spinach, turnips and beans (currently germinating in the kitchen) in the next few days.
We’re building up our knowledge of brassica growing as we’ve discovered birds have a particular fondness for them; apparently wood pigeons like sprouts. So the whole patch needs to be protected with net. We also need to get some flat disc ‘collars’ that go round the base of all the stems to stop cabbage root fly laying their eggs down there.
So Ed made a frame from various bits of wood that he found in the old green house and lean-to’s and then managed to cobble together enough pieces of random net to go over the top. He doesn’t think the net will last a windy day though so it will need replacing in the next few days.
The upsum is that out of an acre of walled garden we’ll have cultivated just 6 by 12 meters – but at least it’s a start. If we’re successful with our beginners patch then it should supply us with nearly all our winter veg.
A country girl at heart… (Jul 3)
It didn’t take long. Gracie just told us “she’s growing like a barley”!
The bee man (Jun 16)
The bee man’s been (See Can Anyone Hear a Buzzing? May 30). He soon established that it’s definitely honey bees we’ve got here. He had a good look in the attic but there was no hive in there – and he thinks there are probably 2; one on each side of the house, high up between the rafters and the outside walls so we can’t get any access to them.
He brought a spare bee suit for Ed (who’s been expressing a lot of interest in said bees) but given no hives were to be found, he sadly never got the chance to put it on.
The bee man explained that the swarm we saw was a good sign as bees swarm when they’re moving on with a new queen bee, so the majority of them are now gone (in that hive anyway), leaving an aged queen behind and some loyal hangers on. The only other issue we might encounter is honey dripping through the ceilings – but apparently this is quite rare!
So we have bees in the walls of the house and this is where they’ll stay.
Mr C tells us that years ago someone used to keep hives up behind the walled garden (which likely explains where the ones in our walls originate from). As Mr C also has a twinkle in his eye at the mention of bees, I’m guessing he and Ed are now hatching a plan….
To do lists…(Jun 12)
I do love a to do list – and as the list for this house will keep me going for the next 20 years I couldn’t be happier. Today’s list is:
Chase plumber for breakdown of costs for new hot water system
Book in insulation man
Get carpenter to fix leaking window
Pay locksmith
Sign contract for septic tanks
Get in planning applications for new biomass heating system
Apply for a building warrant
Price up wood pellets
Book in Green Deal Assessor
Research salvage cast iron radiators
But then Ed ran through his list with me and now I’ve got list envy….
Move oak tree from orchard
Cut the paths through the paddock
Cut back the rhododendron’s around lawn
Plant magnolia
Research compost toilet
Build sheds
Cut holly
Research yurts
Clear riverbanks
Scarify and aerate lawn
Dig drains
Weed control
A Castle in the Sky 