When it comes to writing this blog each week I realise just how much time I’ve spent in my little work bubble and just how much John has been juggling things back at home. This week he and our builder Gareth have set out a detailed structured plan to get the Cow Shed up and running by summer. With electricians, plumbers, carpenters, builders and all sorts of other trades coming in almost constantly over the next few weeks, it feels like we’re going to make some exciting progress very soon.
This does rely on us getting a move on choosing all the fixtures and fittings timely. So this weekend we did a mini tour of Devon – heading down to Newton Abbot to choose our work surfaces for the Cow Shed kitchen and ensuite, and for our laundry from our stone mason Steve Bristow; and then to Easy Bathrooms to choose the tiles for the Cow Shed ensuite.
The wooden planters we ordered arrived this week too. As the planning restrictions mean the Cow Shed faces into the courtyard, it doesn’t have a grassy garden area. So we ordered (very heavy!) wooden planters from a local carpenter to section off a private area. Once we get them into position and filled with soil, we’ll plant them with various climbers and flowers to hide the trellises and make the area look lovely and colourful.
We’ve also started buying little bits to decorate the Cow Shed with too – including coat hooks, key hooks, coasters, and my favourite purchase of all – a little cow-shaped ice tray. John despairs of me!!! We’ve been collecting other bits (kitchen implements and external light fittings) over the last couple of years as we wanted to match what we could with the Farmhouse and with our Shippon for continuity. The list of things to buy is still pretty long though!!
We’ve pretty much finished the painting in the Cow Shed too – bar a couple of beams that need touching up. One of our builders has been tidying up the stone gable end – repointing it (the old lime mortar is falling out and looks a bit worse for wear) and recreating the holes in the wall where the hayloft beams used to sit. We were in two minds about replacing the original mortar but it looks SO much better now, he’s done a really good job.
John also finished weeding our fruit cage and yet another vegetable bed – this time the pea and bean bed that we built last year and improved this year with additional supports to strengthen the frame. We’ve been late in sowing the seeds but they’re finally starting to show their heads – hopefully we’ll get them planted out soon!
We took most of Sunday off to head to Bristol so John could run the Great Bristol Run. It was a particularly early start (leaving at 5:30am) but at least this – and a great time of 1hr35m51s – meant we were back on the road and home in time for a quick pub lunch (accompanied by laptops and some online Cow Shed shopping) and some gardening when we got back! Always too much to do….
Ley Farm Cottages 