Rain stopped play (and most of our work)…

Storm Alex brought almost-constant rain last weekend, so we were confined to the house for the most part. We managed to escape down to our local pub with our visitors on Saturday – afterwards exploring the picturesque village of Stockland and its many thatched cottages; and the church grounds. The turnstile-style gate to the 14^th & 15^th century church is particularly special, as is the bridge that was built when Stockland was part of Dorset, not Devon – and in those days, anyone found damaging the bridge was at risk of being transported! 

We had to brave the rain on Sunday however, to give some much-needed TLC to the orchard trees. Early on, we discovered an infestation of codling moth in our apple and pear trees – the larva buries into the fruit and starts to eat it from the inside. Much of the fruit is still salvageable, but it’s still pretty disappointing to peel an apple, only to find out that half of it’s wasted. We’ve invested in a biological control – nematodes (parasites that feed on the codling moth larva) – in an attempt to avoid pesticides. It took at least two hours to spray the first pack (of three) all over the main trunks, branches and underlying ground. It wasn’t particularly pleasant in the rain – so hoping for better weather over the next two weekends!! 

The poor weather has resulted in one good thing – we’ve finally started looking at the paint colours for the farmhouse. After the first few pots, we did wonder what the difference between the various samples were, but I’m glad to say they’ve dried with differences – albeit subtle! It’s hard to judge what the final colour will look like on the walls, as the current lighting is pretty dim, so we’re having to use our imagination. We’re aiming for an airy, rustic look, so have started with pale, warm colours. The solid walls add an extra complexity – and ££ on the paint price!! Hoping to get started on the white stairwells this weekend, at least that’s an easy colour to choose!