Settling ‘em in

2 December 2011

Dave got up on the roof of the camper to see where we could best site the new panels, but the top of the truck is too squishy to be any use.  While he was up there, however, he found that one of the roof hatches was slightly open, and wouldn't close - probably needs an electricity supply to work, but we cut all the wires when we moved in, so as to have our own wiring only.  So he balanced some big rocks on it to keep it closed - less draughts, flies and drips!

The twin tub was another good fit, sliding under the shelf, and only needing a small rearrangement of storage round the sink to work.  The pipes all went on as they should, and we decided to use the temporary tap filler hose, rather than trying to plumb in – we need to be able to use the mixer tap to regulate the water temperature.

It worked a dream.  The only downside is that clothes tend to get very tangled in each other, but apart from that, it’s a joy to have.  It’s so very controllable compared to an automatic.  You look at the wash and think, ‘needs a bit more’, or, ‘I’ll give it another rinse’ – or not, as you prefer.  It is labour intensive, in that you can’t wander off, but with a few loads going, the time it takes to peg out one is the time it takes to wash the next, with a bit of filling and draining in between.  And one advantage of the shed is that it has a bookshelf in it – note to self: include bookshelf in laundry room of new house.

The wooden laundry tongs I’d ordered with it were a disappointment, though.  You may recall these from years ago – but they were considerably more substantial in those days.  I was having a nostalgic moment when I ordered these, but they’re nothing like the old ones: flimsy, lightweight and small, they twist in the wash and won’t pick up anything heavy (such as a t-shirt full of water).  Dave says he’ll make me some proper ones (believe it when I see it) but actually, as most of my washing is done at 30 or 40 degrees, they’re not really necessary.

We have been wondering how to retain some of the stove heat for longer in the shed, and Dave came up with this idea, based on our reading about thermal mass in cob building.  Placing a stone on the stove top heats the stone, which then continues to warm the room after the stove heat has died down.  Good, hey?