Author Archives: nickjtj

Just over a week ago, at breakfast time there was the biggest gathering of swallows on the roof. Adult birds with long tail streamers and bright red throats and youngsters of less certain colour, with tails more like martins. They perched along the house ridge, on the tops of the skylights and the chimney stays.Continue reading “Goodbye swallows, hello Andy and Joy”

and the experimental application of colour Accidents will happen: The circular grid for the shower gully (drain) is smaller than the pipe that the gully assembly sits in. This isn’t a problem when everything is fitted but poses a risk until that point. I was mindful of this last week when cutting the drain pipeContinue reading “My baby has gone down the plughole”

This is an odd moment in the project; as we tire of the process and just want a finished house to move into, weighing and considering the details is as enjoyable as sampling the ingredients of a much anticipated meal… And while we think we’ve decided the formica colour for the kitchen drawer and doorContinue reading “Colours, drains, badgers and seals”

My apologies – I mistakenly posted the last report as an unfinished draft… but onwards! We had a good smoking session with Chris who is well practiced. No cigars. He demonstrated his improvised hot smoker, simply a European standard stainless steel catering pan (Gastro-Norm) with a lid and an added rack for the food. HeContinue reading “Week of 5 Sept 22”

When I went to start work the giant insect was floating lifelessly in the bucket under the gutter spout. I knew exactly what it was, not a wasp or hornet, but a harmless sawfly (wood-wasp/horntail). I’ve seen them here each summer, flying with the crackling papery sound of a dragonfly, looking for somewhere to layContinue reading “Horntail in a bucket”

Last week: When I thought Andrew might not come until the following week I phoned him. He suggested he came over immediately and in twenty minutes he was unpacking his expensively calibrated air flow measuring device. Looking like a small anemometer, it attached to a conical tube to fully cover the air inlet or outletContinue reading “Fresh air”

And lo, they raised high their rollers and the ceilings were white. And it was good. Paint goes on, the house gets brighter. While Martin continues his mist and first coat epic, Tash trawls through colour charts, pursues paint manufacturers and interrogates their stockists. Surprisingly they don’t seem to agree on whether their particular paintsContinue reading “Watching paint dry”

Back from Colonsay I worked three days, putting together, levelling and fixing Ikea kitchen base units, then on Wednesday evening Tash took me to the bins in Tarbert to catch the Glasgow bus. I stayed overnight with Martin, giving me time next morning to take my guitar for repair, negotiate post-strike disruption and catch myContinue reading “August already and no time to write…”

Every now and then the ferry goes to Colonsay from West loch Tarbert, where we live. It rumbles past our house, out of the loch and across to Port Askaig (Islay), in the sound between Islay and Jura, next stop Scalasaig on Colonsay, then on, up to Oban. Unfortunately the timing didn’t work for usContinue reading “Another island, or two”

Mon 11 – Weds 13 July 2022 Weds: I write this at ten in the evening, eyelids heavy waiting for a super moon to rise and delayed cat-sitters to arrive. We leave early tomorrow for Colonsay and another short break. Jef has work waiting and wanted to be finished today, but will finish the lastContinue reading “Almost goodbye Jef”