The final clearing phase was completed this weekend – from part shed to no shed.
I saw the mother pigeon feeding her two young on top of the outhouse this evening, so both are fit and healthy. I’ve seen the mother a few times since the youngsters disappeared but I’m very pleased to have their safety confirmed – especially as I found the remains of a pigeon in the field this afternoon while I was harrowing it.
Today I finally began to remove the roof timbers and evicted the swallows – tyrant that I am! 🙂 There are plenty of nearby trees and access to the inside of the barn for roosts, and roosting was all they were recently using their old nest site for. With the roof and end panels removed, that just left the rotten uprights to haul out.
I discovered how powerful the new tractor’s hydraulics are as I lifted out the only upright that wasn’t rotten at the base – with a push to loosen it, it came out the ground complete with its concrete block. And that was it – the last post out and the job completed!
So the site is now cleared, fenced off so old Dolly the 34-year-old Shetland Pony can safely graze, and the site is ready for the builder to begin laying footings and the low wall that will contain the concrete base. The wall is designed to lift the studio above the occasional light flooding, and to dissuade Ronnie Rat and his mates from chewing their way in. All I need now is the builder….
This is cool!
Next time you come over I’ll see if I can scrape together a project for you! Or, I suppose I could pop over and help out by making tea and witty rejoinders…
A project? In Canada? With Owen? Oh good! 🙂 But if it involves lifting you’ll have to provide me with a tractor – I’m getting too old for lifting!
And we could do with your help here. Once the studio has been erected I’ve got the electrics, heating and floors to install, all the interior doors and casings, and the decorating – so you won’t be idle! And I can’t think of anyone better to make the days go by more enjoyably. When can we expect you to arrive? 🙂