Saints View PIP Sketches

SaintsViewPIPSketches
Originally uploaded by Lenny & Meriel.

These are the drawings which will be sent to the States of Guernsey Environment Department in order to gain Planning in Principle - the stage before we can get full planning permission. If these plans go through we stand a very good chance of succeeding in gaining full approval from the States for the works to begin. Then we just need a builder.
There is a great deal of optimism that these plans will be passed quite quickly, but we have slight concerns about the number of velux windows we will be allowed in the roof and the position in which they will have to be placed. All in all, however, this'll be small potatoes and we're quietly confident that we'll reach a compromise.

Moving into Saint's View

Moving into Saint's View
Originally uploaded by Lenny & Meriel.

We finally moved in yesterday and after the last tractor load came in and after an afternoon of visits, we finally settled down, had a meal, a drink and sloped off to bed. It's nice to be home.
As soon as I can cut a hole in the door, we'll go and get the cats. It's about time we all lived together again.

Hugh's tractor

Hugh's tractor
Originally uploaded by Lenny & Meriel.

We did the first significant part of moving our stuff into Saint's View today. Sofa, Beds, kitchen things and all the random stuff that we probably won't need, but couldn't resist bringing because we were so excited to see it after six months of storage.
Hugh Lenfestey very kindly laid on a tractor and trailer (and driver - himself). Now there's something you don't usually see in the removals business.

Saints View plans -work in progress

Saints View plans -work in progress 2
Originally uploaded by Lenny & Meriel.

After the "last" round of meetings with our architect, Aiden, we've decided on this format to take forward to the next stage of the process - costings and structural evaluation. He'll be addressing a couple of issues we had with this plan before we get a "final version" of these plans (the plans are bound to change to some degree during the coming months, the less the better).

This will be the view...

Upstairs view at Saint's View
Originally uploaded by Lenny & Meriel.

...from the upstairs living room.
Lenny took it by putting a camera up a pole.

The solution to our lawn problem...

The lawn's too big to use our flymo - we'd spend half the summer lawn mowing. It's too small for a sit on top - that'd just be silly. I don't want to have the pfaff or polution created by a petrol mower (and that would only be marginally quicker). So the solution it that we don't mow it at all...



Robomow does. You programme days and times and it magically emerges from its docking station and mows your lawn then returns back to home. Not a finger lifted by us. All for the price of an expensive petrol mower.

Needless to say we're very tempted!

Magic horse

Magic horse
Originally uploaded by Lenny & Meriel.

The horses in the field next door to Saint's View have 15 foot legs. Rare breed, apparently. Some sort of giraffe hybrid.

More potatoes

DSC_8636
Originally uploaded by Lenny & Meriel.

...and runner beans...and spinach... and coriander...

Will it all fit in?

We saw the architect today to find out how our plans for the house would actually fit into the new plans made from the measured survey of the property. The architect had a plan which nicely incorporated a plan of the property at the present time and an overlay of how it would look with a suggested plan he cooked up. We banged heads for a while to iron out a few of the more major details he needed to change and he'll mail us a plan soon which we'll post up here. Cara was in the meeting and crawled around the floor for hours, finally getting bored about five minutes before the end. Top girl.

Potatoes

DSC_8589
Originally uploaded by Lenny & Meriel.

Double dug this trench and planted out our potatoes - should be ready to eat around end of July. Be sure to book early

In other news today we will be seeing the architect on Tuesday to see if the plans that we made up will actually work in practice. I think I smell compromise in the air.