@Ivor@mstdn.social
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Ivor

@Ivor@mstdn.social

Scottish dry stone waller. I have worked with and loved stone for 40+ years. If you post about #geology or #palaeontology I may not understand it but will enjoy reading it.

Pets are 2 rabbits, 3 cats. You will see more of them on https://fluffy.family/@LarryandOlive

Now living in Harwood, Upper Teesdale.

This profile is from a federated server and may be incomplete. Browse more on the original instance.

Ivor, to VegetableGardening
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It's an ill wind as they say. Farmers that couldn't get into fields because the ground was so wet are rushing to get the manure spread while the ground is frozen hard. #Teesdale #Farming

Ivor, to Birds
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Since the black grouse ate every single berry off the cotoneaster, they don't come into the garden in numbers so much. There is this one though, that has flown in during this spell of harsher weather over the past few days.

I think it's eating the buds now as the tiny leaves of last year are all gone. I'll have a look later on. I assume this is a yearly thing and this bird behaviour doesn't seem to affect the cotoneaster much.

Ivor, to random
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About two miles up the dale, on the bank of the Harwood Beck is a derelict chapel with a small house attached. Used for storing hay in the roofed part.

This was a very industrial area, with the Lady Rakes mine and other smaller lead workings all over the fell. There were small methodist chapels dotted about all over. Seems like life here two hundred years ago was to work in the lead mine, tend your small farm, pray at chapel, hoping for better and still die in your forties.

Ivor, to random
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A contented Swaledale ewe making the most of a bit of sunshine today in front of the house. 3°C here but windchill means probably below 0.
#SheepOfMastodon

Ivor, to random
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I did some dry stone wall repair at RSPB Geltsdale. The warden leading us said we've to watch Channel 4 news tonight as the reserve will feature.

Unfortunately it's a story of raptor persecution, all too common on land where there are driven grouse shooting moors. A hen harrier that had been shot once, survived after injury, then shot and killed. It has to stop. Watch it if you can.

futurebird, to random
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Gigas aren't exactly known for be graceful. The big girls stomp around wherever they go... almost like they are aware of what giants they are for the ant body form.

Other than right after you first collect her, it's not good to let the queen out like this as it can make her stressed out and less likely to lay her eggs.

But it's nice to get a good look at one of these queens.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RbzSfd9ixqA

Ivor,
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@futurebird we still have a byre attached to the house, with built in feeding troughs and water drinkers for several cattle. If you go back far enough, this might have been the lower part of a stone built house, with human accommodation on the floors above.

Birds use this, a wren gets in and out through I don't know where and a barn owl comes in if I leave the door open. Unseen rats and invertebrates use the stone walls.

Ivor, to random
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Sheep in the mist. On my way down to Bowlees and the road is busy already.

Ivor, to random
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I'm down at Bowlees doing some walling. Volunteers from the AONB have planted wildflower plug plants in one of the fields but the sheep get through the gap and eat them.

I think this planting will be to try to preserve the unique Teesdale flora. One field is unusable for grazing until the wall is repaired. Glad to do my bit to help.

Ivor,
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I got up to and beyond throughband level today. This style of walling with continuous through stones takes a little getting used to. It wouldn't look out of place in somewhere prehistoric like Skara Brae on Orkney.

Farmers wife came out later with a party of kids and a Cheviot ewe on a lead, like a pet dog, taking them all for a nature walk. So that was entertaining for both of us.

Ivor, to random
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In a CofE church in Kirby Stephen is a rare carved stone of Norse origin, unique in Britain, one of only two in Europe, The Loki Stone.

We went to Kirby Stephen expecting to be there for half an hour and found lots of interest. #StandingStoneSunday

Ivor, to random
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It's our local show today in the field next to the Langdon Beck hotel. That's about 2 miles downhill from here, we can walk there! If we go into the hotel, it's 3 miles coming back uphill.

See you there. There will be sheep! #Sheeptodon

Ivor, to random
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I'm working for farmers again here in Teesdale. This stretch had been shaky for a while and a couple of Cheviot ewes decided they didn't want to be penned in anymore and took the top half of the wall down.

I've had a very enjoyable day dry stone walling and the farmer and his wife are very pleased with the result.

Ivor, to random
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We've been here 4 weeks and I thought I would have this run finished by now.

Even at this stage, the rabbits are enjoying a play in the sand. Larry has done some digging and pushing sand and both have been happily binkying.

Ivor, to random
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The door handle in our living room.

The modern air source heat pump technology doesn't work as it should. The broadband doesn't really exist here.

The door handle works perfectly. Always has, always will.

Ivor, to random
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Yesterday I stopped working at Thrunton Farm. We move on the 3rd, so had to stop somewhere, lots of packing to do, gate to rehang, etc.

I couldn't finish some of the wall but there is enough built to support the bank under the road until someone else takes over.

Mixed emotions. Very much looking forward to living in a very different environment. Never left a job unfinished though, feels uncomfortable. Farmer is just happy that I did as much as I could, left on the best of terms. #CountryLife

Ivor, to random
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OK, I've alluded in some posts to problems with property that we own and I feel that, after coming to a head 2 weeks ago, I can explain more fully. It might also help me come to terms by sharing. I'll try to keep it short.

In 2019, my wife inherited a Park Home in Surrey, left to her by her aunt. It was on a site owned and managed by a company called Haulfryn, well established owners, with other sites in England. The company owned the land, we now owned the Park Home, paying ground rent. 1/

Ivor,
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We had 2 options: 1. sell it unimproved with all it's 1980's plastic in strange colours and let somebody else update it; or 2. do it up ourselves and sell it.

So we set to, bearing in mind it's 350 miles away from where we live. Then we had Covid. Delays, couldn't travel you know the score. Also I had a business that specialised in outdoor living things like stone fire pits, that competed on price with foreign holidays.

Nobody could go on holiday, spent their money on their gardens instead. 2/

Ivor,
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So my business got really busy and I couldn't get to the park home to work on it. We kept on, slowly, replaced entire gch system, part rewired, windows, doors, bathroom, kitchen, the entire interior, new ceilings, inc coving. Almost entirely rebuilt the thing except for the exterior, keeping that to last.

The I had a brain haemorrhage in July 2022. More delay. Recovered. Got down a couple of times, once recovered, never doing enough, I felt.

The in June, we had some very bad news indeed. 3/

Ivor,
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All the home owners got letters telling of a change in site ownership. A new company taking over. Sudden but, fair enough, it's a business.

Went to companies house, got directors names. Googled them, and were stunned by what that threw up. Director of new site owners is Fred Doe. Aka Fred Sines. Serious and Organised criminal. Banned from driving, banned from owning racehorses, accused of money laundering for an Irish drug cartel. Other people get jailed, Fred is too clever. 4/

Ivor,
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@kkarhan Exactly that. We just hope that he runs it as a legit business, maybe to launder money, and doesn't do the worst option.

Ivor, to Rabbits
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"I luvs you, Olive." #rabbits

Ivor, to random
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That's the first 8 metres of this piece of work finished. Beyond the trough, up to the top of the field is another 42 and that will be my work here complete. Andrew has scraped the ground with an excavator, making life easier for me.

The unusual continuous through stones look better now the wall is up to level, ready to put on the cope stones. It was a lovely day for working.

Ivor, to random
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"It's just a jump to the left....."

Wait a minute Larry, try it again from the top, oh dear. Never work with animals!

#PetsOfMastodon #rabbit

video/mp4

Ivor, to animals
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You put down a box, turn your back and this happens. #CatsOfMastodon

Ivor,
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@BlippyTheWonderSlug ah yes cats in Wheelbarrows is a whole different take on the subject.

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