May Monthly Update
Although May feels like a distant memory (I’m writing this mid-June!), we need to do the monthly round up.
Obligatory weather update:
May beat April’s hours of sunshine (228) because the gold blob appeared for a solid 288.8 hours in May. It didn’t rain at all, not a drop, until the last week where we had 86.9mm in just a few days. Temperatures fluctuated between -2.7C and a balmy Costa Del Scotland of 23.8C. That puts May 2025 in the history books, not for rain or temperatures, but for hours of sunshine.
Oh yes, this May has more sunshine hours in it than any other on record. To put the variability of the climate right now into perspective, the lowest amount of sunshine on record for May was in 2022. Those are two mega extremes in the space of just three years.
Let’s get going on what happened in May, pulled from my weekly written updates that I post elsewhere:
The Farm:
May Week 1:
A mini-half-rest week really as we checked inventory and ordered some things we needed. Alfie (our 10yo Border Collie) had surgery on Monday, our student left us (😭) on Tuesday, and we had vet bits to do so the slightly less pressure-filled days were good!
Of course work didn’t stop, but the cottage next steps involved laying that floor in the hall and kitchen, which couldn’t be done before some of the floor was levelled out. Some pipe work also needed boxing in too, therefore, that’s what we did first.
Dan started with the pipe work before the kitchen became a no go zone for a couple of days whilst the self-levelling compound dried.
At the same time, he made a form and poured an “edge” on the base of our coat cubby in the hallway. This didn’t go exactly to plan, because a little bit snuck out and caused a small puddle outside the form, but it did hold. The little leak will be chipped off, and all will be fine.
Dan also began panelling the cubby yesterday and it’s now just drying waiting for paint. The shelf has been measured and a profile for the back edge is prepared. We’re reusing wood we already have, we brought it from Yorkshire(!) for in here so at least it’s getting used up!
Outside, the vet agreed with me that we need to get a few pounds off the horses here, or at least stop them ballooning further. We’re 2 months without good rain, so the worry is that whenever that rain actually comes, the grass will come so rich so fast, we’ll have major metabolic problems (like laminitis/founder). Watching closely at the moment!
May Week 2:
Because outside jobs like spraying all the weeds that are ruining the grassland can't be done because we're still in drought conditions (apparently weeds like water, and also need it to die properly 🤯), inside stuff has been the main focus.
Dan finished up in the "coat cubby" earlier this week with it fully painted and dressed, including the wood from our old house being used as the bench and hook base. The hooks (beaut - found on eBay), complete this little zone and I love it!
We then tackled the kitchen laminate which was a nightmare. We knew it would be, because it was free. To clarify, it's not a nightmare because it was free, it was free because it was a nightmare (to fit in the lounge). We got a 100% refund on it all and were left with the packs here.
These boards are defective. It's a factory error where each plank has around a 1 in 10 chance of being very, very, very slightly warped. We learnt the first time that you can't tell if something is straight or not until it's in position, and if it isn’t straight, it can't stay there so everything has to be disconnected and you start over. This took HOURS.
Why use defective flooring though? Because it was free, of course! 😅 We can't take the bargain hunter out of DanDan, and so we persevered.
The result actually looks lovely, and consists solely of non-defective planks from end to end. The pile of warped ones is substantial, but we hope that this floor will last in the kitchen for around a year (hopefully a little more!). Laminate and kitchens don't mix, and we know it won't survive for too long with water, spills, leaks or wet boots/paws. It doesn't need too though, just long enough to get us to the finance in place (and to save up for a floor we'd like!).
Saturday also saw the hallway laminate go in, another late evening finish but the coat cubby looks super cute with it's little step floored out.
Future-wise, builders are all confirmed now for June in the farmhouse, so Dan needs to switchover fairly soon. He doesn't want too until the cottage is almost 100% complete though (we're about 96% now).
May Week 3:
Lots of little things this week, we were due rain on Wednesday, and then that was cancelled.
Then the forecast said Thursday, but that was cancelled too.
Friday, and on the evening, it began. FINALLY RAIN 🥳 The forecast of rain meant that we could finally start spraying the field, we've focused on the most important parts where the docks, nettles and thistles have gone too wild and killed all the grass beneath. In hay/haylage bales, this is completely wasted forage, as even the cows prefer not to eat the docks!
For anyone worrying about biodiversity, I can assure you that we have ample areas that are completely wild. We don't need to spray everything, so we won't, but where we need to get a cut in, or where the horses need to have grazing over winter, we will prioritise grasses over weeds.
Indoors, little things again. Dan measured, cut and painted all the skirting board, the door bars (threshold strips) went in too, and the plinth for the kitchen is ready to go on under the cabinet fronts. Honestly, the threshold strips make such a difference, I'm really happy with the ones I found online!
May Week 5:
We've had a busy week this week with live sessions, work and Alfie's trip to the specialist, which took out another day. Dan has been covering for a staff member on annual leave, so it’s all slowed down a little bit. That being said, he's in the final round of "finishing touches" after the skirting boards went on last weekend.
The dining table finally got its rust stripped, legs sealed and painted so that it could sit on the new floor. The final door in the cottage was removed for painting (bathroom door), with the others coming back in to be hung in their final positions.
The blinds for the kitchen/diner have arrived on Friday, so they can go up, along with the shelf for in there too. Hooks for the backs of the door and some more for in the kitchen also need to go in, but it's been a wild week, so these bits can wait!
Whilst away seeing family last weekend, I tried to buy a homemade wooden clock for the cottage kitchen from a 10-year-old, but sadly, I feel I missed my opportunity when he dashed off to take part in the obstacle course 😅 Gutted!
Young Farmers rallies are an absolute treasure trove of genuinely solid homeware bits built from stuff around the farm, so they do fit in so perfectly here. Top points from me for the matchstick box containers and log store designs. Genuinely ingenious.
The farmhouse store rooms have also been switched around to make way for stripping the internal rooms out, ready for June. I have no evidence of this, but Ren likes to go check that the rooms are in order every time she passes through 😅
As we look forward to June, the beast of a task sits ahead. We’ll talk more about that next month, and perhaps in an additional post with a good map and some floor plans. Horse wise, Velia is due back home mid-June and her next chapter really starts then.
We’ll keep going, until we can’t go anymore. Thanks for you support, as alway!