Pushing though…

These big ‘change’ DIY projects really take some slogging and it is vital to push through. When the house was pulled around that was about juggling a collection of independent traders and finding the gaps where responsibilities, technicalities or whole groups of jobs, weren’t either quoted for – or for whom no one’s name was on them before we ground to a halt. But, the expertise was all there once boots were on the ground. With the barn, this time, it is us re doing something we built years ago – so there has been take-down, rebuild and tweak and a minimum standard and a maximum possibility on what we are doing – some of that is weather-related and some extra pair of hands related – luckily the guy who has been helping can’t come every week ad I think that has helped us pace ourselves – Gordon is also working – and has let us see things with some perspective rather than pushing on through not noticing things aren’t right.

There isn’t much – but there are things around some packing between stanchions and door hinges needing to be moved to the catch end and bolted and not screwed on. Also the non- sweet itch pony showed us that while we were concentrating on the sweet-itch pony’s pen being smoothly solid that his also needed lining as the rails were higher so even a mild rub would bend the cladding. I have caught my hand on ‘easy catch’ door catches so demonstrating how they will they rip themselves and rugs…

The first of the goats arrived in a relay drive from their homes by their owners. All doubts I had about having livestock again – briefly before replaced by a whole load of new doubts!!!

Three weeks after starting this post we are still finishing the shed – this weekend we have light fittings to sort out – and still more tweaking of gate catches and a replacement door for that old east-end stable door, that is not marine ply, which is a lottery if I can shut on any given day 🙂

We have three more goats but the final one arriving, for this year, has been postponed till after Lock Down.

RE Bird Flu – We also have to prepare for the possibility of the geese being indoors ,back down in the barn they have just moved out of, as they can’t be in such a small pen all the time as the one they use at night. Mean while a supply of Verkon has been ordered and this weekend will see me scrubbing water buckets and making a foot bath etc for humans to use on entry to the yard. At the moment food and water should be indoors but the birds themselves can be outside.