Posts that Didn't Happen: October 2024

At the time of writing (actually May 2025), the blog has rather fallen behind - so time for some catch up posts . . .

Back in time to October 2024 - life was pretty busy, what with the van conversion, and (for me) some archive consultancy work, although there was time to get out and about too.

At the beginning of the month, the planned meet up with the 'Archive Girls' went ahead on schedule.  

This was pretty much a re-run of last year's trip, staying at the same property, eating out at the same pub, and with another visit to Hay - time to relax, watch Strictly and have a good natter!

Then there was a trip to Cardiff (mostly in the rain) - some work, some 'van' shopping in Ikea, and an 'interesting' journey home through flooded roads - I was glad not to be driving!

Inbetween there was yet another Folly reorganisation swapping the desk with the sofa, so I'll be a bit closer to the heat from the wood burner as the days get colder.

Finally, towards the end of the month, we also had a trip to visit family - lovely to see everyone, and get a few bits and pieces sorted while we were there.

While all this was going on 'Project Van' was also continuing - albeit slowly, and with many frustrations - electrics, reversing cameras, window regulators, etc.  

Not least of these, was the realisation that the 'plan' for the bed layout wasn't going to work - there just wasn't enough room to overlay two single beds (as shown), so it was back to the drawing board.

The thinking now is to go for a sliding transverse bed (hence the trip to Ikea for more Skorva bed beams - a van conversion staple item!).

Some other tasks were completed, including the rather scary cutting of a hole in the side of the van for the electric hook-up:

So much more to do though . . .

Folly Layout # 4

Another day another 'reorganisation' - this time of the furniture in the Folly (again) - think I'm on something close to version 4!

The Folly had begun to feel very cluttered - and having moved 'in' a bookcase from the house, it was time for a rethink.  Cue another book 'cull' - removing some of the 'wine box' bookcases - and the re-homing of some unused furniture.

Then it was time to drag and shove what was left into new locations.

This included putting the train table (which I never seem to have time to do anything with) into a corner (which I may regret if I do ever do anything with it!), but which did create a lot more floor space.

All in all it now feels much more spacious, and some things, such as the printer, are now conveniently closer to hand - it will do - for now!

Folly Finishing

Back in September last year, we had some final work done to render the outside of the Folly - just leaving the job of giving it a coat of paint.  And with the last couple of days being fine and sunny, it was time to tackle that job, before another winter passed us by. 

So here we are . . .

. . . one Folly with a nice bright white finish - long may it last :)

Posts that Didn't Happen - December 2022

And finally - December . . . and a somewhat busier month on all fronts!

Started with some rearrangements down the Folly - with the idea of fitting the desk into a corner and making more room around the railway table - while Martin tackled the project to 'hard-wire' in the internet connection to the garage (from where it makes its way to the Folly itself).

Took him most of that first weekend (channeling through concrete and across the lawn), but by the end of it we had fast, reliable connections in place.  Plus I got the Christmas tree up!

It was a good job the cabling got done that weekend, because the next week brought some really freezing weather, which lasted for a good ten days, and saw temperatures as low as -7 on some mornings.

We haven't really had weather this cold for years, and we were soon turning on the rayburn (despite resolutions to save oil and not use it this year) to keep us warm.

More Folly rearrangements followed, finally fixing on a new layout which works, with the desk benefitting from the light from the window, but allowing more space for moving around.  Also got some blinds fitted to the window (and door):

Noises in the bedroom cupboard (where we store all the Christmas decs), led us to think we finally had mice. Martin investigated (my hero), and managed to capture the culprit - a small (very speedy) and rather cute shrew. 

No idea how it got in there (unless it hid in a Christmas box, while they were downstairs), but it was soon released back to the wild.

And then of course there was the run up to Christmas, with a couple of meals out (one with Epic, one with former colleagues), Christmas shopping, making up our own Christmas cards, etc., etc.

Christmas Eve saw us on the road to visit family in Cambridgeshire - no cooking for me this year, the brother-in-law did the lot (except for contributing the traditional Sticky Toffee Pud!).  Lovely to all be together for Christmas!

Back to Wales for 'Second Christmas' with family here, and for a few days R&R - catching up with festive tv, eating chocolate, finally setting up the model train, etc. etc. - then it was all over for another year.

Hope yours was a good one!

Posts that Didn't Happen - September 2022

And on to September - traditionally our main 'holiday' month, but also the month where there is usually a glut of garden produce to deal with.

So the first week of the holiday involved lots of sorting through apples, tomatoes and marrows - freezing some down, cooking up tomato and chilli jam, etc. etc.

Then there were other domestic tasks, such as cleaning the upstairs carpets; a Covid booster jab for Martin; and on the recreational front a fishing trip with his Dad up to Dinas Reservoir.

Other notable pre-holiday activities, included a walk along the prom taking in the sights of the Rali Ceredigion, which ran a short stage through town and round by the Castle.

Then it was holiday time 'proper' - bags packed, and on the road for our first slightly more extended break since before the pandemic.

First 'in-transit' stop took us to Malvern - lovely town, nice walk up to St Ann's Well with some great views - ending the day with a pint or two, and a very tasty curry.  All in all a good start!

From there it was a cross-country drive to Norwich - via the National Trust's Wimpole Estate - arriving late afternoon to news of the passing of Queen Elizabeth II - truly the end of an era.

Had a couple of days in Norwich, exploring the city, and visiting the Cathedral - where the sights included the Cathedral Cat, Budge, enjoying a nap; tributes to the Queen; the Book of Remembrance (actually turned to a page with my Great Grandfather's name inscribed); and this rather macabre 400 year old ode to mortality:

All you that do this place pass bye
Remember death for you must dye.
As you are now even so was I
And as I am so shall you be.
Thomas Gooding here do staye
Wayting for God's judgement daye.

From Norwich we moved on to the Norfolk coast . . .  meeting family for a beach walk and lunch at Winterton-on-Sea . . .

Visiting Cromer (with its roaming Goats) . . . 

. . .  National Trust properties at Felbrigg and Blickling . . .

. . . and Sheringham, with its murals and historic steam railway . . . 

Loved this piece of WW2 signage at Sheringham station - no 'leaves on the line' excuses back then!

Left our cabin on the coast for a couple of night's visiting family in Cambridgeshire, before returning home again.

Back to the reality of hedge cutting and wood chopping, and my own Covid booster jab - before returning to work the Tuesday after the Queen's funeral.  Life was more or less getting back to normal, then the 'new' government under Liz Truss released its budget, and appeared to be in the process of bankrupting the country.

In other news, we had the end outside wall of the Folly rendered (as you can see it wasn't in the best of nick before all the Folly works started).

The addition of the chimney for the log burner hadn't helped matters, but now we have a nice solid wall - just need to paint it!

Finally, the end of the month saw us down by Tan-y-Bwlch beach enjoying some late September sunshine (while waiting for the car to be MOT'd!) - watching the sea, and the passing Hercules aircraft . . .

Post that Didn't Happen - May 2022

And now it's May, and mostly a month of garden things.

Started the month with a couple of 'projects' - finally doing something with other bits of the old oil tank - making a rhubarb planter out of the other 'end', and using the structural bits through the middle as supports for pizza oven / barbecue table sections (freeing up the breeze blocks).

We'd also invested in a small polytunnel to replace the growing space in the storm-damaged greenhouse - much puzzling over instructions ensued, but we got there in the end, and got it into position in the former small veg plot.

It all nearly went pear-shaped, when after going out on one windy day I got back to find the entire polytunnel (cover on), sitting right side up (as if placed there) in the field next door! 

Between us we managed to wrestle it back over the hedge, and here it is planted up, and firmly attached to some heavy base boards!

Other gardening jobs included some light hedge trimming, weeding out flower beds and the main veg plot, greenhouse maintenance, and planting up (tomatoes in the greenhouse and polytunnel - courgettes and potatoes in the veg plot).

Along the way had an extended visit with family, to help out while they had a new floor fitted, sat in the sun reading on the bench, and (slightly spooked by rising prices) staring to look for something new (and part-time) in the way of work.

The Folly meanwhile got rearranged (more than once) - taking it from a bare space, to something almost fully kitted out, and full of 'stuff'!

Posts that Didn't Happen - April 2022

Spring has sprung and we're into April - and it's all change . . .

Did some serious thinking last year, and decided enough was enough and it was time for something new, so handed in my notice (well in advance) to finish work at the end of this month.

8 April was my last 'working day' although I carried on with filing off and on before finally logging off for good on 19 April, with accrued holiday then taking me through to the end of the month.  

I had some lovely farewell messages, gifts and flowers . . .

. . . in particular, this reproduction estate map from the Welsh archivists, showing the local area and with our property actually marked on it!

So it's 'retirement' - for the time being anyway - a few months to enjoy the summer, furnish my Folly, keep on top of the garden, and read a few books.  Unfortunately that didn't seem to equate to time for blogging! 

Otherwise it was a month of work on the house and garden; including the acquisition of a new sail awning for outside the back of the house.

Martin also made a new garden table, and started work to repurpose the storm damaged greenhouse as a fruit cage.

Got some bargains in a local recycling store, and also had some furniture gifted from family for use in the Folly.

Stuff got moved in, with consequent reorganisation in the house as well, and a lot of time was spent on flat-pack furniture assembly for storage and workspace.

Nearly there!

Posts that Didn't Happen - March 2022

And on to March . . . 

Started the month with the death of my old Kindle, and the setting up of a new one with lots of enhanced features - the backlight will be particularly useful for reading at night!

Some baking - with my own version of Malteser Chocolate Cupcakes, which went down a treat.

And lots of 'Folly' related activity . . .

Martin had finished construction on the new wood storage round the back of the Folly so I painted it with wood preserver.  While inside the Folly I'd got the skirting boards stained and varnished and various 'gaps' sealed and caulked - plus a bit of additional 'cosmetic' pointing on the feature wall. 

We also got a 'garden path' laid down to the Folly - 'inlaying' the slabs by removing sections of turf - which handily could then be used to re-turf the 'scar' from the trench that was dug for the electric cabling back in December.

A path that will come in very useful in wet and muddy weather!

So, Two Year's On from the start of home-working and I was nicely settled in the Folly, with a proper desk set-up.

With the decorating done, I'm also beginning to move other bits and pieces in - next job, getting it fully furnished!

Posts that Didn't Happen - February 2022

So here's my February retrospective - a little later than intended!

Generally this was a quiet but anxious month - still waiting for the wood burning stove to be fitted for the first couple of weeks, and rather annoyed with it all.  Without heating, and a hole still through the wall for the flue, we ended up with condensation and mould on the newly decorated walls / ceiling.

On 11 February, the fitter finally showed up to get the stove in place and sort out the chimney - not that he managed to finish that, with some extra flue pipe on order, and the flue not properly concreted in as a result.

At least the hole through the wall was mostly filled, and we were told that we could light a small fire in the interim to get some heat into the building.

With walls and ceiling cleaned, and that fire lit, on 16 February I actually 'moved in' - or should I say 'camped out' (working from a makeshift desk), but at least getting some heat into the place.

Then 24 February brought the end of the world as we know it, with Russia's invasion of Ukraine - all that domestic angst now seemed so unimportant . . . 

It all got so upsetting I started avoiding the news entirely.

The end of the month did at least bring an end to the stove saga, with the flue finally in place and concreted in.

And with some sunshine, a late afternoon walk on the prom, and a stunning exhibition from the murmurating starlings - which I can never take a good picture of, so here's a photo of 'winged Victory' atop the war memorial instead.

Posts that Didn't Happen - January 2022

 So here's my January retrospective . . . and can't say it started well:

After being super-careful not to take Covid to family for the 'Christmas' visit - it turned out they already had it, and I brought it home with me.

At least I escaped with a relatively mild experience - just felt like I was getting a cold for a couple of days, then it went away.  No real cough or aches and pains - I've had much worse from a common cold!

Took a while to test negative, but Martin never caught it - neither did my sister (the brother-in-law was patient 0 and felt pretty bad), or Mum (Dad tested positive but didn't have any symptoms).

So hopefully that's our brush with Covid done with!

On a more positive note . . . 

Phil is still around and about the place, enjoying his peanuts.

And Martin entered his half century - marked by a Chinese takeaway with family (post self-isolation!).  We'll have to plan for his proper celebration trip when the whole Covid thing allows. 

The Folly also now has decorated walls, electricity, lighting and internet, a fully fitted vinyl plank floor, and skirting boards.  In fact the builders and electricians are all done and dusted.

Which just leaves the wood burning stove, which is proving to be a bit more problematic.

Can't say we've been impressed by the fitter. 

The builders had been done for a couple of weeks before he finally turned up to lay the hearth - then he couldn't get the flue to attach to the outside wall and had to come back twice to get some struts in place to attach it to.

As it stands there is still a hole through the wall and no flue - but at least the stove is out of its box, and in the Folly awaiting further developments. 

Getting There

Another 10 days in, and the bulk of the 'building' work is now done, with everyone due to take a break now over Christmas.  

The electricians have done their 'first fix' putting the cabling for the sockets and lighting in place, and the trench down the garden has been filled in.

The builders have finished boarding out the stud walls, and have plastered throughout:

They've also got the EDPM rubber roof fixed down permanently, and a metal lining tube through the stone wall to take the chimney for the wood burner.

It's by no means finished yet though . . .

 

There's still work to do on the feature wall; skirting boards and flooring to go down; and the second / final fix on the electrics - plus having the wood burner itself fitted.

Not to mention the decorating - which is my job!

One Week On . . .

 So, work has continued apace with the 'Folly' . . . 

The new glazed door and window have been fitted - the window is a breeze block width deeper than the old one, and together with the fully glazed door, should provide a lot more light inside.

They've boarded out the floating floor and started work on battening out for the interior stud walls, and tidying up the 'feature' stone end wall.

And some serious groundworks are underway for the electric cabling - bringing the electric across from the garage, which will get an updated fuse board as part of the process.

It's all moving on nicely anyway - although the garden lawn is currently a bit of a mess!