Life's Never Easy

Just as we thought winter might finally be behind us, everything changed again, with a north wind bringing snow for the hills and a cold, sleety rain down to sea level.  To add to the builder's problems, the single-track B8007, the only road in and out of the community, is closed for several hours each day while a landslip is repaired, so builders merchants are refusing to deliver, meaning that Mark or J-P have to drive down the road, when it's open, to collect supplies.

Despite this, work continues as a good pace.  With the scaffolding coming down just inside the entrance to the castle, one gets a better idea of what it will be like to walk in to the renovated Mingary Castle when it's finished.  The wooden 'awning' described last week....

....has now been covered with lead, and the Chandlers, Mark, Martin and Graham, who have made such a neat job of the roofs and their associated leadwork, their work done, left the site on Wednesday.

Billy (pictured) and stonemason Damien have nearly finished laying the slabs all round the attic room of the north range.  What's left to do is on the north side, where the lead gutter to carry away the rainwater, installed by the Chandlers, has to be covered with slabs.  They've also been working at head level, finishing off the battlement walkway along this side.  This won't be accessible, so has been capped with uneven slabs of local stone.

Most of the men are working in more comfort indoors.  In the ground floor kitchen of the north range, Martin and James are fitting the 18mm plywood lining to the walls, while....

....Dean is doing the same work on the first floor.  This is one of the rooms which will be fitted with the oak panelling - it's due to start to arriving later in April.

Meanwhile, plumber Andy Stevens is fitting the bathroom furniture in the attic.  The fittings are top-of-the-range and are being installed with great care, so builder Mark Rutherford Thompson (right) is on-hand to help and advise.