A stress free free day!

We had a suspicion that it was going to be difficult and we weren't disappointed.

The engineers were due to fit the AGA today but the electrician hadn't finished his preparation. The electrician assured us that he would arrive first thing. The engineer had planned to take two days over the installation. He turned up to announce that he would complete in one day as his daughter had chicken pox (?). The electrician didn't turn up. In order to achieve Building Regulations we have to pressure test the house. There are holes in the walls behind the AGA that couldn't be sealed until the electrics were completed but would be inaccessible once the AGA was installed. So without the electrician we couldn't seal the house and we couldn't install the AGA but we had to install the AGA.

The camping gas cooker has arrived

The electrician finally turned up at 11.30 and did the absolute minimum to allow us to to carry out the installation but not connected to economy 7 so we have fired up the AGA on very expensive electricity.

Game of thrones?

Fortunately the solar panels are doing a great job in this lovely sunshine which will help compensate.

The wood floor.

We ordered the wood flooring for the morning room last week and, on Monday, were told it had been delivered. It hadn't. After many phone calls, in which we were told it would arrive tomorrow, we discovered it had been delivered to Bristol. It's very difficult to spot the difference between Bristol and Nether Wasdale. We had booked the joiner to start next week after acclimatisation (the wood, not the joiner) so we thought that we would have to cancel. The wood arrived late this afternoon.

As the electrician is not coming back until next week we now have a quiet day tomorrow only expecting arrival of the single beds that will be going on the carpet that was due on Wednesday but didn't arrive.


At last we have managed to unpack some of the boxes to reveal a number of very welcome presents.







Still we had a lovely sunset.

Trials, tribulations and some smug satisfaction

Well, we are in but with limited facilities so we are having to endure visiting the Strands and the Screes for meals. Unfortunately these places sell beer. This morning was quite traumatic (explanation later) so we could not organise breakfast and, therefore, were forced to demand bacon butties from the new shop at Church Stile Farm. What a shocking sacrifice.



We have discovered this amazing power. At a flick of a switch we get brilliant light and things wash our clothes, clean the carpets and charge our tablets. Bet you wish you had this stuff.

Yes, we have electricity. Not quite perfect - sockets work but the lighting is a bit haywire, hopefully to be sorted soon.




We have mostly sorted the lounge (now to be called the Drawing Room to match the bell panel) and it feels pretty good to us. We are delighted how spacious it feels even with all of our old furniture. We have ordered the new TV/audio system and these are due to start arriving next week.





It was planned to carpet the downstairs bedrooms today but the supplier sent the wrong carpet for Jackson's room so we will have to wait another week. The double room is carpeted and furniture installed but images will have to wait until curtains and a door are fitted.



Andrew was up quite early this morning which was just as well as the installers of the solar panels arrived at 7.20. Pyjamas were rapidly replaced with suitable clothing. The installation was quick, efficient and stress-free. We have already generated 9 kw and the washing machine has been running all day for free.

Tomorrow the AGA but the electrician is running late. Wish us luck.

An end to Armageddon?

Well, the internal electrics are virtually complete. The showers have been tested and are fabulous.





The kitchen is also almost complete, really just awaiting the arrival of the AGA.




Wednesday was one of our busiest days ever. Our own furniture was delivered, The Joiner was fitting the skirting to the downstairs bedrooms and the window boards, the Plumbers were doing last minute things, The Glaziers fitted the clips to the balustrade and measured for the glass and the AGA Engineer carried out the final pre-installation survey. The weather in the morning was atrocious and, despite all attempts at protection, mud and corruption have been spread over our new carpets.

It was a bit ironical that, with Margaret having been elected secretary to the Nether Wasdale "Cumbria in Bloom" committee and we having attended the inaugural meeting the following day Electricity North West turned up to trash all of the manicured verges in the village to supply                                                             Cinder Beck with electricity.

THE GARDEN HAS BEEN RESTORED! JCB Mike spent a day here and has performed a miracle. The soil has been spread, the path and parking repaired, trees have been replanted and the layout is now visible. On top of that the weather has improved out of all recognition and everything is clean and dry.

Nutmeg is home. Many thanks to Ian for looking after her since the beginning of January but we decided it was safe for her join us. We kept her in for a few days but she is now free to roam and she has been going ballistic. She clearly cannot believe all the space she has and follows Andrew everywhere although she found the Herdwicks a bit much.



An electric supply is coming to a barn near you - well to us, actually. Today the cable installation was completed up to our meter box. The meters are due to be fitted next Tuesday then we will be LIVE!

With our furniture in our lounge it is beginning to look homely but images will have to wait for the next blog after we've cleared some of the clutter.

Stuff 'as 'appened

Right, let's get thing into an order of priority.

Doing

Done

Firstly, the author had to take on the task of rebuilding the dry stone wall as nobody else wanted to regardless of the offer of wads of dollar. He'd never done anything like this before but the end result was acceptable. Most importantly, he capped the wall with lime mortar. Margaret was fascinated.

Ruby wedding

On a nicer note our new rose, Ruby Wedding, has been planted on the sunny side of "pebble" in the hope that it will produce a flower at the appropriate time.






We have a bedroom! Complete with curtains and all. We really have crammed everything in but, as we were fed up with an absence of storage space, we will put up with struggling around the bed.




Lounge and stairs are now carpeted, Lounge is curtained and the doors are fitted with lovely antique furniture that suits the oak so well. The new door at the bottom of the stairs is fitted, just needing glazing, and lives up to Simon's very high standards.







All of our new furniture has arrived. The dining room table and chairs are currently in the kitchen until we have a floor in the dining room and they do rather fill the room. The fridge is now chilling water and making ice.




Now that it has, at last, warmed up, we have bought a bit of outside furniture and we can sit and watch the birds feed and look at the Beck.





We have, also, bought a few items to disguise some of the manhole covers - a couple of specimen plants in containers and an "over the top" water feature. The latter to let us know if anything goes wrong with the electricity supply to the treatment plant.




Although we do not have our permanent electricity supply, which is promised in two week's time, we do have a temporary supply, no cooker, working loos, hot and cold running Margaret and some furniture so we are moving in tomorrow. We are also going to collect Nutmeg and bring her to her new home.

Andrew has started restoring the 1960's Bush stereo gram, complete with Garrards deck. This task is dedicated to making a certain nephew in Australia sick with jealousy.

Lots of exciting events to follow.

Heat, heat it warms your feet!

We have kept quiet for a bit as things were going so badly but now we are beginning to see some really positive events.




No proper progress on the electricity supply and United Utilities decided to let us down on the water supply as well. We have learnt through experience and immediately emailed their Chief Executive. Our water was connected the next morning. Post blog note - it's worth complaining to CEO's. North West Electricity have just phoned to say that we will be connected on 17th April - Party Time!






The kitchen is progressing but we are making Simon, the joiner, jump from job to job so he doesn't quite know what he will be doing next, Hanging doors, furniture to the loft access, oak trimmings to the stair well and finish the kitchen. Next will be laying the dining room floor.











Most of the external ancillaries are complete with strange erections all over the place. The waste water process is operating and the rainwater soakaway is complete. The keen eyed amongst you will note the new sanctuary above the closed off single door.







Both bathrooms are now complete.




Most importantly of all, we have an operating heating system. After shivering for so long we now have warmth and hot water. It all proved to be, yet another, enormous stress but, with sufficient shouting and screaming, we have our very high tech. boiler pumping out heat as though there was no tomorrow. We have filled the ugly silo by hand but, in future, will be able to fill it from a tanker so the whole thing becomes fully automatic. We do have to sing the praises for our plumbers Steve, Darren and Stuart. Not only have they thought outside the boxes to solve some very difficult problems but they even helped us to carry all the wood pellets to fill the silo.

We have raided Dunhelm again and bought all of their curtains, bedspreads, towels and etc. We have also de-shelved Listers and there is now a world shortage of bathroom accessories. It has been too cold to fit out any of these but, now we are basking in balmy warmth, we will be able to progress.

Regardless of the outcome of the electricity supply we won't make our objective of being in by Easter. Our electrician has gone off sick and our next delivery of new furniture won't be made until next Wednesday. This would include our mattress so we will have to be patient. We couldn't order the wood flooring until we had some heat and cannot lay the carpets until the floor was down. However, the end is in sight and we have arranged for the next carpet laying event and delivery of our own furniture for next week.





We have had yet another wall collapse thanks to a stubborn tree stump but, as we cannot find anybody interested in rebuilding it, Andrew is going to have a go. This could take some time.