Weekend of 30/31st October: A trailer, pews and a daunting looking fence . . . oh and Jenny finally does some work!!

We leave Lancashire early Sat AM and the ebay bargain trailer (we still feel a bit guilty about the cracking deal we got it for, but it did make up for once selling a perfectly good office desk for 10p via ebay some time ago . . . top tip, put a reserve on!!) does its first proper trip, loaded with some old church pews that will somehow be incorporated into the project! 

Tea/wee stop at Abington

We arrive early PM to a chilly but gloriously sunny day and there it is, the fence - it seems HUGE! And quite closed in too.  It takes some time to get used to it as it has made what little ground we have feel even smaller, however it looks very smart and we and our neighbours now have some privacy, so it certainly serves its purpose.

We do some tidying in the garage to make room for the trailer . . .

and we re-explore the 'hole' in the floor which is rather curiously lined with granite . . . we have no idea what this could have been for.  We understand the orignial house at Norwood dates back to 1890, and have assumed the bothy does too.  This granite lined hole could not have orginally been constructed as some form of garage pit, so what was it?? Answers on a postcard please because we have no idea! When the garage eventually comes down to lay the foundations for one of the extensions, we wonder if there may be another one?  And we hope to somehow preserve this wee hidey hole in some way as it seems a shame to just fill it in!  A secret whisky store perhaps . . . or better still a cool environment for bottles of white wine and choccie bars???



The curious granite lined hole



What's in the hole boys?

After the long drive up, we do not do much else with the day, taking the chance to walk down to the River Spey.  This is only a ten minute walk from the bothy through Grant Park.

We wonder if the bothy was once used as some kind of school room, hence the 'SILENCE' chalked to the back of the door . . .

Some of the granite stones are spectacular, like this one with a sparkling layer through it - makes you wonder how many hundreds of years ago this layer was formed.  Sadly this stone is coming out as part of the works, but it will no doubt be used elsewhere

Sunday arrives and the extra hour in bed due to the clocks going back, is much appreciated.  We meet Robert on site at 10am to thank him for the fence work and discuss a couple of amendments/additions.

Then its to work . . .

Some perspex in the top half of the windows will let in some much needed light . . .who needs Handy Andy??



See . . . Jenny does do her bit!  Ok so its hardly Charlie Dimmock, but its a bit nippy for a vest top and no bra!!!




A wee cup of tea

Windows done, garage door hinges replaced and earth shovelled, we spend time time tidying up the site and then again a short walk through Grant Park to see the ducks!!!  We feel guilty though because we keep forgetting bread and Bruce makes a beeline for the little beach to snaffle up any crumbs left earlier in the day!

We leave rather reluctantly, yet drop in on the way south the next day 'just because' and also to pick up some butteries from Macleans the bakers for a friend who once remembers butteries from a holiday in Grantown many years ago . . . I wonder, will they taste as she remembers?

A new perspective

Stephen  makes a quick trip up on Saturday 9th Oct to view progress further to some serious clearance with a digger!  The difference in how the site looks is incredible and it becomes more apparent how much space we have now the real levels have been established.  Apparently there were about ten wagon loads of earth removed.




Ground level has dropped by up to 4ft in places

 


A drain that suffered some damage during the works, but was duly repaired!  Now we know where the foul drain is!




To the front of the bothy - the damp patch on the wall shows where the ground level was up to here . .




The site looks bigger than previous




x6 conifer roots removed from beside the gate




Shows the extent to which the levels have been dropped behind the bothy


















After this milestone, the next one is the fence . . .

17th Sept 2010: Planning Permission comes through - hurrah!

17th September 2010 - we hear the news we have been waiting for and the plans are signed and sealed!

Now, we just need the building warrant Stephen . . . ?

August Bank Holiday Weekend 2010

Another bank holiday weekend, another opportunity to head north and chip away at the the 'to do' list.  Stephen has arranged to meet two local contractors who we hope will do the initial groundwork and build the fence.
Both meetings go well and the remainder of the weekend is spent doing further tidying and clearance back and forth to the local tip with the trailer (in between trips to MacLeans the bakers of course!).

Removing these monster conifers has created so much more space and light at the gate and for our neighbour

The garage, with the rusty tin roof, is great storage for now but will be demolished to make way for foundations



See the mound of earth in front of the bothy wall - this all has to be excavated

The boys assisting with the works . . .


Dad, we think this might be a drain of sorts?



Just throw my ball will you??

We leave that weekend having really done all we can for now.  The next major milestones include obtaining planning permission, digging the ground out and erecting the fence.

Submission of Plans

Late August sees the plans submitted and we keep our fingers crossed for a positive response.

Ground Force . . .

We have just spent the last 10 days over in Plockton for our sumer break and have had a great time, sailing, kayaking, walking and drinking a ridiculous volume of pear cider and other beverages!  We are returning to Lancashire via Elgin/Grantown, this time with the ground and its vegetation being the primary focus!  The good summer has meant everything has blossomed overly well for our liking and we are greeted with a jungle of sorts which needs taming!  We (or primarily Stephen) set to work . . .

A large cut off branch makes its way inadvertently into one of neighbour's gardens; Stephen popped round to retrieve it and apologise(?!) and we then meet Sheena, who gives a well received cup of tea as we have a quick chat over the fence.

Yes, that's smoke . . .

He's in there somewhere!

End of day one

Dad has kindly leant us his trailer and we make our first trip to the local tip/recycling centre which is only a couple of minutes drive away. 
By the end of the following day it looks like this . . .

It's great to finally see what's there and meet our two neighbours directly in front.  We are conscious they have probably had little or no disturbance from that patch for many years and here we are chainsawing and strimming away on a Sunday; however we hope that the end result will be more pleasing on the eye and feel we have been made very welcome for which we are very grateful.

Visibly alot has changed this weekend at our little bothy and it is with some difficulty that we drag ourselves away and head south back to work.

Jenny's first visit - May Bank Holiday 2010

A few weeks pass before we both get the chance to head north again and for me it is my first proper look at what we have let ourselves in for!
On arrival, first priority to is to say hello to Sarah Jane and we spend some time exchanging updates and news on mutual contacts and acquaintances. Stephen leaves us to it over a cup of tea! It is lovely talking about years gone by and learning about the intervening years and where people have got to.  The connection with the bothy also perhaps brings a heightened responsibility to really look after it and transform it into something really special. 
When I head back to the bothy, Stephen has already started taking down the partition that divides the two rooms and we move the timber into the garage in the hope that we can later reuse/recycle this and or at the very least salvage what we can for essential fire wood supplies.   The removal of the partition opens up the space incredibly and lets us fully appreciate what we have in the main structure.

Next, the corrugated iron lean to coal shed comes down - this is leaning unsafely and is better flattened by us in a controlled manner rather than as a result of a gale force wind!



From this . . .



To this

 














The boys, Bruce and Fionn take it easy . . .

The dogs soon learn to chill in the back of the car

We discover the delights of MacLeans bakery in the Square - recommended for a good cup of tea, a bacon roll  and a nice wee cake! 

 

http://www.macleansbakery.com/

We spend the two days 'tidying' and demolishing what we can and bit by bit Dad helps us build up a collection of handy tools and equipment which will help us on our way.  In fact Dad and Molly pay us a visit and leave with a bag of coal for the Elgin fire.

The ground is going to be quite a challenge, especially as there is still alot of summer growth to take place.  Tackling this is the main item on the agenda for the next visit.

Alan Titchmarsh and Charlie Dimmock . . . where are you?!