It is not yet 4pm,but already dusk is descending. It has been that sort of day when you feel it has not really managed to get light at all, with a low hanging cloud delivering the occasional flurry of rain. Not a good day to be on a roof. In fact, over the last month and a half, I have not spent a great deal of time on the roof. I finished the roof on which I had been working at the start of December, which coincided with my move into a new house. Sadly not a thatched dwelling, but a rundown although rather lovely Victorian end terrace.
Three very solid weeks of work saw walls knocked down, a toilet installed, a new kitchen and an awful lot of decorating. I enjoyed the work-a little different from my usual occupation, but actually very fascinating to see how houses were built 120 years ago. In this case, very well. Well proportioned rooms, natural materials such as lime mortar and pamment floor tiles and an overall sense of a good aesthetic lead to the house being very pleasing on the eye, as well as a fantastic place to live.
With the majority of the work done, I have returned to the roof, this time thatching a building next to Oulton Broad which houses the Harbour Master and other broad related staff. However, the general weather pattern seems to be heading toward the unsettled, so progress may be more patchy than I would wish. It looks likely that at some point this week I shall be able to get out to the woods to begin coppicing hazel, one of most pleasurable seasonal tasks.
