Terraces

Paul has started making terraces above the three we have already. (Where the Polytunnel is). We're doing them in decreasing length, so they make a sort of crescent shape leading up to the Smug Bench. Anyone can have one of these - it's just a normal bench but to make it smug, you just plant a Wild Service tree or two nearby. These are rare native trees, and "anyone who has one in his garden can feel smug about it!" say's our Guide to British Trees! You can’t see it in this picture, it’s just to the right.



The Extension and the Dam

Next, the big project is building the extension. We now have Planning Permission and some detailed plans have been developed by Mark Baggott (local Surveyor).

Electrical design to be done, then all can go to a QS for pricing. After that comes Building Permission and then we find a builder. Will it happen this year? I think so!!

The extension will snuggle into the bank behind the house, which therefore needed digging out. Paul's contract on the A46 has ended, so we now have Employee No.2 (Adam is No. 1) and a 3-tonne digger and a dumper here (hired).

Paul's done about 10 days so far and the results are quite impressive.

There's now a roadway through the Orchard, and a much wider gap behind the house. Not only will this allow us to dig out further, it will also be access for the builders later. There's still quite a lot to excavate, although I imagine it will only be a matter of days before that bit is done.

Those of you who are not asleep by now might be asking what we are doing with all the soil! Well, we have made a pathway across the soggy bit at the bottom of the left-hand field, that's what we fondly call the Orchid Field, although we haven't seen any orchids yet this year. Basically, if you are in the Orchard, it's below you bordered by the road. Anyway, this "pathway" rather cunningly encloses the wet area, which of course can't get its water out any more, and so is filling up!

Note the neatly weeded bed – Thanks Ju, it’s looking good!

You could call the pathway a dam, I suppose! But, spoilsports that we are, we've put a huge pipe through the dam low down, so actually there's only an inch or so more water in it than usual.



We'll let the pathway get overgrown and natural looking, then gradually raise the height of the inlet. Then, maybe, in years to come, we might do a bit of digging out. Eventually, we'll have a pond of sorts! And hopefully, the gradual raising of the level will encourage the beautiful marsh marigolds to migrate with the rising waterline.

The Wet Room

The Wet Room project is more-or-less done. It involved piping water from the second spring (in the copse top left of FR), into a pH corrector, then a filter and a UV steriliser. These bits are housed in a small enclosure attached to the back of the shed on the caravan side. This still needs finishing plaster and painting in the rather attractive Fron Rafel green that adorns the rest of the building.

Inside the shed there's a BIG boiler, with chimney poking through the wall, and this is fed from two large red gas cylinders outside.

The W-R is a white-tiled space with the usual sanitary ware, and a LARGE shower head. This delivers water at a prodigious rate (about 25 litres/minute actually) at a selectable temperature from cold to too-hot.

The RESULT is the best shower we've ever had, well worth running across the yard in your dressing gown for. (In warmer weather I might dispense with the dressing gown! Just hope Jean The Post doesn't turn up!).

Fron Rafel Birdcam 28th April 2012 "The eggs have hatched!"

A short Iphone vid of the birdcam at Fron Rafel.
The eggs have hatched!

Bird Cam in the Potting Shed is showing us 8 tiny Blue-tits being stuffed with blue-tit food by their Mum. Ah well, something has to feed the Sparrow Hawk!