This feels like a momentous week in terms of build progress. The good weather meant our builders were able to knock down the front wall of the shippon, break up the concrete courtyard around it and dig the foundations for the replacement wall. Given that it took us 5 months to get planning permission from the council to replace the wall because of the lack of foundations or structural stability, to see it finally gone – and in one day – was both satisfying and anti-climactic that it was done so quickly! It does seem really strange walking up along the lane and being able to look straight through the building into the courtyard – now the side wall and front wall have gone.
After an early delivery from the steel company, they also managed to get the two steel frames up before the Easter break. These will give our extension extra support, and so are placed where the new roof will start, and in the end wall. We’re still in two minds whether to box them in so they’re not visible, or have them as a feature in our new house (the internal one will be just about where our dining table will be). Need to do a bit more research and look for inspiration!
We used the excuse of visitors over the weekend to try another local attraction and see whether to recommend it to our future visitors. Hestercombe House and Gardens is just outside the Blackdown Hills in Taunton (about 30 minutes drive) – the main thing to see is the garden which covers c.50 acres and has plenty of paths to explore and features to spot. We were amazed by how dog friendly it was – usually we have to take turns waiting outside with the dog, but Hestercombe allows dogs almost everywhere – including in the downstairs of the house (although not much to see) and in the restaurant. We were really impressed – it’ll definitely be going in our folder of recommended activities!
The two extra days off gave us time to catch up on some of our garden jobs, despite the showers on Monday. The warm wet days have done wonders for the grass – it was getting so long that it was up to Evie’s chest in places (!) – so top priority was cutting that back to a more manageable level. We also managed to plant out most of our first early potatoes, and plant several trays of seedlings that were biding time in the conservatory out into bigger pots. The pea and broad bean frames are also up and planted now the night temperatures are slightly warmer, and we planted the first cabbages out under cover. We still have so many seedlings to pot up and seeds to plant – but the cold frame is almost full and there’s very little space in the greenhouse now, so we need to wait until we can plant out more into the ground. We just need the weather to warm up a bit more…
Ley Farm Cottages 