Category Archives: Uncategorized

After last week’s drama of getting the flue through the roof I felt like a break, so we caught the Friday morning ferry to Islay and didn’t come back until Monday. Three days with David: walking, drinking, cooking, eating, sleeping. On Saturday I tried an e-bike in Bowmore then we walked beside Loch Gruinart, highContinue reading “The week after an Islay interlude”

I woke at three a.m. and couldn’t stop thinking about how I’d manage to put the final pieces on top of the metre and a half of stove pipe already sticking up above the roof and fixing the roof stays… without falling off, that is. I thought it was probably safer and easier to assembleContinue reading “Lying awake instead of dreaming”

Our weekend disappeared as rapidly as it usually does but included the novelty of supper at a friend’s house. We walked there, a mile or so in the dark, down across the meadow and along the original Auchans track through the woods, then along the road. Andrew (our builder), Manda, Tansy and Guthrie were greatContinue reading “Man flue.”

And before I fall off I wish you all a happy and rewarding new year. The beginning of my week and new working year coincided with the surprise arrival of my son. So I took Monday off and on Tuesday Tom and I got to grips with the stove and flue in the house. ToContinue reading “2022: back up the ladder”

Where did the week go? Bedrooms, tape and plaster: I started in Bedroom 1, building the framework for the wall that will drop from the sloping (coomb) ceiling to the floor, a wall that will be nearly all doors, with storage behind. Next came framework for the floor to ceiling cupboard that runs the entireContinue reading “Holey T-shirt nemesis”

It is December, it’s cold, it’s dark. We arrived beside Loch Coille Bharr where a couple of swimmers were gasping themselves into the water. After Tash’s reports I wanted finally to see the habitat-engineering in north Knapdale for myself. The main track is easy to follow. It’s crossed by numerous narrow trails and, following oneContinue reading “Knapdale crab surprise”

On Monday Green Flag took the car away, the driver convinced my problem was a broken spring. So the plasterboarding continues: On Friday Chris had driven us into Lochgilphead, dropped a van load at the recycling centre then, between heavy showers, loaded twenty sheets of plasterboard: ten ordinary and ten denser blue ‘Soundbloc‘ boards forContinue reading “Queenies revealed by low pressure springs”

Recent visitor Chris made a sincere offer of help and and, nine days later, at my request he was back. Before he arrived on Monday afternoon I was beavering away at the new doorway to be ready for his help with plasterboard on the sloping ceilings. On Tuesday Chris and I got on with theContinue reading “Cut off his hand with a sharp pencil”

The first thing I must remember is that I can’t get straight on with it. I want to plasterboard the horizontal ceiling first so the sloping ceilings’ plasterboard helps support it, but before plasterboarding the horizontal ceiling I must deal with what lies above – air ducts supplying the living room and the bedroom andContinue reading “Plasterboarding at last…”

Not far away from our plot is another plot on another loch and Ali and Chris, the very recent co-owners (congratulations!) came to see what we’ve been up to. Clearly they have already given their future home considerable thought and as they are not intending to do the physical work themselves they are lining upContinue reading “Future self-builders in flue cliff-hanger”