Showing posts with label Cabin. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Cabin. Show all posts

Friday, 2 October 2020

Secret Hidey Hole

 In continuation of showing you around our new place I have something today that will float some boats, I am sure. I have a studio all to myself!

Our new house is actually smaller than our old house so we knew that we would not have a spare room for all of my crafting tat. I even tried to give lots away to make it seem smaller but there was not a room in our new plan for it. My late father designed the new house and he didn't have a sewing machine!

My cousin laid a concrete pad ready to build an insulated log cabin way back in April. 

My brother-in-law, Andy and I built it in the sweltering heat of May lockdown. It became so hot that we actually had to stop laying the felt on the roof because it it was just too hot to kneel on. 

I painted it, had some carpet fitted and then dumped everything in there while we moved our house contents. 

Everyday in August, I emptied another box until I found a home for all of my things. The wooden wall blocks have insulation built inside them and the floor is also insulated so that things will not get damp.

Andy added electrics so that everything could get up and running.

Our old kitchen table makes a fabulous cutting table which I can only blame myself for if it is always full! I used to moan at everyone that the kitchen table was never empty enough for me to lay out fabric.

I have gradually added more pictures and things that make me happy.

There are little places for everything.

It is a wonderful place to hide for an hour or so. I have never wanted a flash car, or a luxury holiday - give me a shed with all my stuff in any day.

Of course, if you are truly creative it mostly looks more like this...

Thanks for dropping in. Have a good weekend. Jo xxx

Sunday, 23 June 2019

Midsummer Weekending

We were tempted to have a weekend off house building but we went to a festival last weekend so we need to keep the momentum going on our house build while there are light nights and non-rainy days. To ease the blow, we slept in the cabin, ate al fresco and tied everything in with a little kitchen building and shed demolition. It felt like a good way to please everyone.









 The early evening was warm and sunny, an ideal time to walk around the fields and catch the foxgloves. It is the first time we have slept at the cabin since last Summer. Everyone was really looking forward to it.





We had chicken on an open fire with salad. While the girls and Bloke walked to a nearby ford, I put some bananas and chocolate (yes, we are still eating chocolate rabbits from Easter!) on the dying embers. Bloke thinks they are disgusting but I was hoping Little M would get full towards the end and leave me some - she did!





Beano was exploring new areas. He is a very attentive puppy and always stays close to our legs. We did wonder what he would be like in the dog crate in the cabin but he slept soundly like us. Sometimes, contrary to the tranquil images, it is really difficult to sleep at the cabin due to animal noises, the sheep or the wind and rain. But this weekend it was perfectly quiet because the sheep were in another field and the sun shone.






The girls dragged out an old T-pee I made from a double duvet when they were little. They still enjoyed the den building aspect of putting it up and sitting in it together to eat marshmallows.




I sat at 10:30pm and watched about ten bats in the dusk catching insects from the pond. They fluttered and swooped close to me but I really liked the feeling of sitting on my own amongst them.



We all sat and watched the sun set from the cabin door, took some silly selfies in the orange sunset glow and did some grass identification with a reference book. I managed one row of crochet. Wholesome stuff folks.



Thanks for checking in. Have a good week. Jo xxxx

Sunday, 18 September 2016

Enjoying the weather

A few pictures of our weekend, enjoying the weather, preparing for the next chapter of the year and our new family livestock.


I picked more blackberries.


 My dad bought some Hebridean sheep for the farm to graze the grass.


Little M is trying to pet them but they were more interested in the lush grass.


Bloke installed the old log burner in the new cabin.


Little M thought she had found the best marshmallow stick ever until she realised one was getting burnt while the other two remained raw!



It got too hot for the girls so I helped out with the toasting while laughing because I couldn't get up off the floor without the treat starting to slide off the stick!!


Big Sis made little bowls and models from clay exposed on the lower fields.


On Sunday we made our usual weekend National trust visit, this time a mile walk away at Benthall Hall


Savoring the dappled sunshine.


Happy Days! Have a great week one and all. Jo xxx

Friday, 15 July 2016

Cabin Sleepovers

We have found this rather natty way of starting the weekend. We all agree that we are going to sleep at the cabin on Friday night. 


Bloke picks the children up from after-school club, I get home shortly afterwards, we all change into farm clothes, then drive past the Chinese takeaway and pick up dinner to eat at the cabin.




The children stay up later than normal. We play, we unwind together, watch the sunset and the lights come on in the distant town then go to sleep to the strange animal noises that accompany us at the farm. I usually manage to sneak in half an hour of crochet.



The next morning we eat breakfast, have a bit more playing time then pack up, go home and have a shower. Miraculously we still have the whole weekend to go! 

The photo on the right is purely for my memory, I spent the best 90 minutes of my life last weekend with Little M totally engaged in spotting, drawing and using a nature book to find the names of these wildflowers. I love the way she has written the date, she felt so grown up when she did it. We think the purple one is selfheal not shelfheal when we cross referenced it later.


Last weeks play consisted of an animal derby followed by a very creative stop frame animation which Big Sis set up with her camera. She took 32 photos to play back quickly to reveal the story, I think you can guess what happened in the end...


We have done it twice now and it really has been a huge success to enjoy the lighter nights even if it has not been really summery. 


Being outside together is what we love. Have a great weekend. Jo xxx