Proudly Announcing It’s Identity ….

The Bluebell Centre has arrived … we’ve had some beautiful Oak Letters “in stock” for a while (and had some fun playing with them … ) and today, very, very carefully, they were put up. And the effect is wonderful ..

Suddenly the building has identity and character.

That’s not the only progress today!

The Bluebell and the Bluebell Centre …

Part of the tidy up is to create a timber store so spare timber is kept available for use later.

what a team … they have put so much into it .. from left, John Sears, John Morrell, and Viv Cane Honeysett. Thank You all!

John OH SO Carefully putting those precious letters up

a cold and frosty morning, and seasonal headgear is in vogue

Cold, frosty, but very beautiful …

John sorting out the guttering

Let the archaeology continue!

 

Roll Out the … Guttering?

One of the “to do” jobs was the guttering … we’d decided that it ought to be done by a Contractor, Southern Gutter Systems, to whom thanks … they even ran of an extra length for the boot room, at no extra! Much appreciated guys!

On reason was the choice of material … we’ve used a seamless, formed on site aluminium. As it’s aluminium, it will never corrode, and it is readily recyclable at the end of it’s life.

Being formed on site, there are only joints where it goes round corners, so less to leak and maintain. and it came pre-coloured, so will not need painting. Ever!

It came on a roll, as flat aluminium strip, and a nifty machine on the back of the van rolled it out, and formed it to shape. As it came out, reinforcing struts were fitted, and it was rolled out to suit the length of the building. Then lifted into place as a single piece, and jointed at the corners.

We’ve guttered the flank and the sides; the back runs off straight into the ditch, and we’ve not worried about down pipes or chains – the discharge runs out direct into the ditch. I’m told there are plans to make gargoyles, and I’m not sure they are joking.

Forecast for Thursday afternoon is “heavy rain shower”, so a chance to test it. Photos of the wonderful machine, and those magnificent men with their guttering machine …

From roll to gutter

a short piece to go over the boot room door.

the main lenght, getting longer

the profile and a brace

going up

fixing

Final Fixings …

We have two photographers on site, John Morrell and Deborah Worsley, and their uploads do not always synchronise, so some of these are a bit out of sync. but worth sharing anyway!

So the boot room floor is laid, the gutters come on Tuesday; and lots of other odds and ends going on … the big, remaining jobs are finishing the Ramp (making allowance for the Archaeology test pit that is still being worked in), sanding and sealing the floor, and making the cupboards in the boot room. There are about 40 other jobs listed, but lots of them are “cleaning”.

Insulating the window boxes has involved careful work cutting and fixing insulation board, most of which has been salvaged from skips!

Window boards going in

window boards completed; and a template being made for the vertical.

levelling the drainage gulley

forming the boxking for the mullion covers .. precise work

probably a chance for a caption competition! actually theyre carefully packing the grid that will form and reinforce the wheelchair path

boot scrapers … doing a great job already!

boot room floor going in

John fixing wiring for the external light

Making good around the skirting

random pink car being repaired. I m sure theres a rational explanation.

another caption competition opportunity … actually theyre sieving the soil to pack in the ramp

Team, teabreak, sunshine

Viv pressure washing the path; not actually washing it but compacting the soil into the grid.

Team; tea, no sunshine!

Peter putting the drainage gullies in

Teamwork; Viv and John work on the mullion boxings … a perfect job!

It must be cold. Mikes wearing clothes!

Liz. working in the Kitchen

And this is what its about; the next generation, preparing the Wood so it can be used to educate, and inspire future generations of ecologists, conservationists.

Its all GREAT…

They take some time, but all the work now is visible, so its important they are done neatly, well, to a high standard … so progress is relatively slow, but very real … as you can see the boot room floor is being laid, Len.’s made a beautiful job of boxing in the front of the basin unit in the corridor, with spare roof Shakes, which looks amazing, and lots of people have been working to finish the ramp, which looks great (will be better when the grass has grown)

Not the most dignified position for an 86 year old, but …

these are the insulated covers for the shutter boxes, which have been carefully crafted by Thomas, our wonderful carpenter, tailored by John Sears, insulated by Viv Cane Honeysett and Deborah Worsley and finally fitted by John S. … Perfect job.

Ingrid and John sieving the soil

But not finished, the wooden pillars need boxing in too.

Mud pies …. filling the reinforcing mesh with soil

Viv making sure its perfect

Barrowloadss of soil brought in

Boot room floor being laid

Lens making progress with the panelling

The team at work on the ramp and path

Ingrid and Deborah screen the soil so we get a “fine tilth”