Everything in the garden is lovely!

What happened with the weather?   Yesterday morning it was cold, blowing a gale and raining, okay it was heavy showers.  By the afternoon the sky had cleared,  the wind had dropped and it wasn't too bad.  Then today!   Wowser,  nearly got blown over when I ventured out, and it was FREEZING,  it was all rounded off in the afternoon by hail and sleet,  lovely...  NOT.   So Harvey is stuck in, he refused to go out this morning,  couldn't blame him but he keeps hoping that things have improved and so keeps demanding that I go let him out.  One way to get some exercise I supposed. 

So to the lodge.   It is now complete,  the last things to go on were the two chimneys.  I dabbed on some paint and then sprinkled the sand over them,  then they were painted again.  There is just a little more weathering to be done on the house.    So I've been able to focus on the landscaping.  

The first thing to do was to plan the garden and cemetery.  Next was to add the paper clay, the plywood was given a couple of coats of mod podge as a primer.  The road separating the cemetery and lodge has been cobblestoned.   For the time being it has been protected with masking tape while I get on with transforming the rest into a garden and cemetery.

After the paperclay had dried it was given a rough coat of green paint,  the colour didn't matter as it was going to be covered up.  

I was delighted when the postie delivered my fence, gate and headstones.  The little picket fence is super cute,  but will need another pack.  I've also experimented with making a brick wall using some balsa wood.  I had a longish piece,  just the right height and thickness, however trying to use the brick mask on it was decidedly messy.  Methinks a bigger piece of balsa would be less messy.

Today it was time to start adding the grass.  I've got three types,  an under grass,  a darker green top grass and some clumpy grass.   I've started with the undergrass,   and begun now to scatter on the clumpy stuff.   It will need at least one more layer.   The paths have gravel on them,  I did think about paving stones, but cos the path is curved I chickened out.   The gravel will be painted, it looks far too new at the moment.  Just beside the house is a small paved area.   There will be bushes as well,  and the wall.   I've also got to paint the headstones, and then arrange them.  I'm basing it on the small village graveyard near me.   

It's been a bit of a frustrating day, it was too cold for me to stay out,  the Raynauds is getting worse.  I had to get my prescription,  normally I'd drop it at the chemist, do my bit of shopping at Home and Bargain next door and then go back for the 'script.  But today I stayed in Boots to warm up, and get my hands working.   As the pharmacist gave me the 'script I thought the bag was a bit small,  so had a look and, no painkillers!  Yikes,   the pharmacist checked the 'script,   there were just three items on it.   Now I would never forget to order my painkillers, and I can remember ticking all four boxes on the repeat bit of the 'script, so the mistake is down to the surgery.  Luckily I still have enough to get me through the next couple of days.  I was angry and upset,   then when I logged onto the computer FB had decided to remind me of what happened on 30 Jan 2013,  just 6 weeks before mum died, and she hadn't been having a good time, which had been reflected in my post.  A double whammy, and one that I just didn't need.     I was cheered up when Jamie Murray, brother of Andy, won the doubles at the Australian Open,  so now Andy has to win tomorrow.   I kept busy with the landscaping,  this time of year has always been an emotional time as my father died in early January, and for various reasons his funeral was slightly delayed.   Now it is doubly emotional because of mum's rapid decline in health in January 2013.    I'm waiting for appointments as well, which is always stressful,  oh and the shower decided to kind of go kaput!   This time I do need a brand new switch,  the present one has overheated and melted the wires.  It is a niggly issue, but even so,  it is another problem. 

That's it for today,  tomorrow is ironing day,  and hopefully celebrating a win by Andy Murray!   Now that would be a nice end to the weekend, two Brits have won so far, so come on Andy, make it a threesome.   I've got more landscaping and painting to do,  but that won't be a chore.  I hope the weather is a little better so poor Harvey can get out, he's just tried again, he did venture further than the front door for all of five minutes.  He's now filled up his tummy and is settling down on my bed. 

I hope that wherever you are the weather isn't too bad and that you are safe and warm.  Thanks for stopping by.

The Lodge...

I'm feeling quite pleased with myself.  The Lodge is nearly complete,  it just requires its chimneys,  and a few roof timbers.   The porch is now fully attached to the house, all the bits of roof have been painted and weathered.   I've also begun work on the base, and ordered a few bits and bobs from PP, just some fencing, and headstones... !    It sounds grim, but it won't be, I hope to create a little country graveyard, the kind you have a nose around, but this one is being looked after.   I also spotted a lych gate, sooo tempted and it may still wing its way here.

It looks a bit smart with its painted roof.   It is far grungier in real life,  my camera likes to make things look nice.   I may have to play with the settings to get a truer picture of what this little Lodge does look like, complete with its grunge.

I'm just trying to imagine who'd live in the Lodge,  I can imagine a man who takes his job seriously, and has a sense of pride.  His wife would take care of their home, making it comfy for them,  pottering around her little veggie garden, wearing one of those wrap around pinnies.  

I'm painting a picture of a different time,  a gentler time in some ways, and much harsher in others.   I was watching Call the Midwife,  and while I was quite young in the early sixties, very young,  I can remember a very different world.  It wasn't bright and shiny,  people made to because they had to,  my family lived crammed into three rooms,  we were on the council waiting list but it wasn't till I was 12 that we finally moved into a spanking new maisonette.  Mum was so proud of having her first new home, she saved up to buy new stuff,  not cheap tat, oh no.    Gradually she furnished the place with new furniture,   she loved the house, we had nice neighbours and it was a really lovely estate.   Sadly over time it became one of those dreaded sink estates,  partly because of its location,  there was nothing to do, no employment locally and the right to buy meant that the nicer estates were all being bought up.  It is once again a nice housing estate,  the maisonettes were torn down, houses built,  new shops etc and it has come back to life again.  

That storm has arrived here, we've had strong gales all day, not so much rain, though I'm sure that will change.   Last night Harvey had a big fight with another Tom cat,  who could have been his twin.  In fact at first I was confused as to which cat was Harvey, he was really upset and so I brought him in.   It took him ages to calm down.  I've never seen the other ginger cat before, so no idea where he came from.  Never a dull moment. 

That's all for tonight,  work to do on the base and those chimneys, and must remember to post a card!

On the tiles

From plain rooves, to those with tiles!   I am definitely getting the hang of making tiles.  This only took me two afternoons.   I took the porch away so that you could see the very cute front door.   This little house has come together so quickly,  it wasn't as involved as Winterberry Hall (sill ongoing),  but it was a lot of stop and start with the brick work.  It just needs its chimnies and a few other bits to be added, and of course the landscaping.

I always think the houses look smart with their tiled roofs.   The roof will now be painted, and 'dressed' or weathered.  I enjoy that bit, adding sand, mixing up various paints and dabbing it on then the roof comes to 'life'.

 Another angle, the side door.  Once the Lodge is on its base I'll add a small step.   There'll be a side garden, and at the front a strip of grass, then a shingle path,  after that there will be the: graveyard! 

I picked up a piece of plywood at Hobbycraft yesterday,  I can only assume that the hobbyists must have asked for a wider variety of wood as there was a bigger selection, plus the area had some new shelving.    I also got a cheap set of brushes, and a teeny tiny trowel, used by artists, but in my case it will be used to fill in hard to reach gaps.    I was in luck as the brushes were on offer! 

Last pic, the complete Lodge, with the porch.  The main roof has had a coat of primer,  while the annexe is still white. 

Not been a good weekend, I'm having a few problems getting to sleep.  I was trying not to worry about it and of course ended up worrying about it!     I'm used to waking up and not getting back to sleep, but I've always seemed to get to sleep.    Too much worrying going on!   My neighbour was taken into hospital yesterday,  I'm really annoyed at the carer, she never told me, even though I've asked her to do so, nor did she bother to ensure his family were notified, so I had to tell his son today, who had been telephoning his dad and wondering why there was no answer.  The poor man raced round and wondered what the hell he was going to find.   I'm doubly annoyed with the carer, she rang the ambulance but didn't wait till it came, she went off to her next job!  The other carers are lovely, and make time for my neighbour, but this one carer is more concerned with arranging her social life than her clients,  I often hear her on her phone arranging to meet up with a friend after work.   Grrrr....   My sister worked as a carer for a while,  and I know it is a tough job, but even so there is still time and room for compassion.  And if there isn't then what the hell is wrong with this society? 

Oops, seem to have slipped onto my soap box, but it does annoy me, and I really do wonder what is happening to our society and why we are allowing so much bloody misery to be inflicted on others?  Now I will get down off my soap box.  Harvey is demanding food so best go and feed him.

Thanks for stopping by...  landscaping this week!

Topped off...

I know the pic is crooked, but honestly the Lodge is straight!  It is precariously balanced on a drawing pad.   I made real progress today and made up the two roofs.

I actually didn't think I'd be doing much today as I really felt very ill last night.  I woke about 2ish, with a raging sore throat, feeling rotten,  just wiped out.  I took some painkillers and ibuprofen, and a nice mug of tea,  it took nearly an hour before they kicked in and I got back to sleep.

The back of the house,  roof tiles and chimneys now needed.

 Oh and a gable roof to be completed.  The the side door is in,  its surround now in place...  all windows now accounted for! 

The annexe,   which is still not attached to the main building, and won't be until the roof tiles are on.

Back to me, and not feeling very well.  I slept through till half seven, then needed to take more tablets, and a cuppa.  I still felt awful, so curled up and went back to sleep.   This is how I felt before the extreme fatigue started, and which, up until yesterday, had been improving, started.   I'm feeling a tad more human now, but starting to feel tired.  Harvey has just returned from his evening walkabout,  at some point he had a 'row' with the girlfriend,  much fur seemed to be flying! 

I just hope this bug now buggers off,  last time I had the sore throat for over a week, then the fatigue kicked in big time.   Sadly I didn't make the beach again,  shame really as the sun did come out mid morning.  Tomorrow is supposed to be a better day, I hope that I have enough energy to enjoy it.  I have to switch to card making mode tomorrow and finish off my swap card.

I'm off to my bed,  take good care and have a lovely weekend.  

Coming together...

The grey and soggy stuff has returned...  yuck.   Give me cold, frosty mornings any time.  Another fractious night,  but slightly better than the previous one.  

I have made more progress on the lodge.  The chimney stack was 'bricked', so to speak,  and here it is in situ.   I've also begun to dab on a bit of the Black Soot,   which also helps to define the brick work a bit more.   The annexe is just about ready for its roof,  I tidied up all the edges and painted them,  just a few more touches of this and that,  ageing stuff...  or should that be 'weathering'?    Who knows!

The arch surround to the gothic window was fixed into place,  oh and the window has now been tidied up!   The brickwork has made such a difference to the whole thing,  it is looking quite realistic. 

Work on the main bit is slower,   progress seems to be slow,  but it it simply because it is made up of more pieces.   I've discovered, through trial and error, that each bit must be carefully considered in how finished they need to be before moving on to the next section.    Does that make sense?

This is the front,  last night I posted a pic of the inside.   I decided to give the porch the 'brick' work effect,   the front door is now in place, and its surround,  the roof is on as well.  However, the porch is not secured to the frontage, this is what I meant by knowing how 'finished' each section can be before adding another bit.  If I glued the porch into place then it would be very difficult to put the tiles on the roof.

There was no chance of going to the beach front today, the weather was against me.  Then I had to go back to the supermarket to get - loo rolls!   I forgot them yesterday,  and they were on my exceptionally small list.    And of course the moment I stepped out the door the heavens opened!    Will it ever stop bloody raining?   No, not for a couple of days, I mean for  a few weeks!     Oh and my energy supplier has finally decided to pass on some miniscule savings...  grrr, gas prices have been plummeting and I get a measly 5% off my bill this year,  well excuse me if I don't break out the champagne.  Funny how prices rocket when the suppliers put up their prices,  yet when they fall they never pass on the savings to us, do they?  

Right, plans for tomorrow,   given up making plans, I shall see what the day brings me.   Stay warm and dry!

Getting that weathered look

Well in spite of my slow start to the day,  partly due to me not being able to get to sleep last night,  I made a lot of progress on the Lodge.  

I managed to complete all the brickwork,  even a really fiddly bit!   So it was all ready to be tidied up, sanded and painted.  After that I sanded it back again to give it a weathered look,  it will  also  be getting a few dabs of Black Soot.  

With the walls all tidied up and painted, I could start putting in the windows and surrounds.   I always enjoy this bit,  the building seems to start taking on some character.   This arched window is really nice,   it needs a wee bit of tidying up with a cotton bud at some stage. 

The arched window is at the end of the annexe,  this is the front with window, surrounding it is a 'quoin',  that is the name of the fancy frame.  Who knew?   Okay, I guess builders do. 

The paint is 'sidewalk grey',  by Crown, should you want to paint a few walls. The wall looks nicely battered,  which is how it is meant to look. 

Final pic of is of the inside of the front of the Lodge.    I do like that door!   I used some watered down umber to paint it, then gave it a gentle sanding. The door handle is a seed bead.  Windows also in and have been given a tidy up. 

All in all a good afternoon's work.   I also managed to get some clay onto the front step and use the paving stone mould to create the impression of paving slabs.  I've painted the front porch, but now think I should put some bricks on the front of it...  now if I had taken a pic you'd know what I meant.  Will mull that over.  I'm also wondering about putting hinges on the main roof.  All stuff to ponder. 


I did have a very sluggish start to the day,  woke up at around 7ish,  but it was too early to get up so turned over intending to just have another hour in bed...  and woke up at 9 a.m.   Harvey was also snuggled up beside me, he clearly doesn't like these frosty mornings!    I don't mind the cold stuff, far better than all the soggy weather we've had of late. 

So the plan for tomorrow is... no idea.  Kind of depends on my energy levels,  which still aren't great, I have that 'half empty' feeling.   And it depends on the weather,  if it is sunny then I may go look at the sea and read my book, and if not... 

Stay warm and safe.

Time for a new project

New week, new project!   Sadly it does have a grim sounding name: Cemetery Lodge, and wait till you see the extras that will eventually accompany it!   It has two parts, main building and an annexe, two floors in main part.  Lots of arched doorways and an arched window.  As you can see I've made a start,  the inside painted and everything glued into place.  Er, not the front bit,  that is separate from the building. 

I even had a go at making floorboards.  I used the papercutter to cut thin strips of brown card, the core card.  That was glued down and I used one of the thin liner pens to draw some lines, it was all finished off with a couple of coats of the glossy mod podge.   Oops, before that lot I sanded the card a little to give it a worn look. 

Today it was time to start making some brick work.  This mask makes 'coarsed' brick work.  It arrived today,  so after prepping the outside of the lodge,  coat of PVA,  then a coat of paint (to give the impression of mortar) it was time to add the bricks.    This work can get a tad messy, but it is worth it.   Here I was trying to miss as much of the door and window as I could, but to also get the molding paste on thick enough. 

I did this bit as well,  and managed to finish it in two goes.   This mask is easier to work with than the brick mask as it is a little bigger.  I think I made a neat job around the door frame.     I've managed to complete two sides on each bit and should get the rest of the lodge done tomorrow.

As always there is a huge amount to be done,  it is a bit like building a proper house.  The Hall is still being worked on,  lots more foliage, roof tiles and trying to decide where to put the lamp. 

I have been feeling a little less tired recently,  I think the Vit D stuff has finally kicked in, but still not feeling a hundred per cent.   And boy has it been on the cold side!   But I've still not had to indulge in much extra heating due to all the insulation. 

Then there his HIM.  Yes, he does look cute!  Today he confounded me.   He demanded breakfast, so I opened up a fresh packet of food, it went into a nice, clean dish and... he turned up his nose and walked off.   An hour later I popped into his 'bedroom',  my large airing cupboard, he was reposing in his 'bed',  or what was the laundry basket.  I offered up the bowl of food he'd refused earlier and... he gobbled it all up!   Go figure,  in fact if you can explain, feel free!   All cats are fussy, it is a given, but he is the gold medallist of fussiness, and also massive u-turns...   wonder if it was because I threatened to give him away?    Don't let that cute face fool you,  Harvey can be a right PIA when he chooses. 

And I'm happy to report that I am still smoke free,  not a cigarette has touched my lips since October.  I'm pretty happy with my vape machine,  now using Minty Gum.  Mind you there is more to it than you think, the machine needs some maintenance,  plus you have to replace the coil, they're cheap as chips, a couple of quid, the e liquid is a fiver and lasts a couple of weeks, so saving all round.  Well I woud be if it weren't for all the bills!    Love to know why the utility bills are so high, gas and oil prices have been tumbling for the last couple of years.  Mine are way down on last year, thanks to the wall cavity stuff,  so chuffed with that.   I've also been sorting out my cupboards,  funny out out of date food lurks in cupboards, I found some pickled onions that were best before 2014!   They are looking a bit bare,  guess that is how it is when there is just one of you.  It took a while to get used to buying and cooking for one, but think I've cracked it now.  Appetite has shrunk lately,  jeans feel looser,  and the breathlessness continues. 

Well think that's all for now,  be back in a couple of days with a full 'bricked' lodge.   Stay warm folks, and thanks for dropping by.