A sense of change ...

The Roman poet Ovid wrote his masterpiece, Metamorphoses, during the reign of the Augustus. It is a vast mythological epic that tells the story of the history of the world through a series of transformations. The theme is established in the very first line

In nova fert animus mutatas dicere formas 

which, with a bit of poetic license, may be translated as 

 My soul is wrought to sing of forms transformed to bodies new… 

No I have not been eating dubious mushrooms, so you may well ask what exactly has prompted this rather exuberant flight of fancy related to ancient Latin poetry. The answer, I'm afraid, is surprisingly prosaic – our little farm cottage is rapidly emerging from its chrysalis to reveal a new and beautiful shape both inside and out.

We were always cognisant of the fact that our extension/renovation needed to maintain the character of our 1940s farmhouse. That said we also wanted to a little je ne sais quoi to justify the time, effort and expense involved. In the end we settled on a design with a traditional double gable but with an elegant deck roof that pitched up, a bit like a sail. The roof thus would thus provide some protection but would not obscure the view or prevent the sun from penetrating the living areas particularly in winter.

Last week the skeleton of the deck roof arrived fully manufactured in steel and ready to be craned into position. It is a testament to precision of our builders and the skill of the steel fabricator that the framework fitted perfectly and was lifted and secured in place over the course of a couple of hours. We are extremely happy with the outcome and can’t wait to see what it will look like when the deck is completed.

 Lift off

 

 

 

Almost in position

 

Done

Before work on the completing the deck, the brickwork underneath the structure needs to be completed. The bricklayers were here on the weekend working away to finish this task. This wall is north facing so will provide a nice warm spot for cold-intolerant plants.  The garden does slope quite steeply, however, so exactly how we landscape the terrain to the left of the picture is a matter of much current debate.

The brick wall 

On the inside, this week saw the arrival of the tiler and the joiners. There is always a shiver of anticipation/dread when the first tiles go down. Deep down there is the fear that the colours just aren’t going to work. Thus far we are delighted with our choices and the new bathroom tiles look great. Meanwhile the joiners have finished fitting up most of the cabinetry in the kitchen, pantry and mudroom and it is now possible to visualise how the spaces will work. One of the features of the build is the excavation under the existing structure to provide a double garage and a new front entrance to the house via an entrance hall and a new staircase. Late last week the stairs, in Tasmanian hardwood, were installed. They are gorgeous and will look more so when they are completed with hardwood handrails and properly finished. Next week should see the second bathroom approaching completion, the laying of the new floorboards in the lounge and perhaps even some tiles in the dining room.

 

The first of the Tas oak floorboards

The beginning of autumn has brought with it a fair amount of produce from the veggie patch and the orchard. One particular highlight has been the harvesting of our heritage Freyburg apples. The Freyburg was developed in New Zealand in the 1930s by crossing the Golden Delicious and Cox's Orange Pippin apples. One review of the Freyburg which I came across damns it with faint praise calling it a "nice" apple but "perhaps not a great one". Cath and I both disagree as we love its crispiness and its spicy taste. Anyway, the last word on the subject belongs to Knut because he loves them. We have started giving the dogs some apple with their dinner each night and the big maremma just wolfs his down.  I suspect Pepper only eats her share to deny it to Knut!

It has been a long dry summer and we are struggling to keep everything alive until the rains arrive once more. We anxiously scan the weather apps and then groan in disappointment either at a forecast of no rain or, even worse, watching in real time on the rain radar as a huge rain cloud suddenly dissipates right in front of our eyes.  Early autumn is, however, a great time for sunrise and sunset with lovely pastel colours flooding the Valley every morning and evening indicating yet another successful metamorphosis ...

 

 Sunrise