As we reach the end of December at the farm, a most peculiar thing happened. Apparently, I had a lot more holiday left than I had expected, and was effectively ‘sent home’. This might have meant a whole week on the farm, but frankly, it came as such a surprise that I was mostly unprepared. However, it might give me a glimmer of hope of being in the Megashed 2.0 for Christmas.
Things not covered in this week’s report;
- Lots of bike and bike part movement with the ‘team’ trailer
- Visits from friends and relatives in the pre-Christmas chaos
- An unexpected, but not too painful, school nativity.
Husbandry
The animals continue to be a general source of hilarity. The addition of a Christmas Tree has been incredibly entertaining for the cats. But the pigs haven’t been left out of the seasonal gifts.
Felis Catus
I’m not really sure why we bothered dressing this Christmas tree this year. The cats have been systematically stripping both the lights and the baubles.
As I sit and write, the bottom third of the tree is free of decorations, with all the baubles moved a few feet away from the cats. Not only have they been climbing the tree, but they’ve also taken to ‘wrestling’ under the lowest branches, much to the demise of the remaining ornaments.
While the cats always have access to fresh water that is changed regularly, they really do love to get in the shower. Neither have been brave enough to join us in full flow, but as soon as the water goes off and the door opens, they’re drinking from the shower tray.
They also continue to sleep, and leave little muddy footprints in places they shouldn’t be. Namely, my bed. However, finding Clyde tucked in under the sheets makes me suspicious that my eldest might be encouraging them!
Porcine
The mild weather has been joyous for the bacon, sorry, I mean the pigs. Warmer temperatures seem to have spurred the routing and general turning over of the soil.
And in the sunnier moments, they do rather love to sunbathe. Usually, they only snuggle up in a row when they’re in the pig-wam, but I did catch them all snuggled up together, catching a few rays.
After many failed attempts to buy water troughs at farm auctions, I finally bit the bullet and ordered new ones from APUK. The water had been brought over to the field before the pigs had arrived, so connecting to the supply was relatively straightforward.
Megashed 2.0
A huge amount of the unexpected free time was, not surprisingly, spent on the Megashed. Really, there is only ‘decoration’ left, but this is tiring work on such a grand scale.
With the plasterwork pretty much dry, preparation could start on decorating. This meant sanding down all the surfaces to remove any defects, and this took absolutely ages. My body still hurts.
Once the walls were all sanded and dusted, I was nearly ready for the mist coat on the new plaster. Before any wet paint was applied, the whole floor was scraped and brushed to minimise contamination.
Throughout the painting process, I continued to battle moisture. Between the moisture in the plaster and the added water in the paint, I seemed to be pulling out 10 litres of water per day with the dehumidifier.
After what felt like a lifetime of preparation, I was finally ready for the first coat. This application of thinned paint ensures the final paint correctly bonds to the new plaster and does not peel or flake as the wall’s moisture levels change over time.
After a few days, all the surfaces had two coats of a 50:50 mix of Leyland Contract Matt paint and water, well mixed, of course. The ceiling would get a final coat of a 1:9 ratio as the final covering.
Decoration ended with expanding foam and a significant Polyfilla session. Joints around the rafter ties and steelwork were just a bit too wide to get the plaster into, so they needed a touch of remedial work.
Vehicles
With a few days off, all the vehicles have had their levels checked and a bit of a runaround. Some have been more fun than others, if a little impractical.
Tractors
In view of making the farm look a little less abandoned, there was a lot of half-arsed tidying up going on. From moving dropped trees to cutting hedges. It is a drop in the ocean of what is needed, but something is better than nothing!
It’s only four months since the tree in the garden was dropped by the power board, and finally, I had time to move some of the timber. The ground was rather wet, so I took the opportunity to run the Fergie out, having the best traction-to-weight ratio for the job. Despite being 74 years old, she started on the button and performed faultlessly.
The Ford 7610 also had a decent run-out, making an afternoon trip down the road to a mate’s house to move some materials. What better way to spend an unexpected day off than a nice local drive? Certainly cheaper than therapy, and it beats unloading tonne bags with a shovel.
Landy
The Landy also saw a bit of attention. Since the recent brake changes, I’ve found that it stinks when stopped at traffic lights. I had also noticed something hanging down from the front subframe.
Up on the ramp, I discovered a considerable amount of debris wedged under the car in various nooks and crannies. A mixture of big stick and airline saw most of a tree appear from the various trays. I’ve recently driven through a lot of flood water, so I’m hoping this was floating debris, rather than a mouse house!
Motorbike
After passing my CBT and motorbike theory earlier in the year, the week ended with a bloody fantastic opportunity. A late scheduled lesson with my favourite team at Aintree Motorbike School.
An early start made me rather nostalgic for the many, many early mornings I’ve had here with Liverpool Motor Club. However, on this occasion, I wasn’t here for bale tossing or even four-wheel motorsport.
I had come for a lesson on this little beast. And what a fantastic session it was, lovely to get out with some great people. Something may have happened during the ride, which we will have to wait until the next blog to really get into!
That’s all for this week. With Christmas upon us, I’m doubtful that the shed will be done for Christmas Day, but it’s relatively close to completion. I reckon finishing the interior in 2025 is more than possible. Maybe in time for a NYE party?
That’s all for now
Nothing To Farm.