The end of last week was quite wet here, so we continued to major on internal jobs – except last Saturday, when a collective brainstorm saw Mike, Tim and I rushing around the building effecting temporary repairs on a number of roof leaks. Some had been relatively minor and existed for a while whilst others were more recent and caused more concern. No photos available (as one faulty roof slate tends to look much like another) but I am thrilled to report that the leaks into the the old kitchen, the long corridor, and the cafe bay by the fire are all now no more!
Flushed with this success, Mike decided to complete a piece of floor 2 which has been missing for about the last year. The picture below shows a step ladder standing on the floor 1 landing, visible from the floor 2 landing where the old stairs used to emerge on floor 2. It was only a little job: Mike just had to line the wall with plywood and fire-resistant plasterboard; then fit joist hangers; then fit recycled joists to hangers; then add floorboards.
Meanwhile I have been faffing about outside, primping, trying the make the place look a little more orderly in the area round the chalet. In an area where firewood had previously been stacked, we found this delightful fruiting body…
…which we show again so you can see how this life form looks ready to bid for international domination – and I know collies are smart, but I’m not sure they are that smart.
Mike has persevered, and we can now safely show people around floor 2.
Today, Mike has also started to install the new shower tray into the floor 3 bathroom – now that we have received the one that should actually fit…
…and I have been making hay whilst the sun shone. Yes, we have had a couple of dry days, and the forecast for this week looks dry, so I am focused on painting the external front wall before the winter is with us. I spent today putting the first coat of sealer onto the external front wall, using scaffolding towers and ladders as appropriate to reach all parts. At 3pm I swap for my indoor job, serving in the cafe until 5pm. As you can see, Mike snuck in at about 4.45pm to find me catching up on the world news, as filtered through the inside of my eye lids.
Here’s hoping someone will have the camera to hand during the rest of the week to catch just how much better the building should look in a day or so!