New plan and schedule

 

The lads finished the shed structure and the retaining walls of the shed today. They are going to remove the frame and prepare the floor area tomorrow. They've already taken the roller machine. The new plan is to pour cement for the floor in ten days rather than the 28 they said before. Then we won't be able to drive on it for a month, but that brings us to the end of July which gives us time to prepare for harvest. Finishing up in August would not have given us much time to order and prepare equipment, and shift all our stuff from the garage to the shed. I feel a little relieved. 

I'd say the digger will go tomorrow, and most of the cement frames are almost ready to go, loaded on a trailer. 

They said the cement floor laying would be ideal for a rainy day. So on Sunday night, the 28th of May, we will perform a rain dance so they come Monday morning on the 29th. On the 30th we get fibre broadband installed here, so let's hope they finish on the Monday, 

They will come to install the drain and backfill behind the wall at a later date. As long as it's done before the heavy rains of late summer, I'll be happy. Otherwise, I'll be worrying about the hill tumbling down. 

Not quite almost there

 

This might look like it's almost finished, but we just learned that it's probably going to be another two months before we can use it. Yeah, this week, they'll finish the roof and remaining small panels, plus they'll pour the last section of the wall -- the retaining wall for the hillside. Then we have to wait a month for the cement walls to cure. If you try to pour the concrete floor or fill in the back behind the shed, the concrete will collapse. 

What a bummer. So it will be built but not usable. It will be a month before we pour the floor and then a month for it to set before we can put any weight on it. So bummed. I wanted everything moved out of the house and garage now. 

Progress report on the shed

While we were in Kilrush today working on the boat, the crew erected another 1/4 of the shed today. They also poured the foundation for the retaining walls for the hillside. We are very pleased with the work they've done. The walls are half complete. We figure another two days for the walls, two days for the roof, and then two days for the floor and retaining wall. The end may be in sight. 

 

El Nino warning issued by NOAA

A transition from El Niño–Southern Oscillation (ENSO)-neutral is expected in the next couple of months, with a greater than 90% chance of El Niño persisting into the Northern Hemisphere winter.

El Niño is likely to form during the May-July season and persist into the winter. The combination of a forecasted third westerly wind event in mid-late May, and high levels of above-average oceanic heat content, means that a potentially significant El Niño is on the horizon. What that means for the earth is potentially rapidly escalating air and ocean temperatures, less hurricane activity in the Atlantic but more cyclone activity in the Pacific. Essentially, it's a bad omen for climate change for the next few years which may push us over the tipping point. 

While at least a weak El Niño is likely, the range of possibilities at the end of the year (November-January) includes an 80% chance of at least a moderate El Niño to a ~55% chance of a strong El Niño. It is still possible the tropical atmosphere does not couple with the ocean, and El Niño fails to materialize (5-10% chance). In summary, a transition from ENSO-neutral is expected in the next couple of months, with a greater than 90% chance of El Niño persisting into the Northern Hemisphere winter.

This discussion is a consolidated effort of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), NOAA’s National Weather Service, and their funded institutions. Oceanic and atmospheric conditions are updated weekly on the Climate Prediction Center website (El Niño/La Niña Current Conditions and Expert Discussions).

The walls are going up (or down)

Our shed is being built in a very strong configuration. It has steel beams on a concrete base with poured concrete walls above which will be corrugated steel. It should withstand the winds we get, and it should outlive us by far. 

They poured the concrete base for the walls yesterday. Today, they completed 1/4 of the concrete wall which goes to about 6 feet in height. So I assume it will take 4 days at least to complete the concrete walls, depending on how well they set overnight, as they are poured into a frame between the steel girders. A very interesting process.

Then, the team, and they are really impressive, will complete the top of the walls and the roof before the concrete for the floor is poured. That goes last. 

Finally, we've decided that the topsoil dug out should be spread over the field to even it out as it has dips and recesses. That's I think the easiest solution. It won't look nice this year as well have to reseed the grass, but it will be ok in the long run. 

I wonder how much it will all cost in the end. 

The amazing thing is that you cannot see it from anywhere on the property except from above, in the vineyard and the field. You can't see any of it from the polytunnel, the house or the road. That's how well the trees we planted screen the land. Very proud of that.

Cannot wait to start moving stuff into the shed and out of my life. 

Solar power

I just wanted to post this chart to show why it's possible to grow things outdoors in Ireland. It’s about how much solar energy is received by latitude due to the tilt of the Earth. If you’ve been a grower for a long time you know that the peak months of June and July are when plants really motor away; this is because of the amount of sunlight they receive across a 24-hour period. 

The graph shows the energy that the equator gets (blue line), the other lines are latitudes moving away from the equator. When those lines cross or go above the equatorial line, it means that latitude is getting the same or more solar energy than at the equator across a 24-hour period. For us from about mid-May until late August we get more insolation than anywhere along the equator, which is why they are the peak months for growth and it’s all down to the length of the day. The equatorial day is nearly always 12 hours long; in summer here in Ireland, we get nearly 18 hours of sunlight. That is why we can grow so successfully outside in the summer. It’s a short period, but productive!

Progress on the shed

Today, Mini-Mix poured concrete for the steel supports that will be holding up the structure of our shed. We've had a massive truck bringing in loads of rock gravel for the foundation and surrounding driveway. Apparently, they changed their minds about the gravel under the concrete platform. They were going to skip it but now they are adding it in. I can't wait for this to be completed. Apparently, they lay the concrete slab last after the shed is all built, presumably so the heavy equipment doesn't damage the cement. It's a moving target, methinks.

Meanwhile, Ghostie for some reason loves rolling on the gravel and has turned completely filthy gray. No longer a ghost, she now resembles a shadow. 

My Irish gate is now ready to use, and I had the privilege of being the first to pass through. It's a fine gate. Curiously, the Rondo is way ahead of all the vines in leafing this year. I don't remember that happening in years past. And Alex has finished installing all the overhead wires, so the vineyard is now pretty much complete. I nixed adding more vines or more fruit trees. No more work, thank you very much!