Last night we needed to check the big boat as we haven't checker her in a while  - looks like the gulls and ducks have been using her as a pooping place again !!!
while we were at the big boat i took the fishing rod that i had left there on the last visit as i wanted the reel of it and headed up to the near by beach to see if there was any fire wood

while there we had a look for some late season peeler crab for the bait freezer - didn't find any but we did manage to find some some harbor rag

this we put on the rod we brought from the big boat and cast it in while we had a mooch for the wood

while we done this the kids thought it would be fun to get very muddy
 

we had a quick pick arround and gathered some decent smaller bits  of fire wood take home

when we loaded up the rib i reeled in the line and found this chappie on the end - not very large but a good surprise to end the evening

time to head home so a quick blast down to the slip and the kids decided to get wet and try and winch the boat back on the trailer

after the state the kids were in  they got to ride in the back of the van and home  in time for a hot bath - roast dinner and bed

As per the usual way round here it still needs a lot sorting but i have placed a timescale to this - to have this complete and in use by the end of the month so i can boost production and get the flock count up 

This is the current basic set up in the garage and the base birds for breeding off - the incubator will be coming out again and a constant supply of fertile eggs will be fed in untill the layers are up to the numbers needed to start supplying a decent stream of fresh eggs 

with all the use the little sib - [soft inflatable boat] got last summer and for all the jobs i have this winter i really needed a trailer for her .
usually i have to unload the boat remove the engine and wedge her in the van leaving the doors open and having to haul everything back in side the boat - then re do this again when we get to the slip or back home - this really takes time and is just annoying 

so after getting hold of a bodged part built trailer and disassembling another knackered trailer i had enough for one decent road trailer 

simply removing the chassis and tow bar  from one and using some off cuts and the bed of the other and wala i have a trailer which is light to move about - stable and will last a good few years of use 

the kids have now finished painted her and i have added some mud guarding to prevent the road dirt and stones getting kicked up at the hull of the boat 

this trailer isn't for going in the water so i haven't got to worry to much of rotting out as i have made some removable wheels to take the boat from trailer to sea as there are a few places i launch you cannot take a vehicle right to the slip 

so its now load up at home and off we go  

the wheels on the back are the launch bar so i dont need to put the road trailer in the water to launch - this is simply 2 numatic trolley wheels from a sack truck fitted to some stainless steel tube which i have welded 2 rings to - all i do is strap it on and off we go to the water 

total time - 2 hrs 
total cost £5 for the bodged up trailer frame 

after a few months of being away from the blog ime back to update what we have been up to 

realy it has been a bit hectic with life in general and i just couldnt get round to getting on here and updating but hopefully now we have started to catch up on ods and sods - changing jobs and the misses going back to work and re gaining a decent internet connection and in-between putting the obligatory Christmas lights up ime going to make time each week at minimum to add new posts and info to the site 
thank you for being patient 

I have been a bit over busy round here at camp stig to up date the blog although ime going to push my self to make time and soon add all the recent projects i have been doing  

But here we go again 
I have just been spending the last few days collecting this load of oak off cuts and left overs from a local furniture company that is closing down.
This lot goes slightly against my principles of wombling although it was so cheap i couldn't refuse it also i have got more to collect this week along with whatever they are getting rid of.
So far i have up and coming jobs where i can use the longer pieces for steps - beams - planking for the kitchen doors etc 
but i have over 1/4 of this i haven't a use for at the mo and it is way too good to burn so it will get put in to storage until i find a use for .
ime thinking some bedside lights - tea light holders - ornamental blocks or like i have been doing for the past few days a massive game of jenga !

but like most things that come my way there will soon be something to use it on 

total cost for all materials  = £80 + £30 transport = £110 

we took the barge out for the day to test another engine and made a full day of it the weather was good the tides were high and the river quiet
so we headed down river to our favorite beach to have the obligatory bbq and relax
the kids enjoyed going on there swing and being out on the river even the dogs enjoyed it
and we even found a new hole to explore  [below]

was some sort of old mine right on the beach and went back a good 60ft + although blocked at the end it was good to have a look and find a new one
on the way back we found a great big driftwood tree which we collected to make use of it in the garden
all in all a great day out for all and at minimal cost

After a good few years with the old trailer it was time for a new one for the barge the last one i made my self from 2 different trailers and last month it finally got to the point of no return the winch post had rusted badly and the frame was showing signs of heavy fatigue so a chance find found me this "new" trailer which happened to fit the barge spot on
it came with a light board and 2 brand new tyres on the trailer and even has a new spare tyre and wheel all i had to do was adjust the winch post and make up a front bunk to take the weight of the boat's bow and that was it it will need a new jockey wheel and maybe some mew bearings sometime but we only go a max of 1/4 a mile to the slip and have these parts in the womble store [somewhere]
total cost £100
[the white paint on the boat is where she was used by the local child minders for a float for the village fun day as a pirate ship [i have now got the paint off]

most people see boating as a expensive hobby for the well off i see it as a very affordable fun past time for everyone
i have had big boats - sailing boats - expensive boats but with those you lack part of the fun and enjoyment and a lack of connection with the environment having to spend alot of time with upkeep and maintenance or being sat in a cabbin
we wanted to get our kids in to sailing and to have the fun of boating on there own something where they can learn to sail them selves and enjoy our natural and wonderful environment where we live
a friend found me this little ship which was just what we were after for the kids she needed new rubbing strakes and some tlc but after replacing the rubbing strakes and re doing the running rigging she was ready
kids boat - 8ft pram sailing dingy with a gunter rig total cost - £60

we also used our sib as a safety boat so we could follow them and teach them on the go also to carry the all important bbq kit and everything else we needed to take
the sib is one i have had for a few years and is used for collecting wood and towing duties also as a fast fishing sib
sib - 2.7mtr loadstar came with a hole but total cost - £20 [for repair kit]
yamaha 15hp outboard out of a garage clearance non runner  total cost - £0
launch trolly [was cut in half] total cost £2 [scrap value]
even our bbq costs £0 as they are often got from garage clearances or just thrown out [have another 20 ish left]
total day out costs us £8 including bbq stufs
the best part with these 2 boats is i can put both on my trailer so i can launch both at the same time and dont have to go do 2 trips to get them to the slip

everything is affordable when you put your mind to it

well after alot of time ripping things apart or digging holes or flattening weeds over 3 years its nice to start to get some of the garden starting to look like a garden rather than a bomb site and add those finishing touches to some areas 
this week we have been concentrating on the big pond that we dug out last year and after a lot of hard graft we have started to get a glimpse of how it is going to look 
the liner is made out of an off cut of silage sheet [from out neighboring farmer] and is in place in 4 layers this is on top of a layer of dpc and that is on top of 2 layers of carpet total depth is 5ft and it holds approx 15000 ltr
we have brought up around 1.5 ton of stone and rock from the bottom of the garden where it has sat for the past 2 years since we collected it all through free to collector adverts and have another 2 ton to bring up to Finnish off around the pond
the gravel was also free [was a driveway] although i need to find some more to Finnish
and the slate steps and steeping stones are leftover pieces of our renovations
the pond plants were here already in the original tiny pond and the fish are from some local pond clearances
we are just working on a pebble stream to link our small pond to the big one and also have the filter box and uv filter to put together - all soured through garden clearances and the pump needs finishing off
although were not quite finished yet we only have the simple bits to do to finish and by the end of the week i hope to be done
total cost £20

This year we wanted to start to convert the garden to use no dig beds so to start these I built 4 of these simply out of the remains of a neighbors shed floor planks although they are strong these are the only 4 for this year and i have done these as an experiment for the rest mainly to find out what is the best soil - material to use inside them 
no1 is 4'' of grass cuttings which has 8'' of rotted manure on top 
no2 is 10'' rotted manure
no3 is 10'' of our own compost 
no4 is 6'' green cuttings and 6'' of rotted manure 
total is full of around 1.5 ton of material 

the first thing I done was to cover the ground in landscape material and attach some short boards to the size we wanted [these are 5ft x 5ft] and 9in deep to these I have made some waterproof ply high sides 14in high which will allow me to add a cloche roof so each can be covered and promote germination and prevent pest's while seeds/plants  and in the early stage

the soil is in a layered form starting with cardboard at the base to really act as a mulch then there was a layer of garden clippings and grass cuttings followed by a 6 in layer of free rotted horse manure - home made compost [as above] 

the paths between these are going to have paving slabs and gravel on which I already have ready to use which I got from a free to collector add last year

as and when I get the time and materials I will be building a whole load more of these so we can gain out put and save time and effort 

total spent - £0

total time 4 hrs

We are currently in the process of also building an extension to become the kitchen
slowly allot of materials have been wombled or bartered but by far the best are these beams which are original to the existing building dating back to 1840s and were found in one of the outbuildings when we moved in 
we have built the kitchen with a full height open ceiling as we wanted a big open space 
and these beams are going to be used to add some much needed character to the build to help it blend to the old style of the house 
so i have been removing nails and stripping off the old paint to reveal some really great timber beneath 
we have used 2 for the existing kitchen which reinforces the ceiling above as the master bedroom was a bit like a trampoline when we arrived and for the first few months we had a fence post holding up the ceiling !!! see pics above
the end result will be a rustic charm kitchen altho it may be hard work to make usable they will definitely be worth the extra effort once installed

last year we started to re do the front room after fitting the  "new" wood burner and doing structural work 
the chimney brest was bland and missing that old feel although we managed to keep the old cloam oven in tact and wanted a beam - mantle to go over the opening for the wood burner to add character
i knew i could go and have one made but this cost's alot and they are not that good a quality [without going bespoke] so i made one myself 
this piece of wood was found floating down the local estuary while we were wood collecting for the stoves but this one stood out as being better quality piece than the standard "driftwood" or river wood
so it was cut down to see what it looked like in side which turned out real nice so the idea was born  and after a few hours finishing it to fit the bend in the wall it looked the part 
this was coated in a light oak stain then waxed to finish 
over time it has gained a few character cracks but these add to the feel and appearance of the room
all we have to do now is decorate the room to finnish
  

yesterday I managed to womble a big solid work bench so the first job that was needed was to re jig the garage and clear some junk out to fit it in also in the womble store I had a big woodworkers vice that ime going to fit as I have been vice less for a while

the under side of the bench has just the right space to slide the Tesco type crates in [one row on the shelf and one on the floor] to so I can add some much needed storage for little bits and odds this will be this evenings job then I can remove the old work bench and make the garage more easy to work in for those up and coming projects and give us more room to get bigger things in the garage and still have room to work around them
another bonus is that the electric sockets are this side of the garage so no more trailing leads all over the place

one happy stiggy

over the past few weeks i have come across a few unusual items that I wouldn't normally bother to pick up  mainly a big temperd glass table top and an old water barrow

The water barrow was going to become a planter or garden ornament type thingy but it managed to turn in to a table - somehow
ime still thinking about either leaving as it is or painting it up a bit but at the mo i like its rustic natural look but i wil be adding some plants inside to give it some more character and something different to look at than the emptiness that it has at the mo  
the handles and the cross bar were made out of reclaimed pallet wood and need a final finish and ime thinking of making the wood extend the full length of the metal handles but we wil see how goes 
and even tho it looks unstable it is surprisingly sturdy it dosent rock or want to fall over [which was my first thoughts about it] so practical and pleasing 

Things are coming along nicely with the deck altho far from finished but i can see the end 
The day of our nans 93rd birthday BBQ and it was raining and bloody cold - thankfully i had managed to get the sail cover on the night before not properly but it was up and doing its job but does need a few tweeks
The canopy is made from salvaged sailing dingy mast's - rigging and a yacht sail  
The day went fine apart from the rain and nearly freezing conditions we had 5 min of dry so got the kids out for there easter egg hunt altho nan did stay by the wood burner most of the time but who can blame here at her age lol 
apart from the fencing at the back everything else in the pic i have wombled for free 

 

Its been wombling mad here the past few days 
Thursday i had a call from my pallet supplier as they had a load come in and wanted them out of the way so ended up with a trailer and a van full around [30 odd] pallets of all sizes not there usual quality but pallets none the less 

Yesterday i went to collect a mass of carpet to use as our underlay for our big pond which we are slowly building and the rest of the day was spent catching up on house hold chores   grrr  


Today i had a full trailer [1ton ish] of logs given to me through a friend then on the way i hit some of my wombling sites and collected some odd wooden windows - some heavy metal weird bits and odds and on my last call i managed to get a nearly new garden gate and posts along with some tools and more odds + some rubbish i left at the tip on the way past 
all i need to do is use it up on some projects and crack on with trying to make this in to a business 


Tomorrow ime hoping to get on with the pallet deck as i have my nans 93rd birthday to host in the afternoon so up early to try and get it up and usable for this 
pics to follow [sorry camera issues ] 

been out and about wombling today and come back with a selection of mirrors

one vintage dresser mirror [ part stripped ] 2 antique square mirror glasses and 2 modern mirrors along with the all important pallet now to work out how to combine the pallet and mirrors ?

along with these wombles I have an assortment of diy odds and a wood burner to go on the pallet deck for those chilly evening BBQ's
 
back to the mirror 
this evening i spent an hour making up a mirror from the old mirrors and pallets i wombled earlier this is what i came up with