Spent all day yesterday burning old furniture dumped by the travellers and took another car load to the tip. I reckon there is about another bin bag to pick up. It's a bit pathetic really, all the debris of a consumer lifestyle. Can't help feeling a bit sorry for them, but they don't help themselves.
But the drains remain a mystery. They are a bit like the collateralised debt obligations invented by the banks - a way of insuring for the future, but no-one knows what they do or where they end up. Still trying to find the route through the neighbour's drive.
Windows due in on June 28 though which is a big step forward and most of the first fix electrics done. We still have to move in mid-July so will have to rent somewhere.

And I thought drains was all I had to worry about. A group of travellers arrived at the farm on Saturday, putting off any further thoughts of sewage. They have now gone, after being told to move on by the police on Monday.
This was after we caused a big confrontation with another group that was trying to arrive on Sunday morning. We blocked off the gate they were trying to come in by, causing a huge tailback of caravans in the road, a big traffic jam, lots of screeching and shouting and even intervention by the vicar whose church service was disrupted.
Saturday's group cut through a chain on the farm gate, took it off its hinges and pushed it over, so about six or seven caravans drove into one of the fields at lunchtime.
Someone rang me from the pub to tell me about it and I was on my own all day so I went straight to the police. The police came with me to reason with them, but as it is a civil offence, they told me to get a court order to remove them which is impossible at the weekend.
We had inherited the mess from a group that were there two years ago, before we bought the farm, and that took weeks to clear up, so it really upset me to see them flattening the hay and driving their quad bikes around. I spoke to the travellers' boss who told me they would clear up and not cause a nuisance and only wanted to stay for a few days.
Of course, as soon as I'd gone, the neighbours are all ringing up about the noise and the quad bikes racing on through the night.
By Sunday, I was no longer upset, but angry. I went up there again without the police, but this time James came too. I spoke to the same boss and told him he had not been telling me the truth when he said they would be quiet and clear up and that I wanted them to go. He asked for £500 to leave, but warned me that more were on the way.
This is when we blocked the gate with our car. That didn't stop them though as they eventually realised they could get onto the land through another farm gate further down the road. We now have about 25 caravans on the field. By now, the police are taking it seriously as we have caused a blockage in the road and disruption in the village.
The police inspector arrives and he then talks to the travellers.
The police later say they will use their powers to serve notice on them to leave. I think this is using section 61 of the criminal justice act 1994 that was brought in to stop illegal raves. Anyway, it means we don't have to go to the courts and is a lot quicker. Some of them left on Sunday night and the others went at 1.50pm yesterday - ten minutes before the deadline set by the police.
A big relief all round after a very stressful weekend. I cleaned up 16 bin bags of rubbish and haven't even started on the toilet paper or the dumped furniture yet.

Connecting the drains to the sewer in the road is going to cost £20,000!! We need to look at other options, maybe we can re-use some of the existing connection. Roof is nearly finished now, more work starts next week.
Turns out I'm not as low-spec as I thought I was. The kitchen is way over budget so will have to try and knock some things off. Everyone else has voted for power showers rather than granite worktops, but even without them, the cupboards are more expensive than planned.
Big meeting on Monday to decide on electrics and radiators.

The scaffolders turned up, then they went away again. They have only put up half of the scaffold so that the tilers are running out of roof space to cover. Trying to track down the scaffolders now. We need to get the scaffold up in the neighbour's garden in the next week so that their side of the roof can be done while they're on holiday.
In the meantime, am now researching kitchens, tiles and bathrooms. A time-consuming process as they all look much the same to me and I'm not that high-spec. A modern Magnet kitchen looks good value and stylish. The wood-burning stove is high-spec though and will cost a fortune, but hopefully will keep us warm.
First date for a utility connection today - well done EDF! Gas and water are taking months.

Nigella's burnt butter cupcakes are a big hit with the builder. I said I could make them every day if they just get started. Our move date looking increasingly ambitious, but the scaffold is coming on Monday and the roof starts next week.
Need to choose the kitchen and bathrooms this weekend and try and get a discount on four woodburning stoves so that we can have one in each house.

Rather taken aback to hear that Southern Water had a six-month waiting list for drain connections. Luckily this has now been lifted and we are rushing to apply. But I can see this is going to take some time. The manhole is on the other side of the road and very deep so will need traffic lights. Am checking out composting toilets. Should be popular with the teenagers.
Just as worrying, the builder is on holiday next week.

Got the price now and amazingly, it's less than I expected so will get started this week with the roof. The old tiles were from north Vietnam with only one UK importer - he came round but said he had no record of them being delivered to the site so any redress from him is unlikely. More nettle cutting at the weekend so at least the verges and road edges look neat....trying to be good neighbours.
But our buyers want to move in on July 15 which made the builder go a bit pale - we will be in that caravan yet!