since I wrote anything in my journal.

I've been busy, incredibly busy and I have a few barn photo's to upload but I've been busy with other stuff.

The money situation is barely any better but I have had a few commissions and we're scraping by. We attended the original re-enactors market in March which covered its costs and paid for a new timing belt on the van without which we could be without a vehicle and there isn't money for a new one. We reckon the old timing belt was overdue replacement by approximatley twice what it should have done Eek, talk about skin of our teeth. Unless it was replaced just before we bought the van and it wasn't listed in the work done. In which case we were bang on time! I was also able to replace stock and pay a couple of bills but we're back to square one, with one minor difference - a few people know I'm taking commisions, some of my work is out there and hopefully some of the enquiries I had at the market will get in touch

Winter was cold, we had a few -9C nights, maybe one -11C but we're through the worst of it. Even if we are still lighting the fire every night. A few snow flurries but we didn't get snowed in this year. Now we've got he garden reay for the new years crops. The potatoes, onions, leeks, carroys, parsnips and cauliflower are in. The tomato and cucmber plants we bought were killed by frost two days after we planted Most of the beds are prepared, just one or two left and we'll get them planted in the next few weeks. The cherry and plum trees we bought last year are flowering as is the neighbours cherry and mirabelle (a type of plum) - hopefully that means we'll get cross pollinated and have fruit and the pear tree has started to flower so that's all good. Hopefully this year I'll get more pears bottled, we only have one jar left and I've been ever so mean with them.

We do have a bath now - of sorts - It's plumbed in from the waste down - ie if we have a bath everything drains to where it should. BUT there is only a temporary hot water solution and no cold on tap. We do now have the materials required to connect up the cold water. We still need the wall tiles before we can fit the permanent tap solution though and we still can't agree on tiles in our budget. All the tiles we like are out of reach

I'll try and remember to post some up to date pics but I have to get my commissions filled. In the mean time, thanks for reading this.

Oh and the Girl had her 21st birthday - I will get around to changing our profile soon.