Thursday 23 October 2014

Villandry in the Autumn

Planting spring bulbs ready for next year.
Multi-coloured chillies.
Pulling out spent annuals.
Preparing for a new planting scheme.
The pumpkin vines have died but the pumpkin fruit is placed on terracotta tiles to continue the display.
All photos taken on Monday of this week.
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Does Anyone Know?: We would like to know if any of our readers know anything about stove cement caulk. Simon is thinking it might be something we could use on our stove to seal the joins and stop it sucking too much air.
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A la cuisine hier: Salmon cakes, made with the last of our homegrown potatoes and a mixture of canned and smoked salmon.

6 comments:

Tim said...

Susan, which joints...
All the moving joints at the front should be sealed by glass-fibre rope and a fireproof glue...
all the joints at the back must be caulked by firegum or equivalent...
the former compresses and degrades over time and use...
and needs regular replacement.
The latter gets brittle and falls out.
When did you get yours installed, or did you inherit it on purchase...
if the latter...
get it professionally checked out!!

When replacing the rope, rub some lard onto it before removing it...
the old glassfibre becomes quite brittle and gets everywhere otherwise.

Kits for that are available everywhere...
the "best" firegum is Holts exhaust paste...
for car exhausts!!
But you aren't mean't to use it on stoves!!
But it stays more flexible.

To check for leaks at the back...
and elsewhere...
get a low fire going and keep damping it with wet leaves or fresh grass to make LOTS of smoke...
and you don't want the fire to draw properly, so that the smoke leaves via the front, sides, top and back...
pros use a smoke bomb!!
Easier, but I've not seen those in a brico.

But, please check your fire...
a leaky woodburner is inefficient at the best...
and can leak carbon monoxide from poor combustion...
and therefore, dangerous at the worst.

Tim said...

I meant to say, for replacing the rope...
get the kit for your fire...
you cannot cut that rope yourself..
it gets cut to the correct size in factory.

MargaretP said...

I think the garden work there must be a bit like harbour bridge painting....you just get it finished and it's time to start again.
Looking beautiful and well cared for even at this time of year.

Susan said...

Margaret: yes, I'm sure the cycle never stops. Villandry always has something to look at, no matter what time of year.

Leon Sims said...

I believe we have a similar photo from about 5 years back.

Susan said...

Leon: I think it's just about impossible to take a photo of Villandry that no one has taken before.

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