One Man's Trash...

When you buy a 'normal' house you expect the previous owner to have cleared the garage out.. perhaps it is because we bought a small holding with its multiple outbuildings that we seem to have inherited an awful lot of 'stuff'.

Now there is a pay off to having to deal with unwanted stuff, for instance, I have a life time's supply of plant pots and seed trays and (once Dave had got it going) the abandoned garden tractor was a real bonus.

A skip was duly ordered and we've spent the last few days clearing out the garage, potting shed and large barn. Some items were fairly common place - mangy old chairs, broken strimmers etc. but the tea chest full to the brim with cat food tin lids was a bit of a head scratcher.

We also have this which wont fit in the skip - unless somebody wants it I suspect we may wait until the cat pops her clogs and give her a Viking send off.

Seriously.. if anyone wants a wooden sail boat (not the car roof box) then come get it!

Our new trailer will live where the sailboat is and there is now plenty of room to put the wee Smart Car in the other side. The garage is now clean, tidy and has power and lighting. Yes Dexter, you were very helpful.

Our contractors got busy on the barn roof this week - replacing rotten beams and damaged roofing. The barn is home to the Sparrow 'Massive' - a particularly rowdy colony and, at the other end where it's quieter, some Swallow families. Luckily the contractor's timing was spot on as the young from both ends have recently fledged and neither set appear to have been unduly worried by the disruption.

We now have a full roof and we're hoping the guys will come back next week to install the guttering and then finish the internal wiring for lighting and power.

Today we decided to make a start on mucking out - the barn was a former dairy so has raised concrete platforms running down each side with a lower central passage. I don't think the previous owners ever had livestock so the compacted straw and unmentionables has to be at least 18 years old. We need to get it all cleared out so that we can determine the state of the concrete bases.

We have got a third of the way through the barn and some areas are going to need new concrete top layers..

But hey - look what the previous owners left in the garage!

and no Freddie, you were not very helpful and now you are absolutely filthy.

In other news..

Dave decided his beloved birds deserved a new feeding emporium

The poly tunnel is filling up nicely (though I may regret planting quite so many courgettes)

and we had a lovely weekend with Bex (Daughter) and Lenka (dear friend who arrived with a Fortnum and Mason hamper - I think she may have misinterpreted what 'The Good Life' is - perhaps she is just too young or they didn't air the TV series in Slovakia, but hey - no complaints from this house!)