What a strange November !

One day it was Autumn, the next it was mid winter.

I got the pottery workshop insulation done just in time. I’ve never known such a cold snowy November and it looks likely to continue through the first half of December. Inigo helped me with the underfloor insulation by crawling below the joists and measuring the spacing while I cut strips of 50 mm thick polystyrene sheeting to jam up between. What a noticeable difference that made.
Then I fitted some made-to-measure sheets of clear Acrylic, with magnetic strip edging, to the windows - very neat secondary glazing. This was followed by some very careful draught proofing all round.
Last big job has been to triple the depth of the loft insulation. More than 20 years of accumulated debris from the plaster and slates above (+ Long-Eared Bat colony’s droppings) had compressed the existing blanket to about half of its original depth. The whole granite clad, 200 year old workshop area is now 5 or 6°C higher than it would have been without it; last night it was minus -7°C outside but a quite snug 13 to 14°C inside first thing in the morning. Most impressive !




Just a day or so before November drew to a close, the cloudless blue skies beckoned us. The walk began with an unusual view of our house - normally hidden from this angle by the leaves.

There were remnants of Autumn colour still persisting here and there.

Just below Moyle Hill summit the view over the Solway was magnificent; the new wind turbines criss-crossing along the watery horizon and the white mountains of the Lake District beyond.

Taking me and a camera on a walk is a bit like walking a dog; you have to be patient and expect frequent stops. Although having said that, it was Christine that stopped to point out the mountain bike tracks as we began our descent.

The low sun was highlighting every depression as we made our way home.

It’s now only the end of the first week of December and the icy grip of Winter seems complete. Heavy snow and - 12°C last night. Shortest day less than two weeks away and then at least we can look forward to the coming year.