Rohan Blacksmith's after 'Zorpazorp'

 

In parallel with working on the House and Duckpool,

this stable block ios also progressing, albeit slowly.

The basic idea follows 'Zorpazorp's' design -

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P3j3sunEyIM&t=1089s 

However, I'm toying with a few mods.

The components for some of these are sprinkled about in the photo.

Back to the Rohan Pond

 

I've had one last try at a convincing pond.

Then I pinched wattle fencing from that medieval house from way back.

I've bedded it in on the hardboard strips topped with Dark Earth

and set it aside to harden off.

Maybe that outside loo is actually a shed for the chickens and ducks.

Trussonomics in Rohan

 

I've set three attempts at a pond aside, all failures.

Now I'm having a stab at the blacksmith's as suggested by this excellent fellow -

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P3j3sunEyIM&t=1089s

The top shot shows a couple of porch pieces being cut down.

Then placed as an end of a much reduced building.

Spot the first error.

The left front corner should have two cut down porch pieces

to provide an open side.

I've not cut so much off them as he does but 'That was deliberate'.

Two more errors, or so I thought.

I've put a gable section above the middle of the building,

instead of at the end.

Plus, I thought I'd be smart and put three horse heads as supports,

rather than two. However, the third would clash with the thatch eaves.

After supergluing a timber support where I'd removed the gable,

I realised the gable was correct and the wooden support

has to be at the open end.

So back it went!

I'm also running into problems with a lack of correct paints.

Rohan Pond progress

 

Using greys, light to dark, to try to give an impression of depth.

I've built up banks using a mix of Dark Earth and Brown Earth.

Rather too much of the latter, I'm afraid.

Here I've used layers of various varnish, trying to get a water look to it.

Ducks are not going to fall for it are they?

One layer had some green wash in it to blur the edges of my grey paint

and to provide a murky depth to it.

Rohan Ducks?

I've used narrow pieces of hardboard as a bank

 to provide a base for fencing.

I was intending using coffee stirrers

and drilling holes for the verticals

but have decided to us some plastic fencing

supported by Dark Earth.

The circle is for a pond. Well, why not!

Still undecided about ducks though.

(Still slow progress due to five days in The Lakes

and an ongoing invasion by grandchildren)

 

Slow progress on loos

 

I've glued all the stirrers to thin card first,

then tried cutting through them.

The glued card is actually quite tough.

I think I would have been better snipping off lengths of stirrer,

then gluing to card.

(Top and bottom of walls don't need to be 100% accurate,

they are covered by roof and grass)

Rohan loos

Wouldn't you just know it. I build an outside loo for one house owner and now,

all the buggers want one.

I'm faffing around with how to do this.

I've not enough plastic scraps for everybody

and don't like the idea of inscribed balsa

(though I may have to accept it)

At the moment, I'm trying coffee stirrers glued to thin card.

When it's dry, I'll try cutting to shape.

Rohan house 4 and loo

 

For variety, I've put both dormers on the one side of this one.

The others have them either on opposite sides of the roof

or there is only one.

The best view of the loo.

Here, you can't see how dangerous it is.

You either bang your head or trip and fall into the bucket, head first.

Rohan House 4 out house

 

The cover-up of the daft error is nearing completion.

Very makeshift but it will suffice as a small out-shed/loo/chicken house.

I've stuck with the same green doors,

perhaps under the influence of Frankie Vaughan or Shakin' Stevens.

However, I've tried Yriel Yellow for the upstairs windows,

suggesting a lamp or candle remains on.

(Teenagers!)

Rohan house error

 

After fiddling around with bits of lolly sticks for a while,

I realised I had the rectifying components to hand

(after a little modifying)

I didn't want a porch for this one so the porch side cut diagonally,

glued to a couple of other spare parts,

should give me an outside store/chicken shed.