another day

Another day another problem. Tractor hydraulics knackered - seals gone and spewing oil everywhere. and all this just as we were about to mix our last load for the strip we had shuttered. So out came the wee mixer and we hand batched 6 loads to finish off. We have now completed the small roundhouse and almost a half of the large roundhouse so we have about 65 sq m left to do. No idea when the tractor will be repaired and when we can finish the job.As it may well rain again we'll just have to play it by ear.

organised rain

We were all set for a busy day and had rebuilt the ramps for reversing the tractor up to the edge of the big roundhouse to empty the pan mixer last thing yesterday after finishing the small roundhouse. Then at 7:30 this morning Jayne said it was raining. Back under the duvet and by 9:30 it was still raining. As a front was due about 4'ish (actually it came in two hours early) there was no point starting to concrete anything as it would not go off for 48hrs if it got rained on so I fiddled about with bit of shuttering and then retired gracefully home.

day floor

Day four dawned bright and showery - unexpectedly wet - so we had an extra half hour in bed as we are both aching and Jayne's trapped nerve was playing up.

Started concreting after lunch. We have now completed two thirds - 40+ sq metres of the small roundhouse and 28 sq metres of the big roundhouse including a ten metre rake out which was very very hard going. Still we have now finished 68 sq m of 195.

Forecast for the next four days is pretty good so we should be near to completion sometime next week. The tractor is 2WD and pretty awful steering on greasy ground, not enough weights on the front so a bit light.

day one floor laying

Fifty bags of cement, about 30 square metres of floor laid. Half the small roundhouse, including round the difficult shower room pipework.
Jayne the perfectionist was not 100% happy with the tamping but it looked okay and well within our required tolerances. Jane and Amanda popped down mid afternoon on the quad and helped out for an hour or so - it really does make a difference. I mixed while the girls tamped.

We did have a wee shower later which speckled our screed. Hope it all goes off before the overnight rain comes in.

squally showers, rain later

After four days when we could have poured quite a lot of floor concrete, it started dreich at 7'ish this morning and has got steadily worse - so no concreting today or Wednesday as a gale is due. Last weeks storms and then two long days working on the fish farm over the weekend have entirely thrown our timetable - we are almost two weeks adrift. There is no point working for someone else in good weather unless the money is pretty good. Something has to give.

a week later

It's Saturday evening listening to Travelling Folk on Radio Scotland and the arthritis has kicked in after a 12 hour day on the fish (hanging nets - quite a physical operation as they are 80 or 100 metres in circumference and 10m deep). A 7:30 start tomorrow grading - another physical day - and then a week concreting floors. The gales and storms of Monday and Tuesday did not damage any of the sheets of plastic as Jayne had weighted them down really well. Did not get home until Thursday lunchtime after leaving on the 7:35 on Monday. Great hospitality at Lachlan and Fiona's for two nights then Wedndesday was another 12 hr day - I ended up leaving Luing on the last ferry at 10 p.m. after giving a talk to the Community Council about renewables. Luing could have a a great project with a marine turbine as the Cuan Sound runs at 8-11 knots. So it's been a busy week. Campbeltown Grammar enjoyable as usual - only a very few immature 14 yr old lads. JCB working okay now though the flywheel needs tlc. Problem is that by Monday morning when we get the mixer going I'll be knackered and hobbling about. Suppose that's what the pain barrier is for..

Hurricane Katia

"As any fule kno a hurican menes verry strong winds". Hurricane Katia is on its way - waiting a few hundred miles out into the Atlantic to blow our plans away - if the forecast of 40-65 knot winds every day between now and Weds morning is anything to go by then there will be no more building this next week - and no working in Campbeltown either as the ferries will be off - so it is an ill wind indeed.

workin' nine to five, tryin' to make a livin'

The next few days are day-job days even part of the weekend. Today was a teaching day - covering Music at Campbeltown Grammar School (actually non-selective), with Monday and Tuesday to follow, then energy job Weds. Have to also do a good few hours energy job over weekend too. This means we expect to start concreting on Thursday next week for two days, then fishfarm job for two days over the weekend and back to concreting until it is finished. Today was real fun as I had Higher and Advanced Higher Music half the day and some incredibly talented musicians to listen to and chat with. Unbelievably Led Zep are still a huge favourite and it was quite amusing to be told in all seriousness that Bonham was the best rock drummer ever by a sixteen year old - who did then accept that Keith Moon had his merits and that the two drummers of both Allmans and Genesis in full flow were also worthy. Of course he had never seen these acts but must spend a lot of time listening to 70s rock. I listened to a version of Satie's Gnossienes, as well as some excellent guitar playing. A young fiddle player of real talent just confirmed that Kintyre is not just a centre of excellence for pipers - it's a place full of music of all genres.

Anyway all this side-tracks us from our house building and juggling the need to make a living with actual construction but needs must.

Things may come and Things may go but the Art School Dance Goes on Forever

This is a long forgotten 60s album by a band called Piblokto! which featured a highly inventive lyricist by the name of Pete Brown - a good friend of Jack Bruce, one of my favourite musicians and someone I saw a number of times in the 70s. Imagine my surprise when I went for a pee at the public toilets at Macrihanish recently and these unforgettable words were scrawled on the wall. Dated 2009 I think, so fairly recent pencil work. Perhaps it was Pete himself or even Jack out for a round of golf on the links course there or just walking the dog on the stunning 9 mile long beach.

one step forward

Today the part arrived for the JCB. So did the new tyre for the quad. We were very apprehensive about starting the JCB as without being able to move it we have got serious problems as it is in front of the pile of 60 tonnes of aggregate. The machine did not start. Then the starter slipped and would not engage. Took starter off and shifted flywheel round a bit and put starter motor back on. Preheated plugs and let it go...after an infinity of chugs we had ignition and lift off.

Not so lucky with the quad. The wheel seems to be wobbling horribly which means a twisted axle or knackered wheel bearing. Still it was one step forward.

And we finished laying out the reinforcing and are ready to lay concrete.

The wonderful world of Google

The software that processes this blog as developed by Google is seriously flawed and we are having major problems accessing and editing the blog. Just thank God they are not in charge of our Nuclear Deterrent

First wack

This is the Trust Wacker plate as ours has been serviced and a few spares installed. The company - Evolution has a first class after sales service. This wacker plate compacts a lot faster but the same kilonewtons and is a very heavy lift for two. Your demonstrator for today is Jayne.

Archive footage as we have finished this job for the whole building

if in doubt insulate

We bought 75 boards of 2.4 x 1.2 m 100mm insulation. 216 square metres in all and have just three left with some offcuts after completing the underfloor installation. We have squeezed in expanding foam between every gap we could to minimise cold spots. We managed to buy these boards last July when the price was 40% below present levels so out squirreling opportunism has worked well for us