Out and About

Hello Lovelies, 

thank you so much for the encouraging comments on our shed project. This weekend we have made more progress and I'm relieved to say we now have a permanent, waterproof roof. WooHoo :0)

That's a great feeling. We had good weather this weekend and seized the day, but it doesn't stop me wishing I could have gone walking instead. 

Last weekend the weather was too windy to tackle the roof and I got up early to have a walk before Storm Brian hit us. I wanted to see a beautiful sunrise and was at the country park by 7.45am. It wasn't quiet the colourful spectacle I had imagined, but I still enjoyed my walk.

and as the sun got higher I loved the golden light. The Cormorants made me smile has they dried their wings on the island.

It was so nice to get out early, see the sun

and breathe the fresh air on a cool and windy morning.

Before going home for some warming porridge.

In the end we were very fortunate that the storm was not so severe here in the East Midlands.

Then on Thursday I got to walk in Derbyshire with my super walking group.

Got to love the autumnal hues and mossy stone walls.

It was in the Matlock area and I just love the hilliness around there. I know it's for the views, but also for the similarity to the area of Yorkshire that I grew up in. I do love picking my way down a steep slope. It's such a nostalgic feeling to me. Though as a kid I was probably running at full pelt, hoping not to fall over :0)

The highlight of this walk for me though, was our walk up through the Lumsdale Valley. It's a place I have shared here before on more than one occasion.

I love the waterfalls.

And the interesting industrial ruins.

Up to this point it had been a mild and still day but we hadn't seen any sun. How thrilled I was when it emerged from behind the clouds as we reached the mill pond.

Which had a glassy surface perfect for enjoying the reflections.

All the autumn colours sing when there's a bit of brightness in the sky.

So while my walk total for October is poor,  I must remember to be thankful to be able to squeeze in beautiful walks like these two. I'm lucky to have the time, in amongst the family, work and shed construction stuff.

I'm not sure I will make my 1000 mile challenge this year but hey ho, there's got to be a balance. I'm happy. Life is good.

Jacquie x

The Shed Story :: Part 1

Hello Lovelies,

If you have been reading my blog for a while I'm sure this view of our garden is familiar. Last year we spent quiet a lot of time and effort improving the garden, building a raised bed and painting the shed. It was all looking rather nice in the spring when this photo was taken.

well, maybe not this corner. This "rockery" was always a messy disappointment.

Anyway, that does not matter now, because it is no more.

Neither is the decking, which I did like.

Or the shed...though we have saved that to hopefully rebuild elsewhere.

The reason for all this destruction was a plan we had hatched to build a workshop. It's going to be somewhere eldest can hone his woodworking skills initially, though I hope it will be used by all the family as the years go by. 

By June we were digging out the footprint, it's quiet big ( 6 meters by 4).

It was a lot of work and created a LOT of mess. I did not enjoy seeing my garden looking like this. It was quiet depressing to see is disappear under the soil heap. 

"Thankfully" there was no view out of the window anyway, due to the storage of materials on the patio :0)

Hubby had managed to source lots of free wood and I naively though this would be super cheap project at this stage. Wrong. Things like these joists still had to be purchased, and wood is expensive.

But the whole idea was to give our boys a practical project to work on with hubby's guidance. Yes we could have bought a kit, but if this project is a success it should be a much more satisfying and longer lasting result.

A skip was needed to get rid of the soil heap.

Here they were adding insulation under the floor, because, well one day I may need a cosy studio ...eeek :0)

Eldest made me smile when he made this cardboard model. I tried holding it up at arms length to get an idea of how the shed may look. Not sure that worked :0)

Back to reality, here are some free windows my brother in law donated.

We have had quiet a few delays in the build, but finally by late September things were coming together.

I'll be so glad when this shed has a proper roof and we can dispense with the ugly tarpaulins.

So, it's now October and this is about  as far as we have got. The days are getting shorter, wetter and windier. 

  Our shed is still in the ugly duckling phase, but I have every faith that it will be much easier on the eye when it's complete. There's just so much still to do before winter sets in. I'm trying not to stress about it.

Back with more progress shots in a while.

p.s. Thank you so much for your concerned comments om my last post. Things are much better this week. I'll take shed worries any day.
Jacquie x