Planning

At last, after weeks of deliberation with our Architect, we've finally got our planning application submitted. In addition to renovating Hillside we also want to extend and rebuild the existing 'summer room' which is suffering from damp, dry rot and dodgy electrics.

So the plans have been finalised and submitted. It took a while, for various reasons and not least the challenge of building on a hill. We've tried to minimise the amount of excavation required whilst at the same time designing something that can be constructed from timber frame. We're also hoping to include rainwater harvesting, ground source heating and solar hot water, all of which are included in the planning application.

It's now time to talk in earnest to builders and timber frame suppliers to see if they want to be involved in our project. With the present construction boom it'll be interesting to see how we get on, and if we can find builders who want to build something that won't be straightforward but will be as sustainable as we can afford to make it.

Herbs

I love spring - the garden at Hillside has erupted into leaf, and it's great to see things appearing that we had no idea were there. Okay so there's no shortage of weeds - mostly thistles, nettles and swathes of Doc leaves, but amongst them there are a few gems giving us an inkling of the garden that was once there...before the goat!

In the absence of a vegetable plot (yet) it's been good to find some edible plants. By the pond there's a big patch of mint which has already been used with (shop bought) new potatoes. What we've also got in abundance, but never eaten before, is wild garlic. We've got loads of it and it looks and smells fabulous. A quick Google has come up with a few ideas of how to use it but if you've ever cooked with it or used it in salads and have a few tips let me know. If you don't know what it looks like here's a pic - the smell is pretty obvious!

Cut the carbon

Heard a very interesting talk from Christian Aid today. A very brief precis is that the effects of global warming will have the most significant impact on those parts of the world who can least afford to deal with it - namely the least developed nations. Global warming will result in increased sea levels in areas like Bangladesh causing 18% of the country to flood, and increased desertification of the sahara regions reducing productive land areas, to name but two effects. For more info visit http://www.christian-aid.org.uk/indepth/0702_climate/missingcarbon.pdf

It's very easy to think of how global warming etc effects us, especially after a very warm and wet winter and some of the warmest April days I can remember, but it's good to be reminded of how other parts of the world are already being affected. And when you consider how much of the CO2 is generated in the affluent west (and has been since the industrial revolution) it seems very unfair. About time the UK and the other western nations really started doing something to curb the effects of global warming.

Meanwhile we'll continue to do our bit. Intetesting to note that in the last 3 months we've had our milk delivered by the milkman in glass bottles and we've collected a box full of plastic bottles from other things. Prior to that we were buying milk in plastic cartons and were filling the box every couple of weeks, so it's good to see that plastic consumption has reduced. Must try harder though!

St Fagans

Along with the obligatory timber moving sessions over the long weekend (but at least most of the wood has now been moved up the hill), we managed to have a day out at St Fagans near Cardiff, otherwise known as the National Museum of Welsh Life. It's a 100 acre site based around a grand 16th century house where old buildings have been collected from all over Wales and re-erected.

I was pleasantly suprised at how interesting it all was, and recommend it as a good day out. One of the old tudor 'cruck' farmhouses was inhabited (for a few days) by a Tudor re-enactment group which gave it a more realistic edge.

So what's 'green' about St Fagans? - the drive there and back certainly wasn't. We went to look at the House of the Future, a 2001 eco-build to see if it inspired us or gave us any fresh ideas. Whilst it was interesting, and good to see timber cladding that had weathered nicely along with other construction details, there was nothing amazing about the house. Okay, so it's 6 years old and maybe it goes to show that our research over the last 3 years has informed us well about 'green' buildings. What suprised me though was the extent of south facing glazing - 2001 wasn't that long ago that we didn't know about global warming, was it? It was a pleasantly warm April day and as a result of the solar gain it was very warm inside the house. Surely it must therefore suffer massively from summer overheating, as anyone with a south-facing conservatory will know - a serious design flaw.

Easter Bunny

Over the last few weeks I've regularly seen a rabbit in the garden, but Cathy reckoned I was hallucinating as she never saw it. Finally, and just in time for Easter, I managed to grab the camera (& Cathy!) before the bunny hopped off into the undergrowth. Not the greatest picture but at least it proves I wasn't imagining things...


As I've now sown lettuce seeds indoors, and they've germinated, this does raise the question of how do I protect them when I plant them out. The only pests we used to have to deal with were slugs & snails, and planting our veg in pots helped limit their access and therefore the damage. I'm not sure that rabbits will be so easily deterred. Plus, with all our space I was hoping to plant lettuce and other veg out in the garden. The answer is probably a raised bed with some form of netting, which I may make a start on this weekend (I did read that somebody else buried chicken wire 3 foot down to stop rabbits burrowing into their veg patch - hope I don't have to do that!).

Just incase you were wondering - I've finally sorted out the compost heap. It's been relocated and placed onto wire netting. Todate there's no sign of anybody (bunnies, rats or anything else) trying to get in. A neighbours' cat has also taken a liking to the garden, lurking around the shed, which is probably a good thing if it deters any rodents!

Scaffold

The scaffold arrived today, a day earlier than expected and a week before we need it. I say we, but it's going to be our roofer who uses it.

There are several loose and damaged roof tiles along with bodged repairs on both eaves (using playpit sand!) that have cracked and are allowing the rain in. So we're getting a roofer to replace the tiles and the mortar, this time with the right sand!

It would be great to install solar hot water panels while we've got the scaffold up but that'll have to wait until we've got planning - hopefully the application will go in just after Easter.