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?