THE OTHER COTTAGE AND MORE NEWS
2011/02/20 18:33 Filed in: Foxglove Cottage
I have been neglecting my other cottage I’m afraid. However the time came when the roof just had to be renewed. THe cottage, known as Foxglove Cottage is in the heart of the Wolds in a village that is described as being in Tennyson Country. Several people maintain that the village stream is “The Brook” by Tennyson, but I doubt it. There are brooks and streams in the vicinity which can lay claim too.
The cottage is a listed building and the middle wall is “mud and stud”, a Lincolnshire building technique similar to Wattle and Daub. The oldest part probably dates from the Cromwellian era, but there has been much replacement and rebuilding. Originally the cottage was thatched but the conservation officer’s insistence on combed straw against reed persuaded me to use pan-tiles instead. Straw’s lifespan is much more limited compared to reed.
Even pan-tiles were not trouble free, as the conservation officer had his views on these too. Also he was not inclined to allow the removal of original timbers despite their parlous state. Many were crudely shaped branches of trees, a lot had beetle attack and some were no better than dust, but conservation demanded they be sandwiched into the re-worked roof with new timbers boxing them in.
The building is far from regular and straight and it’s a wonder this winter’s heavy snowfalls hadn’t finished the roof off. The dormers had sunk deep into the roof for instance. Anyway the work is nearly done, and I have to say the quality of the work is A1. Here is a picture of the work nearly complete.
FOXGLOVE COTTAGE’S NEW ROOF, FEB 2011
NEWS
NumberNine suffered during the winter but it was human error as it turned out. As the thaw came the cottage was found to have running water, running down the walls. At first it was thought to be melting snow or a burst pipe after the frost, but it turned out to be faulty workmanship to the plumbing under the bath. However, it did mean new carpet and floor in the sitting room, loads of drying out and de-humidification, some electrical work and redecoration. All is well now though. Looking forward to spring, but who isn’t?
The cottage is a listed building and the middle wall is “mud and stud”, a Lincolnshire building technique similar to Wattle and Daub. The oldest part probably dates from the Cromwellian era, but there has been much replacement and rebuilding. Originally the cottage was thatched but the conservation officer’s insistence on combed straw against reed persuaded me to use pan-tiles instead. Straw’s lifespan is much more limited compared to reed.
Even pan-tiles were not trouble free, as the conservation officer had his views on these too. Also he was not inclined to allow the removal of original timbers despite their parlous state. Many were crudely shaped branches of trees, a lot had beetle attack and some were no better than dust, but conservation demanded they be sandwiched into the re-worked roof with new timbers boxing them in.
The building is far from regular and straight and it’s a wonder this winter’s heavy snowfalls hadn’t finished the roof off. The dormers had sunk deep into the roof for instance. Anyway the work is nearly done, and I have to say the quality of the work is A1. Here is a picture of the work nearly complete.
FOXGLOVE COTTAGE’S NEW ROOF, FEB 2011
NEWS
NumberNine suffered during the winter but it was human error as it turned out. As the thaw came the cottage was found to have running water, running down the walls. At first it was thought to be melting snow or a burst pipe after the frost, but it turned out to be faulty workmanship to the plumbing under the bath. However, it did mean new carpet and floor in the sitting room, loads of drying out and de-humidification, some electrical work and redecoration. All is well now though. Looking forward to spring, but who isn’t?
SITE NEWS
2011/01/13 16:52 Filed in: News
The site is undergoing various upgrades at the moment and in particular the Availability page needs shaking down. Keep coming back and hopefully we’ll post again to keep you up to date
I'm back
2011/01/13 00:21 Filed in: New post
I”M BACK AT LAST
Hello again seems a long time since I blogged anything here. Sorry about that, I’ll attempt to keep things up. See you soon
Hello again seems a long time since I blogged anything here. Sorry about that, I’ll attempt to keep things up. See you soon
SEAL NEWS
2009/11/12 17:35 Filed in: Widlife
THE SEALS ARE BACK!
The beach at Donna Nook, near North Somercotes and a dozen miles from Louth, has once more become the maternity ward for the coast's large colony of grey seals. Hundreds of males and females have come ashore for the birth of hundreds of doe eyed babies over the next couple of months. There is a large visitor's car park and a well signed pathway leading to the "maternity ward" and lucky visitors could even catch sight of babies being born. The mums then suckle their newborn until they are large enough to shuffle back to the North Sea come the New Year.
The beach at Donna Nook, near North Somercotes and a dozen miles from Louth, has once more become the maternity ward for the coast's large colony of grey seals. Hundreds of males and females have come ashore for the birth of hundreds of doe eyed babies over the next couple of months. There is a large visitor's car park and a well signed pathway leading to the "maternity ward" and lucky visitors could even catch sight of babies being born. The mums then suckle their newborn until they are large enough to shuffle back to the North Sea come the New Year.
Bird Blog
2009/09/23 12:13 Filed in: Wildlife
Where have all the starlings gone? NumberNine has lots of birds visiting but never, it seems, a starling. We have an enormous pigeon who loves to sit by the pond but I think this is because he is so fat that taking off fazes him! We have a resident robin, which produced babies in the summer, and blackbirds and thrushes galore. The blackbirds are so tame they will hop on to the table when you eat outside and sit expectantly waiting for a tasty treat. Last year there was a mother pheasant with 12 little fluffy babies parading round the pond area. I even managed to photograph them, they were pretty cute. So back to the starlings....where have they all gone?