Busy Autumn

We've just heard that our planning application has been approved allowing us to operate the yurt business, so we're now able to progress some repairs and improvements to the barn (as an R&R space for yurt guests), and get to grips with the logistics for building the yurt decks, the outdoor showers and compost toilets. 

The barn is divided into two, with the older part (early 17th century we think) needing some serious work on levelling out the floor (it's currently about 3 different levels) and removing old, solid concrete walls - you can see them in the photo here.  We've spent every spare weekend taking down old corrugated iron sheeting and hardboard to expose the beams which are, mostly, in pretty good condition.  The builders - who start next week - will put some windows in the roof and in the side wall of the barn, as well as a new external door and a large internal door connecting to the other part of the barn,  The big job will be laying new concrete flooring which will be polished so it should look good and be resistant to mud, wellies and stilleto heels!

The newer part of the barn (Georgian?) needs some bracing to stop the progress of a crack, as well as a new floor, door, windows and some sprucing up.  Freddy had his 18th birthday party here last weekend, with table tennis, table football, hammock (plus 20 teenagers) and it worked well.   We'll put WiFi in this part of the barn, as well as books, games and the table tennis etc.  We think we can create a really good space here and longer term we'd like to be able to use both barns for rural courses, screening films and the like. 

We took a break from stripping corrugated iron sheeting to visit the Hen Reedbeds nearby (on the estuary heading down towards Walberswick/ Southwold) in the hope of spotting the huge murmurations of starlings we saw regularly last autumn.  If you look carefully at the photo above, you'll see a small grouping, but nothing more substantial this time. 

It's a lovely spot to be in the late afternoon and there were fantastic reflections as the sun went down - the tide was out and all the waders were busy, with curlews calling across the marshes.  We stood and watched a marsh harrier hunting for a while too.  Bliss.