14 MARCH 2011 - Latest studio update

Monday 14th March

How time flies, I can't believe that it's been so long since my last studio update.  Three months! How rubbish am I....Rubbish!

  

Well we finally got a break in the weather about eight weeks ago Norman and David (Our son) managed to get the cladding on and the studio is looking rather swish, even if I say so myself.

 

It seems to have taken ages to get this far, the months have flown by and  the 'Weather God's' seem to have been playing games with us, trying to get the roof lights in has been a mission we'd take the tarpaulin off and the rain would fall, then it would freeze.... Then so windy, but all in all far too cold to be up on the roof.

But finally a break in the weather and within the weekend Norman had put in the Velux roof lights, it's wonderful, I was jigging up and down we are almost at the last post.  Hurrah!... Then the tarpaulin had to go back on until we had another good weekend.

On the 27th of February the weather improved, the roofing felt made an entrance here are father and son working nicely together, I listened to them chatting away putting the world to rights as they worked... They don't always chat like that... It was lovely to hear them.

So now half of the roof is done, the weather turned once more and it was just too cold to lay anymore of the roofing felt.

This past weekend 11th, 12th and 13th March we helped move our daughter and her family to the West Country, how I shall miss my darling girl, she is now over 4½ hours away in Somerset.... Instead of a short bus ride away, it breaks my heart, but hey! it could be worse.  I shall try and look on the bright side, it will be lovely to spend the holidays with them....

Needless to say nothing much got done in the studio.... Except I have started to move in all of my stuff....Hip! Hip! Hurrah! 

Now I'm off to do some tidying up... Moving studio's....The mess..... IS endless... 

 ******

Saturday 11th December

The skylights are going in today, it is still bitterly cold, there is still snow on the ground but Norman is out there putting in the roof windows... Norman only managed to get the surrounds started, the weather turned and it was SO cold, so he called it a day... He had, had enough!

 ******

Monday 22 November

I have had a change around at my studio updates.. I have turned it upside down, so to speak.  From now on updates will be at the top of the page to save you from scrolling down every time.... Why? didn't I do this in the first place... Numpty!

Firstly I wanted to show you my old washing line... Just kidding... I'm really showing you the windows that went in last weekend.

This is the view from the front, the large opening is for the double doors which I will be able to open out onto the garden when the weather allows... I am sat here writing this on a very cold and damp November morning... Summer seems such a long way off at the moment.

*************************

The next part of this post is about the press... My bargain from Ebay £255.33

We picked it up from Lowestoft on Saturday 20th November...In a big old van that Norman borrowed from work.. Many thanks to Howard.

It is a beast of  a thing and weighs an absolute ton, my daughters partner Saul helped Norman move it into the studio this morning, many thanks Saul.

What  a lump, it is so heavy, needless to say I was less than useless with the loading and unloading. There is also a large sheet of steel, the press bed, but that made a boring photograph.

I love all of the engineering that goes into machinery

Norman has just had a quick look at it and the electrics are in a hell-of-a-mess, as I said in an earlier post, it was sold on Ebay as broken....It's just as well that the intention was to change it back to a manual press.

******

Tuesday 10th November

I am so sorry that it's taken me so long to up date this page.. where does the time go..

As you can see I now have roof rafters going up

A little bit more done then the tarpaulin has to go back on

Now our bargain windows are going in, (B & Q sale) all double glazed, thrilled with our bargain, then two months later they were selling them off less than half the price that we paid... Gutted.

Saturday 18th September

The sun is shining and the pre-fabricated sections that have been waiting under the tarpaulins are going up.  These two sections got bolted together while I was looking for my camera.

Tea break and toasted tea cakes

arrh! ...really scary.

The Studio is almost ready to open and my boys are progressing well with the build.. and they are working well together.... fingers crossed that it continues.

Two hours in and I have almost 3 sides to my studio.

The huge pile of pre-fabricated sections are disappearing fast.. My boys are working so hard.. I am supplying tea and sandwiches, together with generous helpings of encouragement. 

When they lifted up the last panel they disturbed a nest of field mice, they froze and just stared up at the giants looking down at them, then they ran and surprisingly, jumped quickly out of the way.  I didn't  know that they could jump that high and that far.

...My visitors have started to arrive.... Butterfly's... are fluttering.

Open Studio...lots of visitors, I've also sold a couple of prints.  As you can see I did manage to get the washing out between visitors.  Four sides... So quick.

 ******

Friday 28th August

Bank Holiday weekend

Rain Rain and more rain.... Norman worked between showers while I went on my collagraph course at Cuckoo Farm Studios, I had a wonderful time, my sweetheart on the other hand dodged the showers.

 

 

Monday 23rd August

Window bargain...

Went into B & Q for a bucket of nails.. just happened to look at their sale shelves, as you do, and found ourselves some windows... No flashing's... Went on line found a company who delivered them  for free!...Three days later.... Saving almost £1000.00  We can't believe it, how lucky are we 6 double glazed window units that can double up as roof lights for £665.00.

Saturday 21st August

The wood for the walls arrives today... exciting... I'm off to deliver a wedding cake with my daughter.... There is so much of it...

19th August

The view from our bedroom... Washing and all.  Floor being laid with lots of insulation to keep out the cold, I don't think that I will have any heating so the studio is being insulated within an inch of it's life...Cosy.

 

18th August

Here is my man in full flow the membrane is down, floor joists and noggins going in.

9th August 2010

All the blocks have been laid ready for the waterproof membrane, you wouldn't believe how much work this entailed, my darling sweated buckets in the heat this weekend, he is exhausted but pleased with progress.

Next..... membrane, joists, insulation and floor. 

Friday 30th July

Delivery day..

This is just one of the piles of wood and blocks that has been delivered its under the tarpaulin because it has been a little wet here just lately.. and not much like summer.

Norman has been leveling the ground... More barrow loads of soil...Would any one like any?

Saturday24th July 2010

Today I've been printing with Jill Desborough... what an amazing artist and a wonderful teacher..Returned home to find that Norman has been busy...

The turf has been piled up at one end of the vegetable plot, we hope that it will break down and rot over winter, the pile doesn't look very big... It's up to my chest..I'm 5'5"

  

Other spoil has been put around the vegetable garden, this pile is next to the recycling bin, it's huge this photo does not do it justice.

 

This pile between my Amaranths plants, as you can see we are running out of space.. just a few more barrow loads to find a home for...

Sunday 18th July 2010 

The site has now been cleared I don't know how many barrow loads of soil my darling moved we lost count after 20, it is all heaped around the garden everywhere is 4" higher than it was a couple of weeks ago, it's covered up a lot of weeds mind you. 

It doesn't look a very big site but the studio will be about 20' x 10' compared to the spare bedroom that I'm in, it will be like Buckingham Palace.

 

Saturday17th July 2010

I've just got back from a printing class at Cuckoo Hall Farm Studios, Lino and Collagraph. It was wonderful.... And this is what Norman got up to while I was out of the way...  Beech tree gone, a huge mahonia, honeysuckle and a passion fruit,   devastation, and my sweet little house watching in the background..

And then the clear up...

Friday16th July 2010

It's about to start, the spot has been chosen and tomorrow my beloved will start clearing the ground.  These are a couple of pictures that I took this time last year.  Looking across to where my studio will be... Has anyone noticed the moth in the foreground?

 

 The view from another direction...doesn't it look lovely..