It's curtains for you!
I see it’s been a couple of weeks since I got anything recorded about the Hafod and its growing pains, time keeps on slipping, slipping into the future!! Last weekend was Easter and a Bank holiday; so a chance to have a couple of days off and relax. Well that was never going to happen. In fact Katherine and I took time out on the Saturday to set up Norwegian Wood for guests that start to arrive tomorrow. After that we've got booking through into May and more for the summer.
Over the winter we've made a couple of changes including extending the decking area so as to give more space to chill in. I've also added a porch to the door into Norwegian Wood so rain doesn't creep in if visitors should leave the zip down whilst out and about.
All the cutlery and china was cleaned and polished and every surface was sparkled up. I reconnected all the plumbing in the dome, which had been drained down for the winter to avoid freezing pipe syndrome. Got the boiler lit and everything was working hunky dory. Sunday came along with heavy overnight frost and snow and some mild panic. Luckily no pipes had actually frozen solid although one exterior valve was reluctant to turn. So I shut everything down and drained all the pipes again. Tomorrow (Monday) our first guest came and I’ll reconnect everything again. Yesterday I fitted a 60watt green house heater in the bathroom just to keep the room temp above freezing; once the place is occupied the ambient temperature will be higher and pipes freezing shouldn’t happen; and then it will be summer!!
Meanwhile back at Hafod I have finally sorted out the curtain track and been able to get the curtains up. There are now 2 tracks One at 3 metres high and a second about a metre above the floor. The curtain fabric has a line of heading tape at the top and a second a metre from the ground. This means the curtains are kept back to the perimeter of the dome, not just hanging straight down into the centre of the dome. Cunning but very hard to suss from the instructions supplied. Oh yes there wasn’t any!##
On a continuing saga of supplier cock ups the kitchen arrived with the wrong base units, white rather than oak coloured and 2 metres of work top rather than 3.6 as ordered and paid for plus the plinth was missing. Oh fiddly diddly dandy etc. I’ll live with white cabinets and the other missing items are due here on Thursday. So that’s a job that can’t be finished but the cooker is here and looks a treat. But why does everything have so much packaging; 2 kitchen units and a cooker generates 4 bags of rubbish.
I’ve got an electric supply across the field now and also a hot water supply from the “Norwegian Wood” gas boiler. It was originally purchased to supply a 4 bay shower block so has ample power to run two domes even though separated by 50 metres. I’ve laid in an insulated 25mm pipe across the field and tested the supply by having a quick shower stood in the middle of the field. We’re nothing if not racy down here on Maggies Farm.
Tomorrow I’ll make up the bed in Norwegian Wood so it’s all fresh for arrivals and then I’ll tile the Hafods bathroom floor. After that I can get the toilet etc. installed. I have to source a shower cubicle but apart from that all the sanitary ware is here in the garage awaiting installation. I’ve done the 1st fix for the electrics and am awaiting small consumer unit to complete the wiring. There are only a couple of circuits; sockets in the dome, lights in the dome and bathroom and a spur for a small bathroom heater.
Katherine has just been making a pelmet to finish of the fabulous curtains so I’ll also get that fitted tomorrow so I can tidy away the step ladders. The dome is starting to look amazing now with the bed and furniture in place.
We’ve arrange for Polly the photographer for Quality Unearthed to come here on the 30th of April to do the publicity shots so I now have a deadline to work to. I think my old bones can keep going a bit longer although I do feel sometimes as if I’m running up an overdraft at the bank of body and soul. The quad bike is earning it’s keep now and has proved to be a great investment.
I started today in sunshine and managed to get a kilo of meadow mix grass seed spread in the camping field on some thin spots. I was just about to bin the packaging when I removed the shipping label and found a present from the supplier; a further small packet of wild flowers seed to encourage the bees, so I'll need to find a home for that. I also finished laying some more stone as a new car park for visitors, I'll need to add in a barrier of some sort to avoid suicide parking as there's a 10ft drop beyond the new stoned area.
As usual on a Sunday we’ll round of the week with a feast. When I’m done here I’ll be putting on a slow roast of Brisket with all the trimmings and Yorkshire puds and I think the dulcet tone of the Dixie Chicks will have me boogying (slowly) across the kitchen whilst cooking. Or should it be “up on Crickle creek” from The Band?
And now it’s snowing again and I can’t see across the valley.
Solar PV 68.52Kw
Wind Turbine 31.27Kw
Power Created on site 99.79KW
