Cottage cladding and more fencing

The builders started cladding the cottage during the week. It's really starting to look like a wee house now. The windows are due to arrive on Tuesday so hopefully the cottage will be weather tight soon. There has been quite a bit of rain over the last couple of weeks and things are starting to get a bit soggy.

Chris spent the weekend doing some more fencing. He hired a post-hole borer for the weekend so despite the rain he was out there making the most of it! He put up two strands of electrobraid on Saturday, as well as all the inline posts and insulators. Sunday was spent finishing off the post and rail in the corners of the paddock surrounding the (eventual) shade trees. I tagged along on Sunday to "help" (passing nails and hammers and other such important duties), and to shift the horses to the new paddock once Chris had finished the post and rail corners.

The horses certainly enjoyed their new paddock and showed their satisfaction by proceeding to rip around at top speed. Their skid stops and vertical bucks, while spectacular, certainly weren't so good for the grass! Luckily they didn't test out the horse-safety properties of the electrobraid, however it was nice to know that if their brakes did fail they wouldn't hurt themselves (too much!). Crazy horses.

Roof

We have a roof! I popped out after work to feed the ponies and I was greeted by a marvellous sight - the cottage has a roof. The exterior cladding is due to be started in the next few days and the windows should be here next week.

View from the inside

Kitchen with a roof!

The shed pad concrete has been cut, and work is due to start on the shed construction around the 21st June.

Shed pad and concrete tank

Water tank is still there - it didn't float away in all the rain

Structural cuts in the shed floor

concrete pad for the pump shed

Mack the movie star

Because today is a wet and windy day and there's not much farm stuff happening, I decided to create a video of Mack. It was his first time trotting in-hand, and while we got how to go "forward" we didn't quite manage "straight lines". However, not bad for his first attempt.

Shed pad

The shed pad was poured today, and what a day for it. A rather chilly start was followed by a glorious sunny day - perfect concrete weather. The 25,000L water tank was delivered and put in place at the same time. The contractors will be back next week to remove the boxing and cut the concrete. Once the pad has cured for 2 weeks the shed building can commence.

Shed site earthworks continued

Here are some more photos of the shed site earthworks I took after work today.

The view from the cottage window

Hole for the water tank

Ramp to get the water tank into the hole

Looking up the ramp from where the water tank will be

And a short video of the digger man doing this thing

Earthworks again

I was greeted by an unexpected surprise after work today - the shed pad and water tank hole are under way. The contractors weren't due to start until tomorrow, but they obviously decided to make the most of the brief respite from the rain and make a start.

Another hole

Another digger

And another pile of dirt

This all looks rather familiar

 

Mack keeping a close eye on proceedings

Did you bring me food?

While his paddock mate decides the grass is much more interesting