Neighbourhood watch!

I have written before in the blog about how all our neighbours here have made us feel so welcome - and Alan and Sonia even inviting us to their wedding. This week I have had cause to reflect again on the nature of neighbourliness. Knowing I am here alone, and in this arctic weather, they have obviously been keeping a discrete eye on me! On Friday evening, Alan came round to check I was alright and that I was managing to get enough logs and keep the stove alight. On Sunday, Dilwyn, our neighbour on the other side, having failed to get a reply to his knock in the morning (I was still snuggled under the duvet and didn't hear him), rang Ian to voice concern that he hadn't seen me for several days and my car hadn't moved. (Actually, I'd been out everyday, but obviously not when he was watching!) Nina rang me to check, and again I didn't hear because I was snuggling. So poor Ian decided he'd better just ride round to make sure I hadn't succumbed to wood smoke, or slipped and broken a leg up the garden!! And there was I, snug and warm and safe, and feeling quite pleased with how I was managing on my own. I was quite overwhelmed with this level of concern. It is not something I'm used to - sorry Linton neighbours. It's quite humbling to realise how much other folks are looking out for me.

Are you alright, me old duck? Are you warm enough?

Lesley writes: A question often asked by Grandma Dora of Grandpa Alg. Can you believe that our first winter in Godre’r Graig turns out to be the coldest in thirty years???! Life has regressed to basics – foraging for fuel (wood store) and for food (freezer), and keeping warm.

It was Billy Connolly whom I first heard say that “there is no bad weather, only the wrong clothes”. Whether it was his original thought or he was quoting some-one else, I don’t know, but it’s very true. As I sit here in thermal vest and long johns, layers of long sleeved t-shirts, sweat shirt, thick cord trousers, thick socks, boots and body warmer, I don’t care what I look like (and I probably look a sight!) but at least I’m warm! My rigger boots have taken on a new life in the icy weather –providing good non-slip tread and cosy fleecy warmth, indoors and out.

Thank goodness we got the wood burning stove installed before Christmas so that I can have some warmth and comfort in one area of the house! That, and a fan heater to warm our bedroom for an hour before bedtime, keeps me relatively comfortable. Hot water bottles are the order of the day as well as night, tucked into the small of my back, or held between my knees. The cats have their own fleecy blankets and hot water bottles but quite like my bed too!

Actually we haven’t had really heavy snow here, maybe an inch or two at most, but it has been bitterly cold (still is) and ice is a hazard, particularly on steep side roads where the gritters don’t reach. Reaching the wood stocks at the top of the garden is an adventure – creating a wood store nearer the house will be a priority in the spring!

Meanwhile David and the dogs are in the relative comfort of Linton, also facing snow and ice but with a few more home comforts. D is finishing off bits of maintenance and decorating to prepare the house for the market. No point in travelling unnecessarily at the moment so we’re each staying put in our own little corner until the job’s done or the weather improves, or hopefully both!

Hope you are managing to survive and keep warm in your corner too!

Happy New Year!

So we’re not where we thought we would be in January 2010, but all in all, it’s not a bad place where we find ourselves. And we’re looking forward to the New Year with anticipation. I’m particularly looking forward to getting my bus pass, and all other associated benefits, at the end of the month!

So to all our readers we say: May 2010 bring you all that you would wish for yourselves, and a few pleasant surprises along the way!

The best-laid schemes o' mice an 'men gang aft agley, …!

At this point (September) our thoughts were beginning to turn to the beginning of my new term and our return to Linton. But over the previous month, we had become seriously concerned about Mum, who had been showing signs of increasing anxiety and irrational thoughts, leading to some very surreal conversations. She had also had a nasty fall, which may or may not have been a contributory factor. Anyway, on September 11, the day we were due to drive back to Linton, she had another fall, resulting in a nasty gash above her eye, which was dressed by the practice nurse. She was now showing signs of concussion.

I phoned my line manager and asked for leave of absence for at least a week until we knew more about Mum’s condition. With Ian and Nina, we decided that we should return to Linton as planned, for a few days at least, to sort some business matters. However, we had only been home 24 hours when Ian rang to say Mum was worsening and he thought we should return, which we did immediately. We took it in turns to keep vigil by her bed through the next 24 hours, fearing the worst. But at 2 am she rallied, sat up and asked what had happened and she was hungry!

The improvement didn’t last, sadly, and Mum was taken into hospital on 14 September, where she stayed, undergoing lots of tests, for 2 weeks. Eventually we were told that her medication (Prozac) had sparked a bi-polar episode. Once it was adjusted she began to return to a more rational state, but it had taken its toll on her physically and mentally. She is feeling her age more than previously, and she often quotes Dylan Thomas:

“Do not go gentle into that good night,
Old age should burn and rave at close of day;
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.”

It became clear to us all that Mum could no longer live quite as independently as she had done up to now, and the decision was taken that I should become part of her care team.

So I handed in my notice at Swadlincote and became Mum’s carer, which means the balance between Linton and Godregraig has now shifted. Linton is still our main residence, but we are spending most of our time in Wales.

This has had serious implications for us all. We had not intended to move to Wales until next summer at least, and Brythonfa was not equipped for winter habitation. We have since installed a log burning stove in the newly-opened fireplace in the main living room, which provides much-needed heat, and also hot water - we have a pan and a kettle permanently on the stove. We are burning rotten fencing, wormy joists and floorboards – anything that cannot be re-used as good timber in the rebuilding process! We’ve also bought a couple of comfortable armchairs – second hand – garden chairs are not very cosy in the winter!

In early November we went back to Linton for a week to deal with business matters and tie up a few loose ends, as well as catching up with friends we had not had a chance to say goodbye to. We hired a van and David brought a van load of stuff down – furniture, goods and chattels we’ll need over the winter to make life more comfortable, as well as all our warm winter clothing! And last but not least, our computer, so we can get back on line and in touch electronically. We’ve now had the phone reconnected and Broadband installed, so life is becoming a bit more civilised!

But ...

Just as we thought things were settling into the new regime nicely, we had a phone call from David’s Dad to say he had developed a hernia and would need an operation. David went home the following weekend to see Dad and to accompany him to his appointment with the surgeon. The timing coincided with the AGM of the Model Boat Club, so D was able to present his treasurer’s report in person and hand over to the new Treasurer – another loose end tied!

We had a weekend at Linton 11/14 December. I had been invited back to Christmas lunch with the staff at the Learning Centre. I was touched by the invitation and thought it would be good to join them – again I had not had a chance to see them all to say goodbye. I also took the opportunity to drop in to Kaleidoscope Craft Club and say hello to all my friends there.

Dad’s operation was scheduled for 23 December (yes, really!) so we decided that we should go home to Linton for Christmas so that we would be nearby in case he needed nursing after the op. As it turned out, he had no adverse reactions, and was discharged on Christmas Eve. He has made a remarkable recovery and we spent a very pleasant, gentle, Christmas together. Lesley travelled back to Brythonfa on 30 December, leaving David at Linton to keep an eye on Dad for a little longer, and also to do some of the finishing jobs needed before we put the house on the market (early January, we hope).

Summer? What summer!

The “long hot summer” turned into a long wet summer – very wet! I have a new mantra now; when it’s raining stair rods (as it has so often this summer) I console myself with the thought that “the waterfalls are beautiful” – and of course the more rain we have the more beautiful they are. At times this year they have been spectacular and that lifts my spirits!

We returned to Brythonfa at the beginning of July and immediately set to work on building a dry lining for the north gable wall in what was to become our bedroom. This would also provide extra support for the new, heavier ceiling joists we were installing.

While David began on the timber framing in the bedroom, I knocked out the rest of the fireplace in the main living room, opening up the original hearth and chimney. I’ve discovered a new destructive side to my nature and thoroughly enjoyed ripping out the old bricks and timber to make way for the new!

Still working on our bedroom, we decided to knock through into the little bedroom to create more space and gain the extra window. As we removed the lath and plaster wall, a hidden door emerged, which had been boarded up and papered over for years. David then built a new stud wall over the head of the stairs to enclose the space, and built in a wardrobe to provide some hanging space.

That done we were ready to put in new ceiling joists. The first joist went in on 24 July, and the first ceiling panel – directly over where the bed would be – went up on 5 August, which Ian helped David to do, since the boards were too heavy for me.

With a new ceiling in place we could now finish dry lining the wall, so the next step was to put in the insulation between the wooden framework. After shopping around we chose insulation made from recycled plastic bottles, which proved a good choice. It’s very easy to work with – no gloves or masks required - and provides as good a level of insulation as the more familiar mineral types. It is green in other ways too – a very pretty mint green, though no-one will know when it’s hidden inside the wall! The gable end wall was plaster-boarded on 10 August – again with Ian’s help.

During this time, weather permitting, I had been waging war on the brambles which were threatening to take over the garden. The smaller of the two green houses was completely covered, inside and out, and I had to snip my way in inch by inch to free it! I have loved the voyage of discovery as the skeleton of the original garden emerges from the brambles: paths and steps which were hidden by the undergrowth, and plants which were suffocating. Sadly most of the roses have reverted to briars, but some of the azaleas have responded to pruning and are coming back to life. In July I was delighted to find a camellia blooming at the very top of the garden.

David now turned his attention outdoors, where our priority was to replace the rotten rustic trellis at the side of the house with a solid fence and gate to keep our dogs away from the public footpath – they are Belgian Shepherd dogs, big and black, and can be a bit intimidating when they are looking down at you from the top of the wall! At the moment the wood looks very orange, but it will weather to a pale silvery grey which should look good against the grey stone of the house.

At the same time, I had lessons in the use of power tools, which I had never used before, and set myself the task of building us a bed platform (futon style) from the pallet on which Jewsons delivered our plasterboard panels. So I sawed and hammered and drilled, and was very proud of the end product. We bought a memory foam mattress to put on it (the only way we could get a king-size mattress up the stairs!)

We finally moved into the house on Friday 21 August. It still is far from complete – indeed a visit a week later from the council confirmed that it was still classed as uninhabitable in terms of council tax so we are exempt for another 6 months at least! But we had a comfortable bed in a bedroom we could shut off from the rest of the building work; we had a workable kitchen – sink with cold water, fridge, microwave and camping gas double burner; we had a working loo and a washbasin in the bathroom, and we boiled a kettle for hot water. For baths we still tripped up the road to Mum’s or Ian and Nina’s!

We moved the caravan off the Waters Meet site and parked it at the top of the garden. It was pressed into service a week later when Judi and David came for August Bank holiday weekend and used it as an en suite guest annexe!

That same weekend we were invited to the evening party to celebrate the wedding of our immediate neighbours, Alan and Sonia, which was a lovely gesture that touched us, and gave us a chance to meet our other neighbours in a relaxed and sociable atmosphere. Everyone has been so friendly and has made us feel very welcome here.

As we have done work on the house I have collected lots of samples of beautiful original wallpapers, some as early as Victorian and Edwardian, which I have carefully peeled apart and put into an album. We also found initials carved into one of the ceiling joists – identified as JB John Brazell the builder of the house. A neighbour has put us in touch with Naomi Thomas, the great granddaughter of John Brazell and we’ve exchanged letters and photos. It is she who has provided the historical information about the house and family. We are preparing a time capsule to insert into one of the new stud walls, to contain a brief history of the house and its occupants, and coins dated 2009.