51. Longer, lighter days

Winter has finally passed so we've been able to continue work on the cabin. We've managed to get a few more bits of cladding onto the outside, there's still a bit more to do but the end is in sight. Rich has put a couple of hooks for our waterproofs in what was going to be the wood store, we decided to adapt it and it's now a wood, boot, coat and recycling store. He's also built some steps up to it so our main entrance is now through the French doors. It's much easier taking our boots off there and putting them away in the store rather than having to balance on the step to take them off and bring them in with us. 

Rich is building an outside toilet in the wood behind the cabin. He's using wood from the bedroom floor in the house to make the walls and we've some old slates to make a roof. It'll be a compost toilet and will mean we don't have to trek down to the house every time we need the loo. Eventually we plan to have a toilet in the cabin but that's hopefully going to be a flushing compost toilet so will take a bit more working out. We're going to start work on the bathroom in the cabin soon. We've moved our water tanks further up the hill which has increased the pressure so our water flow is much better. Rich is going to fit a shower that will run off the small gas boiler. 

We finally felt safe enough to transfer our tomato plants into the polytunnel although the peppers are still in the cabin. Runner beans, cauliflowers, cabbage, kale, courgettes and squashes are all doing well and we're starting to plant out what we can in the vegetable plot. I moved some kale and cabbages from the polytunnel yesterday. Rich planted the potatoes and onions some weeks ago now so altogether it feels like we're growing quite a bit more this year. 

My garden is springing back to life, lupins, forget-me-not, poppies, ox-eye daisies, wild geraniums and aqualegias are all making a come back and we're hoping the roses we planted last year will flower this summer. 

We've started to have visitors again which is lovely especially now we have the barn for them to stay in. Before my sisters visit I spent a few days cleaning and tidying in there as we haven't been in there much since we moved out at the end of last year. I decided to light the log burner to give the place an airing and warm it up. I'm glad I did it before our visitors arrived as the whole room filled with smoke. It was just billowing out the front of the burner. We discovered the chimney was completely blocked so Rich got up on the roof and put a broom handle down the chimney, a bucketful of soot and debris landed in the log burner. 

On the wood front we've bought some logs from a neighbour. The electric chainsaw only seems to be able to get through the smaller ones so looks like we'll have to go back to the petrol one. I'm enjoying using my axe again to split them. 

We're supposed to be getting 3 to 4 hot days soon so we're planning on finally finishing the roof on the cabin. It'll be a relief to get it done as the way the time is flying it'll be winter again before we know it. 

So, slowly but surely things are getting done. I love being here, I feel I've settled in and belong more this year. Perhaps it's because we're making it more our own and the cabin feels more like a home than the barn did, just need to get it finished!