It's a jungle out there!

It's been a while since I've blogged but life has continued a pace, days have merged into weeks into months.It really doesn't seem like six months since we spent our first Christmas in our Irish house.

Hubby has been working hard both on the house and also on our house and garden in UK, whilst I have been working two jobs meaning usually only having one day off every ten days.

It's been exhausting and family and friend catch up time has unfortunately gone by the wayside.

We spent the full month of April in Ireland and the weather was really kind to us again, meaning that we made great progress on painting the outside of the house.

We have just had another week there with equally favourable weather and we've finally finished the outside.

When you compare it to what it looked like when we first voted the place, the difference it makes is so heartening and hopefully it looks a lot more friendly and welcoming than it did.

 

  

                                                                                        

As well as trying to get some decorating done we have also welcomed quite a few guests already this year.

It's great to be able to entertain at last but it does mean that decorating has taken a bit of a back seat, the house is in the sort of state now that everything has been painted and needs its top coat and final touches. To the unknowing guest it looks ok and I suppose it sort of means we don't feel the urge to paint so strongly! To be honest its nice to sit and enjoy it rather than be working all the time.

With such good weather our attentions have also turned to the outside space. The site our house stands on is apparently 1.3 acres. Essentially it was a field with house built on it and as such it still looks like that. Over the winter everything had obviously died off but when we came back this last time, with the recent run of hot weather, it came as no surprise that everything had grown slightly.

It can be a bit daunting but we have enlisted the help of a local garden designer. He runs a local garden centre and we first came across him when we were listening to the local radio station on a Saturday morning. He does an hour long gardening Q&A show and as his garden centre was fairly local we decided to pay a visit. We found out he offered a garden design service and we decided it would be a good idea. Hubby and I like a nice garden but we are no experts. We have a fairly small garden in the UK which doesn't take too much work to maintain and have over the years developed some raised vegetable beds. 

With such a large area of land we knew we needed some help and really felt that we would end up saving ourselves money too. Trees, plants and other things for gardens can be so expensive and we could easily have bought loads of things and found that they didn't grow properly resulting in a large waste of money.

So Padraic from the garden centre has visited and we have discussed our ideas with him. He seemed very positive and we await his first set of plans. Once we have agreed on a design we like he will put together a 3 years plan for us to follow in order to achieve it.  

So hopefully we wont be looking at this 'field' for too much longer.

                 

                  

Maisie has enjoyed exploring the garden. She runs off and hides and waits for you throw her ball, sometimes its a bit hard to see her properly.....

 

Fuelled up ready for winter

Its very important when living in a  cold climate to have ample fuel to keep you warm.
In our new house we have opted for two lovely multi fuel stoves as part of our heating system and this last time we visited it was time to stock up on fuel.
After talking to local friends and neighbours hubby had tracked down the man to supply it and had ordered half a lorry load of wood and half a lorry load of turf (peat). 


"Peat is commonly known by the Irish as 'turf' and has been harvested for centuries by a method known as 'cutting.' Peat has been an invaluable source of heat and energy throughout history in Ireland. It was found to be a useful alternative to firewood for cooking and heating throughout Ireland and other parts of the European continent. Harvested from the bogs scattered throughout the Irish landscape, peat forms over time from decaying vegetation"(Irishfirelogs.com)

Given that we didn't know how big the lorry was so didn't really have an idea how much fuel we would be expecting!
Luckily on the day it arrived I was there and my parents were also over visiting us too. 
First the wood arrived and was dumped by the garage and the man kindly and probably quite wisely said "I won't come straight back with the turf".

We started a chain of log throwing from pile to garage and in no time at all (probably an hour or two) we had piled the logs neatly in the garage and so we rang the man to come back with the turf.

I had seen turf before but when its delivered in such a large volume it is quite daunting. We set about moving it but it seemed to take ages to feel like we were making any sort of progress.

Finally it was all stacked neatly with the logs in the garage. One project for next year is to build a proper wood/turf store at the side of the garage so that it can be covered but also get sufficient air to it to dry it out for burning.

Even Maisie dog is in in awe of the fuel mountain

It was very nice to sit down in front of a real fire that evening

Its a proper home....at last!

It has been a long coming but finally we have got not just a house but a home!

Since the summer hubby has been over in Ireland quite a lot, chasing up workmen to finish their jobs before we could start on our bit...the decorating.

At the end of August I got some leave from work and spent 10 days out there. It was great feeling I could finally take part, have a go and make a difference.
I had spent months deciding what colours I liked and once hubby had agreed we had chosen paints and set to.  There were a few changes though because when I arrived hubby had already painted our room and unfortunately I didn't really like the colour of one wall. I wanted a statement colour and the colour i had chosen wasn't 'statement' enough. There was a bit of a discussion and finally I was able to go and buy a better colour and when it was applied it was agreed that yes it probably did look better than before.

Goodness yes its bright but now all the furniture is in the room it does look better.

We also managed to finish another bedroom in time for a short visit from my parents who came over to see the house and to lend a hand. OK so there are no curtains yet but to be honest the only thing likely to be looking through that window is a cow in the field.

My mum helped me giving three rooms their first coat of paint and my dad did a brilliant job clearing out the garage which had become a dumping ground for packaging. At last we could see the back of the garage.

Once Mum and Dad had left we had a few days and we set about starting painting outside. The weather was good and so it was a great opportunity to get at least one coat of paint on before winter comes. It takes a lot of paint.

      

Before

After

Hubby got a good job!

We have also got the heating working, a fitted a working kitchen and bathrooms so we can live in it quite easily now whilst we finish off the painting.
This week has seen the last of the flooring fitted so finally no more dust!

Thought you would like to see some before and after photos:

The kitchen - before

The kitchen - now

The sunroom - before

The sun room - now

Dining area - before

Dining area - now

Upstairs roof space - before

Upstairs - two rooms and a shower room - now

Sunroom to dining room - before

Sunroom to dining room - now

Project Shanvallybeg

We have been over to Ireland again to start work on the interior painting. I could only stay for about 5 days before having to head home for work so I have left hubby and Maisie dog over in Ireland. 

The new heating tank has arrived and is in situ, we have painted the room and have had flooring fitted. It does look like a rocket doesn't it!

We went to town and bought some paint. We are giving everywhere a coat of white paint and then have had the pleasure of choosing colours! 

Some new furniture arrived whilst we were there, we managed to put it into the middle of one of the rooms so we can still paint round it.

I managed to give our bedroom and ensuite a coat of white paint and since I've left hubby has managed to finish painting both of the large rooms upstairs. 

So over to hubby for a few words about Ireland..............

The Shanvallybeg Project

So Monday Sharla and I arrived here in Drummin.

Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday washing all the walls and painting.

Friday I kicked a bucket of paint over and later that day the handle on my bucket decided to part, depositing a solution of Borax and water all down the stairs!

Saturday I had to take my best friend and work partner to the airport in Knock, as Sharla was back to work on Sunday in Shrewsbury.

So far two rooms under coated, 20 litres of paint gone and 13 more rooms plus a massive hallway to undercoat before two top coats!

Neighbours invited me for a drink Saturday evening, Martin had got a bottle of Bushmills in and Mary Jo had prepared loads of food.

However this was not before I finished Saturday off. Sharla had returned to Shropshire and Maisie with her broken leg was left to comfort me. Let's check the garage I thought. The key was really difficult to get in the lock. After about 5 minutes of trying bingo, turned the key pushed up the roller door but forgot to take the key out. Snap the key was now in two pieces one of which was still inside the lock.

My brilliant neighbours have given me the key to a house down the lane to get a shower, the only thing I currently don't have, whilst camping out here. Ah cotton wool buds I saw on the side. Must get some dust out of my ears before the shower. Snap, WTF, the cotton wool bud had just snapped in two. Better remove the other half I though, snap, now 25% of the stick left in my ear. Shower and shave, down to see Mary Jo and her medical skills to remove the bud from my ear! The cotton wool buds apparently have been there many years so very brittle as I found out!

Sunday, breakfast, some washing on the line and now two weeks or more of painting, apart from finding somebody to sort the garage door out! Currently electrics in the house but no heating or water, the latter coming from a tap in the back garden from a well on the hillside.

So as you can read it seems hubby is having quite a time of it.

We have lights.......and they work!

We had another trip over to Ireland recently and were really pleased to see the progress made in the months since we were last over.

Firstly on approaching the house we could see Kevin our builder had been very busy with the digger driver not only installing our septic tank and percolation area but levelling out a lot of the ground around the house. The large grassy mound from the side of the house had disappeared and let us see what a huge job we have got in front of us with regards the garden!

Before

After a bit of landscaping

We also noted that several drainage trenches had been put in, a great relief given Ireland is such a wet country. 

Another brilliant surprise was seeing the stonework on the front of the property. Given the fact that we had chosen it by walking into a showroom and been confronted by a huge selection of stone. We had to think about what other colours were around so the dark blue/grey colours match in with the dark roof and the lighter brown colours blend in with the windows. We were really pleased with the finished result.

The view from the entrance of our driveway looking back down the lane

 Inside the house we were further excited to see our staircase now in situ. Ok so it isn't complete but it gives a lovely idea of what it will look like. Again very pleased to be able to walk upstairs on a proper staircase and not a rickety temporary ladder/staircase.

The biggest result was realising that we finally have electric power to the property! So we ended up going round each room and switching on each switch own turn and we oohed and aahed, a bit like when at a firework display. As we had only seen our light fittings in the boxes it was brilliant to see them all in their places and finally be assured that they were the correct purchase. Of course my wonderful designer  light switches and sockets looked brilliant. I am so pleased with the choice.




So whats next? Well the plumber is in now, fitting radiators and the heating system, then we can warm the place up and then start fitting the woodwork. We have chosen the doors and handles (who knew there was so much choice). Also hoping the kitchen will be fitted in May/June
We are visiting again in a couple of weeks to finalise our choices of tiles so the tiler can get on and start work in the bathrooms. 

A sneaky peak at one of our tile choices - purple has to be included somewhere !

Half a kitchen

In November we made another successful trip to the west coast to see how things are progressing.

We arrived on the early ferry meaning that we arrived over in the village late morning. Of course we drove straight upto the house to see what if any changes we could spot.
The first thing was the garage door! Yes sad but true but every little thing means progress. Kevin the builder had arranged it and we are very happy with it.

Newly rendered garage with a new door. 

We had picked up the key for it from our neighbour so we opened it up and set about decanting stuff from the car into the garage. I have to admit this included a quirky selection of our belongings including our open Canadian canoe, dog agility equipment  and a rotary washing line. Completely random.
Within half an hour of our arrival we got a call to say that the lorry  carrying our delivery of kitchen appliances from the UK was arriving in the village. We gave the last few directions to the driver and marvelled at how organised we were.
The lorry arrived bearing a logo very close to our home in UK 
which was strange as it is now an Irish registered vehicle. Anyway as if on cue, the heavens opened and assisted in a swift and soggy transfer of goods from lorry to garage.

We were also pleased to see that all the plastering inside was now complete and does make such a difference to the inside. The new hallway looks vast.....perhaps it could double as a skittle alley.

We were also pleased to see the first of our two multi fuel stoves installed. This one is in the dining area.  We will also have a free standing one in the lounge.

Overall we had a lovely few days which also involved choosing carpets and measuring up for bedroom furniture and we even had a sunny enough day that we could enjoy our 'garden'. I use the term loosely as it is currently more like a field. 

Getting plastered!

We had another lovely few days over in Ireland and would you believe it, beginning of October and it didn't rain once!!

This trip we stayed in a little cottage about two miles from our house. The cottage belongs to a German couple who only visit once or twice a year and offered their cottage  as a place for us to stay.

The cottage where we stayed.

The view from the cottage gate.

We had a lovely surprise when we went to visit our house. Apart from three sections which need to be stone clad with local stone the rest of the house has been rendered beautifully. At last we can see our house coming to life,

Before

After

The back before

The back after - no sign of the door that used to go to the boiler room.

Work will now commence on plastering inside.

We  finally ordered our bathroom furniture / sanitary ware. We will have four bathrooms of various shapes and sizes so there was a lot to think about.
We have found a brilliant furniture store locally which has a great selection of furniture and it seems that every time we visit we manage to do so whilst they have a sale on. Last time we were over we ordered a mattress and sofa and so this time we decided that a bed frame and some bedside cabinets and drawers would be a good idea.

Lots of progress

Hubby and I have just returned from a few more days in Ireland.
The main reason was to check how the house was going but also enjoy Irish hospitality.

We arrived on the Monday and as we were a little early to check into our accommodation we found a place for breakfast. There is something about Irish bacon and sausage, it is yummy, add a little bit of black pudding,egg  and toast and you have a perfect Irish breakfast plus of course the obligatory pot of tea.
We went to introduce ourselves to our host for the week. Have you ever tried Airbnb? It's a great way to stay in places where people rent out a spare room for not very much money. Our stay in Westport was with Sabina, a lovely lady in her early 40's, who had a spare room in her apartment. She had recently decided to take a year long career break from her job and had decided to be an airbnb host for a couple of months. She was so friendly and welcoming and very passionate about her country.
She also provided a great breakfast every morning. We were happy with tea, cereals and homemade soda bread, the best he had ever tasted according to hubby. 
Once we had introduced ourselves and offloaded our bags we set off for a local town, we had visited a home store there on our last visit and purchased two dining chairs to add to our set and we had noticed they were having a bank holiday sale so we popped in for a look around. We ended up buying a lovely sofa set plus a new mattress. They were a very good price and we have been able to order them for delivery in November. 
We then went out to our house to see how work was getting on. We had some friends from back home in Birmingham,UK who were over in Ireland at the same time doing a road trip and we had arranged to meet up with them. The weather was totally awful, horizontal rain!! Ok so we always go to Ireland expecting rain but this was torrential. Sadly it did mean that most of the beautiful views around our house which had tempted us there in the first place were somewhat obscured by cloud. We were keen to show our friends around inside and out but we scampered inside and viewed the rest from the dry indoors. It was a shame because all we could see was low cloud. I'm sure they think we are mad, not the only ones I'm sure, but came again on another day and they would appreciate it a lot more I'm sure.
The rest of our 4 day stay was spent deciding on the final layout and design of the kitchen,  looking at bathroom furniture, having the rooms measured for flooring quotes, looking at stoves/fireplaces, looking at doors and of course enjoying a pint of Guinness or two.
The most impressive part was seeing the transformation of the upper floor from one big space to three separate rooms.

Also we had asked our builder to do a bit of adaptation with the fireplace in the dining room. We didn't want a floored based fire but one a bit further up the wall which wouldn't impinge on the room so much.