Last night we took a well deserved night off, headed into Manchester to our fave venue and took in the fun of the B52s. And fun fun fun it was, the band was on fire and Fred, Kate and Cindy had an absolute ball as did the audience. Great set list - great band and great venue (though I think I lost a stone in persperation - why does every venue refit seem to forget to put Air Conditioning into the mix). We all danced our socks off all night. Dan recognized Sterling Campbell was on the drums (last saw him on the last two Bowie tours)
Talking of concerts and venues I really do appreciate these smaller more intimate places. Its been a mixed batch this year - Rush at least know how to use an Arena and put on a show and were excellent as usual - Lisa Stansfield pure class upstairs above a bar as she warmed up for her tour - Bon Jovi (well half of Bon Jovi as obviously Richie had had enough of the farce they had become) could best be described as dull and soulless trying to create any atmosphere at the Emirates Stadium - Slash with Myles Kennedy at the Apollo superb. New policy - if it isn't Rush no more Arena gigs and all Bon Jovi records to be burnt.
Looking forward to the Ramsbottom festival (don't worry its attendance is more likely to be in 100s not 1000s) in September (3 days on a cricket ground and only a bus ride from the barn)- Sinead O Connor and Moreland & Arbuckle - mmmmm
Anyway reality calls.. Carpet underlay has just arrived - the carpets ready for delivery (for the bedrooms) and the oaks ready for the lounge floorboards..
"The whole Shack Shimmies"
We just harvested our first courgettes of the year. In truth it was one courgette and it was about 3 inches long but we are very proud - if self sufficiency is ever a plan I think we're all going to loose weight. Still it tasted nice and the plants look like they are going to keep producing more rather bendy courgettes.
Its been fun taking a break from building for five minutes and trying to pretty up the front garden with some plants but this weather has been causing some things to go crazy. The window basket seems to grow a few inches every time you stop looking at it and is slowly taking over the front window - a hair cut and good talking too may be necessary.
The field at the rear of the barn has so far been put to very little use. I kind of have a general idea that we'll put in some raised beds for vegetables but its not priority at the moment. One problem we do get each year though is that when Summer arrives it turns into a meadow of deep grass that is of no use to anyone (though the insects and Swallows love it). You quite physically can't put one leg in front of the other to wade through it - and after a shower (or as seems to be more common this year a deluge from the heavens of a months rain in an hour) you would have to wear oilskins and waders to cross the field without being soaked up to your waist.
The solution has been to fence part of it off and allow the hand reared lambs (natures great lawnmower) back into it and its now become a nursery field for Joan (The Giantess) and MaggieAnne her new best girlfriend who is actually slightly older but much smaller. These two seem to compete on a daily basis for who can be the cutest. Joan is nudging ahead slightly because when she runs those oversized ears bouce up and down and make her look like Dumbos making his take off run.
The flock arrived back two days ago (all sheared) and went into the "Top Field". It was lovely to hear them all shouting and watch the reaction of Joan and MaggieAnne who could both hear the rest of the flock but couldn't actually see them. Much bleating and baaa - ing from one field to the other as the night set in.
And in other (kitchen) news... Spot the deliberate mistake!!!!!
Remember I said we would fit the kitchen unpainted as a temporary measure so we would could focus on other issues. Turns out when you have a freezer full of meat and are cooking quite regularly at the barn its not a good idea. As chief builder Neil pointed out if the wood was left untreated any fat or grease that got on the wood is hard to deal with at a later stage.
So out with the paint rollers and brushes and on with the painting - and on and on and on. Its an endless procedure of paint, sand, and repeat to get the required finish but in the end its been worth it. A few things are still left to do to complete the kitchen; architraves around the pantry door, skirting boards and the walls behind the units themselves are yet to be papered but the room is almost finished and ready to furnish.
Michael at Village Pine has done a great job creating them to my own drawings. They are exactly what we wanted - though I think if we had to do it again we would send them off to be painted. And don't lets get started on the choosing the colour. Its a creamy lemon .
Theres also a touch of magic watching over events (thank you Susan :) can you see him? I.m now busy sketching out the dimensions and size for the dining table for Neil to start creating. Dans working out how his beloved hi fi equipment can be squeezed into oak!
To finish a before and after set from the same spot in March 2011.
