With spring approaching, it was time to complete the external parts of our barn rebuild, by creating an open lean to work area where the old woodshed used to be.
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The start of February marks the traditional Druid festival of Imbolc, celebrating the beginning of spring, being about halfway between the winter solstice and the spring equinox.
Of course these days, Imbolc is some six weeks ahead of what we now tend to think of as the official start of spring in March, but nonetheless, this is the time when the first earliest signs of the garden waking up start to appear.
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As Christmas edged ever closer, and with the British Larch cladding and roofing membrane now on, it was time to battle November’s almost constant rain and wind to get water tight before the snow.
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As you may know, we are no longer posting out hundreds of Christmas Cards, in favour of donating the money to charity each year instead. So make sure you have clicked the follow button here to continue to get our monthly news and next year’s e-Christmas card.
With the structural frame of walls and roof safely constructed, it was time for the cladding and roofing membrane.
Like the pig sties, we again used British Larch cladding supplied by Vastern Timber, which had recently arrived across the fields.
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With a level baseplate constructed, the structural frame could start to be built, and the shape of the old barn began to re-emerge from the ashes of its demolition.
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Having safely demolished the old barn, and removed the asbestos, before it fell down, it was time to start preparing the foundations.
Since preparation is key, the first act was actually to install a new field gate in the paddock to allow access to get materials deliver to site.
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Last year, we rebuilt the pig sties, turning them into useful sheds.
This year we are tackling the Barn, which has miraculously survived the last two winters without falling down completely, although we did lose part of the roof.
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And we say, it’s all right.
Despite the Climate Change driven drought, summer abundance arrived at The Secret Acre.
It all made for a busy July and August, along with the usual influx of willing helpers at the start of the school holidays.
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Here’s a quick pictorial catch up of how it’s going on The Secret Acre Veg Patch after our unexpected slow start to the year.
Overall, things have caught up pretty well considering our chaotic spring, and garlic, field beans, salads, strawberries and red currents are all ready to start to harvest.
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The Secret Acre 