Autumn Round Up
Big Moves
We have moved in! We’ve been working hard, painting, laying floors, moving furniture and a hundred other jobs so we can finally get into the house. Having lived in an actual house for a few weeks, we have seen a big increase in quality of life and feel a bit more like humans who can function in the world. We’re really pleased with how the rooms have turned out. I think it could be the most expensive studio flat outside of zones 1-3. There’s still a long way to go, but it's great to have hit this milestone. I love seeing the house from the outside with the lights on inside, after 2 and a half years of looking at a dark, empty place! We still have to cook in the caravan; the kitchen is the next room we’re going to tackle, but a bath and not having to go outside to get to bed is enough for now. It was also great to re-home the bath and sink that were surplus to requirements elsewhere, and the tiles and towel radiator were free leftovers that we used here.
The bathroom downstairs.
Rosy the Heat Pump
The key component to moving in was heating and Rosy the Heat pump (that is its name, as given on the Octopus adoption certificate). The Octopus team did the installation over 3 days, and it all went pretty smoothly. We had a great team who were up for a different type of installation than their more standard jobs, and didn’t run off as soon as they arrived, which we had feared. There were a few teething problems, mainly because we turned off the upstairs radiators, as we’re not using that space. That impacted the flow rate, which is not good for heat pump systems. Octopus sent someone out straight away, and it was quickly sorted. As we insulate the rest of the house, it should only get more efficient.
The water tank in the utility room.
Rosy
Award-winning produce
We also put some veg into the local show, and the potatoes got first prize in a very strong field! Our neighbour across the road won the overall title, but I’ve got lots of insights on the standard required, so watch out next year. It was a fun day and a much bigger event than we had expected. There was every type of farm animal, from pygmy goats to the enormous bulls pictured below.
Veg box
Spud me
Onion harvest
Got beef
AOB
Otherwise, we have had a lot of mushroom growth in the grass, see hand for scale on this one. Apparently, it’s a sign of healthy soil. The chickens have been moulting a lot, which I am suggesting might be a sign of a cold winter to come, as they’re making sure they have a lot of new feathers to cope. Maverick has lost all the feathers around his neck and looks pretty punk as it’s all growing back.
Fun guys
No, I look fine.
We have reinforcements to start plasterboarding the kitchen this weekend, and we’ll be cooking in the house before you know it, get the dinner invites at the ready.
Thanks for reading, love from Hillside Farm x
P.S. Avvy managed to squeeze in a castle visit; she thinks she could have been a good archer.
Court Spaniel
