Trouble with the locals!

It is now the middle of spring and we had hoped to have the roof completed by now. But as you were informed in our blog intro, this was always going to be a slow process while juggling demanding jobs and other committments.

But slowly and surely, a few more slates have been nailed in place. The garden has also been cleared (again!) and all the brush has been burned.

While we have been paying such close attention to the barn, some local vandals (baa!) have been attempting to demolish the old pig sty. The corner stones of the structure have come away leaving the large roof slab of slate loose. As the little lambs become bigger and fatter on the lush welsh grass, more force is behind their jumps when they catapult themselves off the unstable roof slabs. Looks like an emergency repair is in order. For years, attempts have been made to keep the lambs out of the garden and off the walls and outbuildings. 'The grass is greener on the other side' seems to be strongly bred into these mountain sheep.


The one who leads the pack has been named 'Cappaccino'. He may not be the biggest or strongest, but he is the most clever!!

'Y Bywyd Da'

This is the Good Life!

April 2006 - The days are longer and warmer

As each course continues across the roof, we find we must 'double batten' in places to accommodate for the irregularity of the pitch and profile of the roof.

The Wife's 'Cynefin'

March 2006

Hello interested readers! This is the Other Half here. This barn and its rebirth as a habitable dwelling has been my dream for a few years now. A place for our family to come home to. A place to teach the younger members of the family about their roots and their parent's childhoods. I hope they experience 'Hiraeth' when they think of Ty Isaf.

Now that the slates have been cleaned, measured, categorised, free from snow and ready to go back up, I feel we are getting somewhere. I love how these old Welsh slates tell a story. It would appear that our roof has been relaid twice. It wasn't always waterproof owing to the amount of mastic and mortor that had to be removed. Some have streaks with lighter green veining. All are blue/grey and originate from the area below us in the Ogwen Valley.

I have been wielding the hammer, eager to nail the slates in place myself. This has been the slowest part of the job. Not because I am new to using a hammer, they are not uniform or of the same thickness and it takes some time to get the right one in the right place. Just like building a jigsaw puzzle.

Most of those in the building trade think we are crazy for replacing a roof in the winter. Thankfully it has been quite a dry, cold winter. Besides, I want to be repointing in the summer sun! I have just let you in on my secret - North Wales has glorious summers in the sun!