Work Gets Started on Number 15

Threads and Patches is on the move! We took possession of 'the pub' on Friday and it has been full steam ahead since then. The place was in a mess, with the cellar flooded with beer following Punch Taverns ripping out all the pumps - Tonyt spent quite a while clearing it.The first planned job on Friday evening was clearing out the attic, many thanks to Steve, David and Zanna who came along to help with the part one of the rubbish clearance.

Here is a list of some of the stuff we found in the attic

Cash Registers x 3 (old, may be salvagable but I think they have bits missing)

Music systems x 1 (absolutely dead!)

Bed Struts - a mountain of them

Broken chairs x about 20 (why would you bother putting them in the attic?)

Empty boxes x about 50 (ditto)

A Henry Vaccuum cleaner (this must have been dumped by a domestically challenged person as everyone knows you just have to make sure the tubes are clear to get them to work) - ably rescusitated by Zanna.

The brass foot rest from round the bar - truely a thing of beauty, can't decide what to do with it.

Various bits of wood, cutrain tracks / poles, blinds.

The ubiquitous Christmas decorations (you cannot have an attic without them!)

Boxes of CD covers - no CD's though.

Martin, Clare, Baggins and Molly came to have a look round at the new domain.

Saturday - Demolition Derby

Tony and I made a start early, but in 2 hours had only managed to break down a small corner of the bar (they meant that thing to last forever)

Then Andy arrived with his sledge hammer and it started to move a bit faster!

Steve also came and helped with both the electrics, plumbing and demoltion - Many thanks tp both as we might still be on the first section without them.

David and Ned arrived ready to do battle with the garden, but access was very difficult due to the amount of fly tipping that had happened in the garden. So far I have found the remains of almost 2 cars , 5 beds, 20 chairs plus various other rubbish. They made tremendous progress, clearing two large areas of brush and self seeded saplings. Louise and her husband also arrived and help cut stuff down in the garden.

Mum did sterling work, washing and packing away all the glasses left behind!

Martin helped take up the old floor of the bar, this needed, which showed me how, so then I was all set!

Vanessa came to look round and decided to wants to open her shop upstairs - hurray, so all you papercrafters out there - we shall be the one stop shop!

Sunday - Start of the Renewal

First to arrive were Margaret and Doug who started clearing the weeds in the Car Park, Tom was already at work clearing the garden of some more debris.

Stephen came in and got started straight away on the new floor, and some of the extraneous pipework,(after he and I did a mega trip to Wicks and I became the owner of a cool circular saw!). Meanwhile, Gwen and Thelma arrived and started preparing for painting in the 'Tortoise Tea Room' AKA beadroom1. They were soon joined by Cheryl and Mary who after a quick run to the bottle bank with a couple of crates of bottles, began rubbing down the paintwork on the stairs and landing. Pam and Mike joined the painting troop, with Mike acting as general handyman along the way.

In the afternoon, Nicole and Steve arrived, Nicole did battle with the weeds on the forecourt while Steve joined Stephen on the floor, building a new frame of joists and base ready for the real wood flooring in a few days time. Glynis joined us in the afternoon and started rubbing down and painting the ladies toilet. Mum also helped with keeping everyone supplied with tea.

By the end of the day, the new floor was well on the way, the gloss was almost finished in the Tea Room, the hall and landing paintwork was just about ready for painting, the weeds on the forecourt were banished, the posts and chain on the forecourt were repainted white - looks MUCH better.

One sad thing though - we shall have to say goodbye to the Swinging Pub Sign, it is rotten at the base and too dangerous to leave standing. We shall try and remove that today, Monday. If it can be salvaged (if the rot does not go too far up the post then we may be able to resurrect it, but time will tell.

OK - onwards for the next days work.