-6.5

It's been a quiet few weeks over the Christmas holiday with the builders off site until the start of this week. With the builders merchants and other suppliers also closed for the bulk of the holidays we've been limited in what we can do. However, we have been able to locate the best local source of reclaimed clay tiles, even if they are slightly more expensive than new ones, and have got a good price for the timber shingles - just need to find out exactly when the roofer needs them.


We've also spent time trying to source a kitchen again without compromising our sustainability ideals with mixed success - seems that we can get what we want (contemporary designed solid wood units and doors that aren't 'foil' and plastic wrapped), but not with our budget. Sourcing flooring for the kitchen/diner and courtyard has been more sucessful with us identifting a Travertine that we may be able to use and afford thanks to the sales.


With the dry, and very cold, weather we've been having we've spent plenty of time huddled around the stove, particularly over the past few days. Now we're back at work the house has cooled down during the day. Combined with prolonged sub zero temperatures (last night it hit -6.5C outside), the thin doors in the kitchen and current poor levels of insulation, this has made it a slow process to get some warmth back into the house. Just as well we've got the woodburner as it'd be unbearable without it.


It's been an age since I last mentioned the operation of the stove, but it's definitely worth a note that after learning how to use it last winter, and now that we have a woodstack that has been seasoned for a year, any build-up of soot on the glass door is minimal. Since the first burn of this winter back in October I think we've only had to clean the glass a couple of times, unlike the weekly cleans we were doing last winter. So we started 2009 by cutting down a huge overhanging Ash tree branch to give it time to season for next winter - Happy New Year!