The two remaining cats Furby and Tiggy came along too - both have settled in fine - tiggy in her retrest of the chicken shed, and Furby out on the range:
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| in his element! |
A blog of events ideas and thoughts from Turnip House - a craft business in the Mourne Mountains
Sunday, October 03, 2010
The Cats arrive
We packed some more of our bags and 'left' Newcastle on Thursday (Leaving will be a pretty long drawn out process we feel!)
The two remaining cats Furby and Tiggy came along too - both have settled in fine - tiggy in her retrest of the chicken shed, and Furby out on the range:
Meanwhile, Charlie keeps a weather eye:
The two remaining cats Furby and Tiggy came along too - both have settled in fine - tiggy in her retrest of the chicken shed, and Furby out on the range:
Friday, October 01, 2010
Catch Up - what have we been up to?
Well how remiss to not post for so many days - that's not the point of a blog I know, but We have an excuse dear reader. We are now Grandparents! Read on for more ...
Diary of events at Turnip House for the last xxx days
8 September Strapping Down
Christy and Paddy levelled and strapped down the mobile - really skilful and patient work turned our tin box on wheels into a potential home! Now we can begin to fit out inside
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| belts and braces - we're not going anywhere! |
9 September Decorators`
Painting all day - finished in the evening; now looking really good
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| clean - and bright |
10 September - Road cutter
We have to run electricity to the mobile - and the recommended way is underground, for safety. All that lies between us and underground is an indeterminate depth of concrete. So, we got road cutter delivered from Duggans Hire Centre Maghera, and John and Niall set about cutting groove for electicity and telephone wire
- great concrete! all we need now is a Kangol Hammer!
11 September
The concrete was so good - 5 inches thick in places, that plan A to prise the stuff away with cold chisel and wrecking bar was a no hoper. So, Duggans to the rescue - Kangol Hammer duly arrived. Kangolled all day - trench now ready....
That night we stayed in the mobile home- Our first meal at home - Beef stroganoff and Champ with bubbly - superb!
Spent the night, cold and a bit damp but exhilarated
12 September
A day (mostly) of rest. Repaired guttering on mobile home - should be drier now!
Garden planning begins (more to follow)
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| Our Inspiration |
13 September moving again!
We brought some of our old furniture from it's home of 6 months in Rathfriland, brilliant to see it once more the right way up and in place!
Kate taken in to hospital - now the pressure is on!
14 September
all a blur, seem to remember lots of travelling, and snatched food
15 September
likewise
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| spent alot of time round here - the rainbow presages momentous events |
- electricity connected
- telephone and broadband connected
- Eleanor born
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| Elaine and Eleanor, day1 |
17 September
Back in the ordinary world, we got the fridge installed plus more 'things' from Rathfriland!
18 September
Visiting
19 September
Breakfast at home
Brought Kate and Eleanor out of hospital
20 September
Connected waste pipes;
Eleanor's first visit home splendid!
21 September - The Outbuildings
We are lucky to have a legacy of many farm buildings - in many shapes and sizes and various stages of decay, from 'OK' to "look out"!
Adjacent to the Turnip house are the piggeries the ones with the beautiful iron 'pig proof doors'. These will do us fine for shed and washroom type needs.
Today We cut a doorway for washroom access at the back of piggery no. 2. We hired (thanks to Duggans) a diamond tipped saw to glide through the concrete block, but puny as I am, I could not get the thing started! So resorting the the favoured tool of the trade - sledgehammer- I battered my way through without too much trouble. At least this block work was not of the same standard as the concrete yard!
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| what - another door? |
22 September
'Real' work for John and Elaine - no visit to site!
23 September new water pump installed
The well looks so good, that we thought we would try using it first (with obvious precautions regarding it's purity).
So we bought a water pump from Combined Harvesters - This sits suspended in the well and turns on when a tap is opened, and off when the flow stops. It is electronically controlled, with self priming, overheat and dry protection and seems to be more or less 'fit and forget' Niall and John spend the day installing it, and now we have water in the home!
A few leaks and kitchen tap to sort out, but that's another step complete. All services (except gas) now ready.
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| get your water from the well - old and new style |
24 September
To Armagh to register Eleanor - and also to pick up new taps for kitchen!
26 September Castle Vets
Castle Veterinary practice in Castlewellan celebrated their 20th year today - we were invited to exhibit our produce. A great day was had by all, perfect 'garden party' weather with plenty of fun and craic, loads of people for Eleanor to be shown off too!
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| fire on the mountain, Sunday morning |
Thursday, September 30, 2010
Saturday morning - at the cattle
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| Our new neighbour - and friend - Frank visits his cattle on crisp September morning |
Monday, September 06, 2010
Philosophy
Why?
Everyone has been very kind so far, and not laughed out loud at our antics, but some must be asking 'why bother'
Since we first decided to come back from England in 1987, our philosophy has been about the journey; enjoying what we do, celebrating the time together, and trying to do things a bit better. Sounds a bit pompous, but is really just a simple ethos that gets us through.
I was looking at a publication that inspired us in 1987; called 'Dwellings in the Mournes, a Design Guide' prepared by the Department of the Environment very interesting reading,
In the introduction it says:
Those who are fortunate to live in the Mournes must realise the natural beauty of the area and the appeal of the heritage of simple local materials in the dwellings built by past generations.
They are possessions of importance because that are so attractive to look at and are a record of man's successful impact on the countryside.
It is important to protect the existing traditional buildings and every means should be sought to encourage their maintenance and careful rehabilitation.
If it had been heeded more, the Mournes landscape would be very different.
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| The house in Clonachullion. For Sale as a 'building site' in 1987. Loved and cherished by us for 22 years, now home to a new family and good for another couple of hundred years! |
Trailer Trash!
The Upper Courtyard, all cleared and very big!
Moving Day
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| just a bit of levelling perhaps? |
We can now get the services connected, and after bit of levelling and tying down (it is very windy here today) we'll be all set to move in.
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| that pillar had to go - it will be rebuilt |
Monday, August 30, 2010
Overnight
We had our first 'sleepover' on Saturday night Elaine Kate and John. We fund a big iron lid to make a fire pit, and assembled the barbecue. Very civilised and much fun, despite the rain. We did put the tents up inside the Turnip House though, so not quite wild camping,- more slightly annoyed actually!
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| Morning mists precede a stunning, sunny day |
3 Cats
Our strays have become regulars now - despite dog visits, large vehicles and many humans invading their territory. Still very shy - looks like mother and two kittens:
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| Mother (very like Elsa, one of our most favourite cats) Kitten, like Thomas, Kitten, the image of Jaffa |
Thursday, August 26, 2010
Water
there was a metal door covered in grass and cow muck at the edge of the field - this was the well, the only source of water at the moment. We set about uncovering it without great expectations, but were amazed by what we found - a very high spec concrete lined well, 20 foot deep with 3 feet of clean, cold water.
Monday, August 23, 2010
Pictures from the past
We've been given these fantastic snapshots of the house and garden from over 40 years ago!
What an opportunity to see into the past to what was there. At the moment the debris of decade covers the ground to a depth of at least 6 inches. We are slowly making our way through it though, and once on site, will be able to do more.
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| The front of the house - that door is still there - check out the previous post |
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| The front garden - so open The laurel by the gate is now as high as the house! |
Thursday, August 19, 2010
Doors and Gates
You'd think there were better things to do, but we counted all the doors and gates yesterday and found 35!
Here's a selection:
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| Front Door - only just rediscovered. See the newer post for what it looked like in it's heyday! |
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| piggery doors - we've loads of these beauties |
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| front gate detail - hand wrought |
After The Storm
We had a big thunderstorm yesterday - the mountains completely disappeared only to return in magnificence half an hour later:
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| The Mournes after thunder |
Tuesday, August 17, 2010
Gates - and doors
Having come back to Newcastle, looking at the pictures, I realise that we are now the proud owners of an incredible variety of doors and gates, in many vernacular styles.
Tomorrow I'll present an inventory, in the meantime, Elaine has uncovered the front gate to the garden:
We met our new neighbours across the road today. A more kindly and generous couple you could not hope to meet. We count ourselves very lucky to have been welcomed so readily and look forward to growing a long friendship with them.
Tomorrow I'll present an inventory, in the meantime, Elaine has uncovered the front gate to the garden:
uncovered for the first time in decades
nearly half way to the front door!
Charlie not too keen on being stuck on the outside
New Friends
We met our new neighbours across the road today. A more kindly and generous couple you could not hope to meet. We count ourselves very lucky to have been welcomed so readily and look forward to growing a long friendship with them.
Friends
We had a visit today from Helen and her family - to survey the wreckage and supply moral support!
the (extended!) family group
and one stargazer
Sunday, August 15, 2010
Secret Garden
We've been at the house today - beginning to uncover just what is there.
In front of the house is what looks to be a traditional cottage garden - at some 45 feet square it is pretty substantial. It is so overgrown that it has begun to take over the house, with ivy rising over the roof.It's really hard to get a feel for the size of it from the outside, and impossible to get into it.
There are three garden gates, one in each wall We have started to fight our way in.
We didn't think much would have survived the overgrowth of 33 years of neglect, but amazingly, plants are staring to appear!
We have roses, laurel, ornamental grasses, and more - a list will follow!
In front of the house is what looks to be a traditional cottage garden - at some 45 feet square it is pretty substantial. It is so overgrown that it has begun to take over the house, with ivy rising over the roof.It's really hard to get a feel for the size of it from the outside, and impossible to get into it.
There are three garden gates, one in each wall We have started to fight our way in.
We didn't think much would have survived the overgrowth of 33 years of neglect, but amazingly, plants are staring to appear!
We have roses, laurel, ornamental grasses, and more - a list will follow!
It is so exiting to work our way through
the jungle
a glimpse
still preserved: the formal path edges
like a sleeping beauty
hidden away - a secret garden
more to discover!
Legananny
less than two miles away is Legananny Dolmen; one of Ireland's finest prehistoric monuments.It has been standing for over four thousand years.
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