Since starting this blog, I have to say, very little has happened. We have met with our consultants – online – and the energy consultant has produced a very detailed assessment of our energy needs along with a proposed design about how to meet it. This is a crucial part of the project and good to get a sense of what it will involve early on. Its looking likely that we will need an outbuilding/shed of some kind that will house the equipment needed by the borehole for water pumping and filtration and with another array of solar panels on its roof, as well as a diesel generator that will be needed on some occasions, I think mostly in winter, when the solar panels do not produce enough energy to keep the batteries charged. This structure will need an approach to the planning department but I am unsure if it will need another formal application. Our architect is optimistic that it will be approved.
We met back in June or July and were expecting more detailed plans to look at and approve about a month ago, ready for the quantity surveyor to go through and then use as the basis for tenders to building contractors. But its 10th September now and this hasn’t happened. The crawling pace is dispiriting and it is easy to lose touch with our original motivation for this project and certainly the excitement evaporated long ago. Its now just over four years since we bought the land.
We visited for the day yesterday and cooked some delicious marinated lamb and aubergines on our firepit. It was raining earlier in the day but we had a dry hour or so for this and a little weak sunshine. A company who sell farm and rural equipment came and collected the lawnmower which has been running badly and eventually died last time I used it and now won’t start. We also bought a 4 metre long fruit-picking pole and brought back a bowl full of pears from our pear tree.
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