I am frozen. I have managed to escape to the library to use the internet and keep warm. We had a heavy frost last night and there was ice on the inside of the living room window of the mobile home! Liam thought there was snow outside and wasn't too disappointed to find out that it was only ice. It was a beautiful picture - blue sun and silver, glistening fields. I suppose that it is winter now!
We have one finished window in the house, complete with brass fixtures. It looks fantastic and I am so proud of Daithi for being able to make it. The wait was well and truly worth it. Now we have to work on getting the others in. Hopefully they shouldn't take so long as we know what to expect now. The only problem is that we have run out of lead for the weights. Daithi has managed to cast 20 out of the 60 we need (4 per window) using lead we sourced from the home place in Wexford, but we have no idea where to get the remaining amount we need. Obviously robbing a church roof isn't an option!
Sorry about the lack of photos recently. I don't have anyway to load them on at the moment. I will edit the last few posts and add them as soon as I can.
Friday, November 28, 2008
Thursday, November 20, 2008
The Duovac has arrived
It is here.... The Duovac has arrived safe and sound from the UK only a week after we ordered it. Conor was beside himself when it arrived at lunchtime and opened all the boxes straight away. When I took Liam to piano lessons this evening Conor was telling Daithi all about it. When we returned half an hour later we found Daithi and Conor busy putting the finishing touches to the pipe work for a demonstration. Every time we have seen the central vacuum systems at exhibitions the demonstrator has enthralled all the kids with the way the system works by sucking up lots of colourful balloons. Conor had found lots of Halloween balloons left over from last month and couldn't wait to suck them up. I think Daithi and Cian will have a willing tester over the weekend!
Wednesday, November 19, 2008
Tough week
A very kind brother-in-law has left his laptop and modem with me for the week. It is great to be connected to the world again! It is a shame that I've tonsillitis ever since and today is the first day that I have actually wanted to use the computer!
We have been really busy trying to get all the windows in. The new glass arrived a few weeks back and I am so glad we got replacement units rather than fiddle about with the ones we had because they look fantastic. It has been a lot of work so far to get just the sash boxes in. So far each of the boxes has been slightly larger than the hole it was intended for (better than being too small I suppose), which has meant that the jack hammer has been working overtime! It has taken two weekends of solid work by Daithi and Cian to get 12 out of the 15 boxes in. But each time a box goes in is a big step closer to the house being finished.
This weekend should finally see the first sashes going in to the boxes. The glass is in all of the downstairs sashes already. Daithi spent most of all Sunday afternoon/evening perfecting the technique of casting lead weights. I finally convinced him that he should get a proper mask to protect him, but not before he had probably inhaled far more lead fumes than he should have done. The lead weights is last piece of the window puzzle. Better finish painting them!
Another milestone - we have ordered the central vacuum system. We went for Duovac in the end. The system is more powerful, a cyclone system and is cheaper than Cyclovac. Unfortunately we couldn't get it in Ireland so it is being shipped in from the UK. It should arrive shortly! Exciting times ahead!
We have been really busy trying to get all the windows in. The new glass arrived a few weeks back and I am so glad we got replacement units rather than fiddle about with the ones we had because they look fantastic. It has been a lot of work so far to get just the sash boxes in. So far each of the boxes has been slightly larger than the hole it was intended for (better than being too small I suppose), which has meant that the jack hammer has been working overtime! It has taken two weekends of solid work by Daithi and Cian to get 12 out of the 15 boxes in. But each time a box goes in is a big step closer to the house being finished.
This weekend should finally see the first sashes going in to the boxes. The glass is in all of the downstairs sashes already. Daithi spent most of all Sunday afternoon/evening perfecting the technique of casting lead weights. I finally convinced him that he should get a proper mask to protect him, but not before he had probably inhaled far more lead fumes than he should have done. The lead weights is last piece of the window puzzle. Better finish painting them!
Another milestone - we have ordered the central vacuum system. We went for Duovac in the end. The system is more powerful, a cyclone system and is cheaper than Cyclovac. Unfortunately we couldn't get it in Ireland so it is being shipped in from the UK. It should arrive shortly! Exciting times ahead!
Saturday, November 8, 2008
A new home for now
It is a week since we moved into the mobile home and I have to say that I am surprised at how well we have settled in, the boys especially. Of course there has been a bit of tension: 2 boisterous boys bored in a mobile home while storms rage outside is a recipe for disaster! But on the whole things have gone smoothly enough. I am really happy that they were at school for the most part.
The move itself took forever! I don't think Daithi realised how much stuff was in the garage. We had a loan of a fantastic van from our neighbour (Daithi was smitten) and oh my did we need it. The house was empty by early afternoon and I went off trick or treating with the boys at their friend's house. Conor really got into the spirit of things this year. He was a vampire and was such a sight running from house to house collecting sweets. I forgot my camera (again!) so I am hoping to get photos from my friend and will post them up. I have managed to make the sweets last all week but next year I am going to remove the majority the same night, before they get an idea on how many are in their bags. We left Daithi at 4pm busily packing up the garage and returned at 8pm to find him doing the same!
I have to say that first night in the mobile home was freezing!!!!!! It was the coldest night so far this autumn/winter and we felt it. We were completely unprepared and spent as much of the night wrapped up hugging hot water bottles. The gas couldn't be connected because the cooker was leaking gas so we had no hot water or heat apart from a small electric heater. The boys were safely tucked up in bed and seemed completely oblivious to the ice forming around them. I felt very guilty heading off at 5am to Dublin for the knitting and stitching show (well a little bit ;) ) .
Poor Daithi had a bit of a stressfull day by all accounts. The boys were extremely clingy and wouldn't stay with friends while Daithi finished clearing the house and taking the van back to its home. As a consequence they arrived at Liam's classmates birthday pary 2 hours late, just as it was finishing! Finially they had been invited to friends for dinner, which the boys refused to eat. And to top it off a freezing mobile home to sleep in because they had been out all day! Meanwhile I was enjoying my lovely full Irish breakfast (veggie version), embroidery workshops, exhibitions, spending money and 3 course evening meal! I got back at midnight to find Daithi wrapped in 2 quilts, full pyjamas and hat looking completely stressed out.... oh well!
The Sunday was a beautifully sunny day so we were able to sort ourselves out. Cian brought down a replacement cooker from uncle Josie's house (hope he doesn't come over from England to soon!) and we were able to get the gas connected... hot water on demand, cooking, heating...hoorah! Friends have loaned us a great electric heater which is sufficient to heat the place too. Daithi connected up the washing machine in the house but I have to find a way to dry the clothes now. I have no drier so will have to find a launderette somewhere I think. We also put up spare sheets of insulation around the outside of the mobile which has worked really well at making the bedrooms and bathroom more cosy. So now we are comfortable and much happier than we were in the rented house! I even slept much better when Daithi was in Galway for his 3 day stint. It feels like the final stage now..... I can see the house from my window and know that we will be in soon enough!
The move itself took forever! I don't think Daithi realised how much stuff was in the garage. We had a loan of a fantastic van from our neighbour (Daithi was smitten) and oh my did we need it. The house was empty by early afternoon and I went off trick or treating with the boys at their friend's house. Conor really got into the spirit of things this year. He was a vampire and was such a sight running from house to house collecting sweets. I forgot my camera (again!) so I am hoping to get photos from my friend and will post them up. I have managed to make the sweets last all week but next year I am going to remove the majority the same night, before they get an idea on how many are in their bags. We left Daithi at 4pm busily packing up the garage and returned at 8pm to find him doing the same!
I have to say that first night in the mobile home was freezing!!!!!! It was the coldest night so far this autumn/winter and we felt it. We were completely unprepared and spent as much of the night wrapped up hugging hot water bottles. The gas couldn't be connected because the cooker was leaking gas so we had no hot water or heat apart from a small electric heater. The boys were safely tucked up in bed and seemed completely oblivious to the ice forming around them. I felt very guilty heading off at 5am to Dublin for the knitting and stitching show (well a little bit ;) ) .
Poor Daithi had a bit of a stressfull day by all accounts. The boys were extremely clingy and wouldn't stay with friends while Daithi finished clearing the house and taking the van back to its home. As a consequence they arrived at Liam's classmates birthday pary 2 hours late, just as it was finishing! Finially they had been invited to friends for dinner, which the boys refused to eat. And to top it off a freezing mobile home to sleep in because they had been out all day! Meanwhile I was enjoying my lovely full Irish breakfast (veggie version), embroidery workshops, exhibitions, spending money and 3 course evening meal! I got back at midnight to find Daithi wrapped in 2 quilts, full pyjamas and hat looking completely stressed out.... oh well!
The Sunday was a beautifully sunny day so we were able to sort ourselves out. Cian brought down a replacement cooker from uncle Josie's house (hope he doesn't come over from England to soon!) and we were able to get the gas connected... hot water on demand, cooking, heating...hoorah! Friends have loaned us a great electric heater which is sufficient to heat the place too. Daithi connected up the washing machine in the house but I have to find a way to dry the clothes now. I have no drier so will have to find a launderette somewhere I think. We also put up spare sheets of insulation around the outside of the mobile which has worked really well at making the bedrooms and bathroom more cosy. So now we are comfortable and much happier than we were in the rented house! I even slept much better when Daithi was in Galway for his 3 day stint. It feels like the final stage now..... I can see the house from my window and know that we will be in soon enough!
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