A Fire, Deep Freeze & Destructive Storm! Scottish Country House Life (Living in Scotland)

Living in Scotland in a 300-year-old country house. This is a record of our life renovating an historic house in Scotland and using our land as a homestead to enable us to live as sustainably as we can - almost off grid!
A chimney fire then a deep freeze, no water, no drainage and then a storm hits us - We've been thought it all!
Our Amazon Wish List: www.amazon.co.uk/hz/wishlist/...
Instagram: / thelosttowerdiaries
Our treasure hunting channel: @NorthernMudlarks

[@jamesrawson6659]

Two great ladies will turn their hands to anything and not afraid to. I say it everytime Alex and Gail you are both amazing. After watching the other problems I’m so happy you are both safe.

[@izabelabhering7041]

It is a real treat to watch you both caring for your home, tackling all sorts of tasks, facing the challenges with courage, and presenting it all in a beautiful way! Every video a lesson to cherish! 💐💐

[@vickinoeske1154]

The fireplace/logburner is so cute and charming.

[@mrbarbelbarbello2332]

The chimney burning was spectacular. You two could do really well at interior design. So many of your videos are idyllic. One can easily forget how severe the 'flipside' of nature can be.

[@susanamann1806]

As someone who has had frozen pipes,be sure they are insulated, and leave them dripping so don't freeze. Always put extra wood stock in side house in closet or boot room . store extra water in tub and empty LG water containers. Good luck next time.

[@SongOfSongsOneTwelve]

Oh yeah! I forgot that they had to go through that, too!

[@ronaldgroves6350]

I was a child in the late 50s and early 60s. We had a coal fire in one room and my mum would put overcoats on top of our bed blankets. We all grew up to be healthy adults. I don’t think the centrally heated houses of today are particularly healthy

[@TheAmber52]

I remember when we had a chimney fire one Christmas Eve. We lived in an old station house in Cumbria in a small village and the local volunteer fire men who by the way were our neighbours arrived and entered our house like a scene from Monty Pythons The Life of Brian. One was on the roof which being an old Victorian station house was very high, he dribbled water down the chimney while one of the others just moved the fire grate out to one side ( fire still burning) when the water started dripping through he turned the hose off the grate was put back in place they all had a dram of brandy then left. It was quite surreal, oh and through out the whole thing my husband carried on reading his paper😂

[@glennkelley6096]

Running an electrical cord under a carpet can create a fire hazard.

[@fairyacorn4854]

That chimney fire was really bad and I am glad nothing happened to anything else. My partner was a fire fighter for 25 years and he told me the best way to put a chimney fire out is to sprinkle water on the fire below and the steam will put the fire out. I remember as a child our chimney catching fire and dad used to put a big piece of asbestos in front of the grate and he put water on the fire too. He was a builder and knew about these thing and he would sweep the chimney afterwards and I would have to stand in the garden and tell him when the brush came out the top.

[@sheilaabayateye1558]

Blimey you have been through the mill. So sorry. I remember winters on the east coast Scotland in the late sixties and seventies were evil. I worked in a hospital north of Dundee we used to have to get supplies air lifted by Raf launchers due to snow drifts 30 feet deep.

[@iamshotty]

The electric log burner looks fantastic!! And close up Shwew at 9:20 is sooo adorable. If anyone can overcome the tribulations of extreme weather, I know it's you two. Thank you so much my lovelies xx Teresa 🇦🇺♥

[@gailbrandwood9134]

Love the way you live, the country side the shrews , but it is definitely not for the faint hearted, you both do an amazing job.🌳🍄🍀🌾🐦🪻XXX

[@northernerinnc3179]

You two are the best examples for me! I have been inspired by the way you tackle jobs and get them done. Thank you mille fois!

[@Rachels123]

Admittedly watching your videos over the months i was a bit jealous by the beauty, now the reality has hit me. Brrrrrrr. And more brrrrrr. I live in the Caribbean, its warm green, and beautiful blue oceans, all year. The grass isn’t always better on the other side of the fence. Lol.

[@janinedevilliers510]

The Caribbean sounds like my kind of place.

[@iansuehooper7542]

So glad you both came through the storm unscathed, as well as the livestock. Well done with the filming Alex.

[@graceh8866]

That soot burning was scary

[@suewarnes9469]

Any video from you, Ladies is a good video!❤ Wow! Alex it looks amazing! I agree a bigger flagstone would be better. You don’t need it to protrude into the room anymore though.😌 I lived visited a house many years ago where there was a chimney fire. The roaring noise was scary!😧 it was meant to be that you had bought the’log fire’. 😊 My deepest respect to you Ladies, for coping with the horrible weather.❤💐❤️💐

[@TheLostTowerDiaries]

Thank you so much! ☺️

[@kestraavalon]

You two should invest in a power washer. That stove is adorable (the fake floo)!

[@borderlass101]

What a winter and its june and still not warmed up .😢❤

[@kevinkline6835]

What a wonderful project you Dear Ladies have under taken. You guy's are what we in Colorado, USA call "Jack's of all trades". Stay blessed

[@higgybee6509]

Love the new electric log burner. It is scary when you see flames coming out of your chimney. When I was a teenager I started a fire in the fireplace and after a bit the neighbour across the street come running over to say flames were shooting out the chimney. I have a wood frame house so he came over and stood on the roof with a hose dousing the embers as they landed. I also just found our recently when I had to get a new gas furnace that there was no liner in the chimney and that had to be put in to put it up to code. Living in Canada in many homes their pipes freeze but we have learned when it is extremely cold to leave a hot water tap running a bit. I am lucky my inside water pipes are away from the outside walls and tend not to freeze. The weather is getting extreme everywhere. We seem to be having warmer winters where I live. I love this channel just to see the things you and your Mom do on your land and in your home. You are very resourceful.

[@bonnerdebbie]

Winter did not seem kind to your animals or plants for that matter, glad you made it through. Rooms look lovely, but that closet looked like a nightmare to deal with, I hope the second closet is easier. Thanks for sharing your home life.

[@sharlenezuhlke1561]

Funny, I just thought I could smell paint😊.

[@tayloralexander7597]

Sharon here.... wow, you sure did go through a lot of scary events! So happy all was well in the end! The painting in the rooms looks great and i love the electric simulated wood stove and the added chimney is a great addition. It was great having it with the frozen period you went through as well! Is there a way to keep the water pipes from freezing in the future? Take care and see you next video. ❤🙂👍

[@susanroller6905]

I can't think of anyone that works as hard as the both of you, no job is to daunting and neither is the weather when there are freezing Shwoos to save. You certainly have some wonderful cubbies to store things in, I would have them stuffed full 🙄 Those are some really wretched storms to deal with, and then more cleanup...Thank you for another wonderful video and a peek into your daily life. Much love and hugs 🥰🥰 xx

[@jodivandyk3649]

We had a chimney fire back when I was in my teens. I know how anxiety inducing it is!

[@littledogRonnie]

When I saw the title mentioning "a fire" and I looked at the thumbnail, it looks like the room downstairs is ablaze. Scary! So glad that no harm was done.

[@EmbraceTheJourney]

200 year old door, so many people passing through that opening. A challenge indeed to maintain such an older home, but you two are amazing. Glad to get through winters and enter spring, life gets much better.

[@calgram]

That chimney fire was scary to watch!! I don't know who you hire to 'check and clean' your chimney each year but they can't have done a thorough job of scraping down the soot inside. At my house we hire a chimney sweep who uses a brushy tool apparatus from the roof, that goes down the chimney, then he comes inside and uses the same to go up the chimney. It's amazing how much sooty deposit he gets out every year, and we don't even use our fireplace every day. If you do, you probably need to have a chimney sweep clean yours more often. Stay safe ladies!

[@munchkinheaven7877]

We painted our stairs with the same floor paint that they paint concrete floors with, we chose a satin grey colour (they do all sorts of colours), it’s extremely hard wearing, been down 13 years now and just needs a touch up!

[@carolsledgewalker6903]

Wow a rough winter for you ladies. You are very resourceful in the way you deal with things. Kudos

[@oliverlevimysunshine6620]

Not sure if this msg will reach you but I’m going to give it a try anyway 😊. I live in the states and we get howling winds and -10+ (F) temps. To keep my pipes from freezing (and worse, bursting) I open the cold faucet to a trickle. My dad and brothers were plumbers and it works like a charm. Just a semi-fast drip. As long as there is water flowing the pipes won’t freeze.

[@jameskyle380]

So glad the house didn't go up. Very scary! When I lived in Normandy we installed a Villager AHI woodburning boiler stove to heat our radiators in our 3 bed detached stone School House. Oil in 2008 was costing too much at a euro a litre. Stove was £780. I'm a plumber so installed it. We were paying 15-30 euros for a cubic metre of wood all delivered and cut to our length and ready to burn. We used 25 cubic metres over 7 months of heating. Property had 13 radiators. Oil was lasting 8-12 weeks based on 700 litres. Quite a bit of work loading the stove ever 1-2 hours but the house was so warm. Insulation was not bad either, but could be improved. I swept the stainless 905 grade liner twice a year. Autumn and around Christmas. You could use a tree stake and flexible tie for your Magnolia tree.

[@KACn5582]

I have an old brick farmhouse in Michigan USA. I would have been so happy to have your "modern" cupboards! There are 2 cupboards/closets in the whole house.

[@user-yg4ne9zg8p]

Had a chimney fire once. Had to shoot a fire extinguisher down it. Scary!

[@debbrabossier7284]

You two are always up to the challenges. Not afraid to tackle anything. I love that log burning electric stove too. ❤

[@apostlewoody]

6:00 Im surprised the interior door is hinged on the room side, thought it would be on the wall side. The chimney fire is a nail biter at best. Very worrisome as its happening. Great video as always..

[@charlenegoddard7390]

I love how the Shwoo’s follow you both about, as if inspecting how your projects are progressing lol

[@tterbay]

My, you two sure lead exciting lives! Out of necessity, I see! ❤

[@Buy_YT_Views.8677]

vibey tunes you got there...

[@kimberlyryan8618]

Chimney fires are nothing mess with! Next time through a cup of water into the fire place or woodstove and it will be extinguished immediately. I learned this first hand from the firemen who responded to our chimney fire that rattled the windows! Then you need to make sure you keep the flue open for at least 30 minutes monthly to keep the ash burned up!

[@susancousins8766]

Sorry you had to deal with all of these issues! You both do a wonderful job with all that you do. My neighbor down 3 houses on the opposite side of me had a similar problem with their chimney. They have a fireplace attached to their house 2years ago they decided to light the fire. It was very cold 🥶 outside, but when they lit it the fireplace was on fire. Fire and police came out and put it out. One of the Firefighters, told them if they didn’t get there when they did the chimney, and half the house would have been destroyed. What a blessing no one was hurt🙌🏼🙌🏼🙌🏼🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻

[@krazedvintagemodel]

I very much enjoyed your misadventures, sorry. I would greatly appreciate a link to the electric wood stove and faux flu! It looks lovely for a fake! Thanks Alex! 😊

[@sandylee9564]

There is always something that needs tending to when you own your own home and property...Keeps you young if it doesn't kill you first. Hang in there ladies...you two do a great job at keeping up with things.

[@user-dw5cg6tj5v]

Wow the chimney was spectacular but scary. It’s fascinating watching you two, nothing is too much for you to tackle! Poor shwoo’s out in that weather, lucky for them they have great owners who take them inside their house. Scenery and music once again beautiful but looked very cold.

[@kentuckylady2990]

We have an electric log burner similar to the one you bought. It works well and makes the room look cozy. We had an extremely windy winter and spring. It looks like summer is going to be windy as well. We live in tornado alley so there is always a chance of severe weather.

[@saddaddrummer]

Sat here today watching your video with an extremely (Hoo...ha.) bad back, everything you did made me wince 😣😣😂. As always though very enjoyable (hoo......ha.....).......😘😘

[@viridiangreen8259]

Love your fireplace, very thoughtful Alex - so glad your house is safe

[@merahertel6256]

Hope male Shwoo made it in okay. You guys are doing a great job on the house. Love watching all your accomplishments! ❤

[@FlippinLids]

lots of shoring up to do and mending beforehand and after storms. I love your choice of the Electric fire heater and your added stovepipe makes it look even better. Excellent choice Alex! take care of yourselves and keep safe.

[@Gina9566]

MEECOS RED DEVIL Powdered Creosote Remover can be bought on line. We used it on our chimney. Another thing we did was run the water on slow drip so the pipes won’t freeze up. Some little tips. 😊

[@crhaydenify]

It's time for a fixer upper house party 🎉🎉

[@dthomp06]

What a winter! I admire you two for weathering it all.

[@julierogers3256]

I'm so very grateful y'all are ok and your house is safe from the chimney fire! I've grown up with wood stoves/heaters and still use mine each winter. Chimney fires are no joke and can be scary. My granddad and dad taught me to avoid burning any wood with lots of sap like pine, sweet gum, and sugar maple. The sap makes the soot buildup faster and thicker. Its crazy all the things there are to know and learn when caring for your home! Love seeing all your projects and progress on your lovely old place! Lots of love and prayers from Georgia, USA!!

[@charlotte0069]

❤️

[@deedorothypapineau6920]

While your winters get colder the past winter here in Ontario Canada has been milder. I’m glad you got the schrews inside before the storm. What happened to the senior bird? I have wild turkeys coming to my door for the birdseed I put out. The elements are wild! Luckily we didn’t have frozen water pipes but a pipe in one of the cabins broke and flooded the room behind it. What a job for the landlord. I love your channel and tune in frequently.

[@christhompson4270]

Wow that was looking scary all round, well done on the actions you took and what you fixed,painted ect. Take care and thank you for sharing 😮👏🙏❤️

[@joyrainesjones3043]

And you bought the heater just in time.

[@sandraford4235]

Move the rug out from under the flagstone to make it look more realistic.If you burn a lot of wood the resin can coat inside the chimney and cause fire .

[@Squatchladypa]

We just went through a house fire, my son n I are still living in a motel, been here a bit over 6 weeks now.. so glad you n your mom are ok it is a very scary thing to go through.. stay safe

[@johnnabuzby6103]

Alex, you and your mom have the kind of relationship that I wish I could have had with my own mother. I'm glad you're safe from the fire & storms. Love from North Carolina. ❤ P.S. I hope you were able to find Man shwoo after you brought in Bunty shwoo. You really went through a lot of hardships this past winter. Watching the fire and sparks spewing from your chimney must've been frightening for you. It was kind of pretty, though, sort of like fireworks. So glad you're safe ladies.

[@deeannmcginnis2115]

I would have been terrified of that chimney fire. That cupboard looks like a lot of plastering work ahead.

[@janb2162]

Oh my dear what a frightening series of events you had!! May you have better times ahead!

[@nitabourne3042]

HI GUYS!! I LOVE THE LITTLE STOVE FIREPLACE. WOULDN'T YOU HAVE TO PUT SLASHING BEHIND THE STOVE TO PREVENT THE WALL FROM FIRE? WELL UNFORTUNATELY YOUR CHIMNEY ON FIRE IS PRETTY SCARY. I'M GLAD YOU LADIES ARE SO BRAVE AND UP TO THE CHALLENGE. GREAT WORK BRINGING THE SHREW AND CLEANING THE OLD CLOSET. TREASURES TO FIND IN YOUR OLD HOUSE, HOW EXCITING. MUDLARKING YOUR OWN HOUSE!!! WELL, KIND OF NICE TO SEE ANY TREASURES YOU FIND THERE. I FELT LIKE I WAS READING FROM WUTHERING HEIGHTS BECAUSE OF THE RAIN AND GROUNDS SO BEAUTIFUL AND DREAMY. WELL THANKS FOR THIS VIDEO AND PLEASE STAY SAFE 🙏 ❤️ ❤🙏

[@kathymarshall871]

What a beautiful,old building you have.I love watching you both transform areas inside & out & the exquisite plumage of a close up shwoo was very pretty.

[@janloewen3404]

Very nice fireplace

[@suemount6042]

Wow that opening shot was stunning. Would love to hear about how you and your mum came to be living in that wonderful place loving this channel so glad I found it

[@Carolbearce]

It sure was a rough winter for you. Oh the joys/hardship of owning a home. You persevered!

[@judihart9658]

It's not that bad!. Not that bad!.😌👍😎

[@elainegill2619]

I really love the log burner,you did a great job Alex❤So very effective👍So glad everything was safe after the chimney fire😯

[@AnnaAnna-uc2ff]

Thank you.

[@rosielee8381]

Brave and resourceful ladies! 👍

[@susanamann1806]

I see you have helper schoos. Good job. And thank God everyone is ok. Looks good.

[@tammyreeves168]

Oh goodness the fire would have scared me to death. We live in Texas. The Texas panhandle and we had a wildfire go through our small town in April of this year. We had to evacuate. We went to another city for 2 days not knowing if we had a home to return to. Thankfully we did. The fire burned up to our fence in the ally and the wind changed direction and turned the fire. It also started to rain. But there were so many other people that lost everything. Hundreds of people lost everything they owned. Fire is super scary. Stay safe and God Bless

[@daviddarrall9384]

Everything is work! What about hobbies or pleasures? UK ❤

[@geoWhite]

I love your videos. Take care.

[@SongOfSongsOneTwelve]

That apocalyptic music with the fire- wow. It’s a good thing that your house is stone and that it was such a freezing night! What a scary thing to experience, Alex! The getting in of the shwoos was an ordeal, as well. 😅 I hate the time of year for us that tornadoes are prevalent. It’s typically every late spring and early summer. I always worry about my animals and all of my family. Glad you are all ok. Please take care! ❤ PS, the house is looking beautiful! And 😮OH MY GOODNESS! Yay, we get to see the inside of your place. 😍Looks exactly like I’d pictured! Plaster walls, hardwood floors. Are the tiles original? 26:12 That was probably a larder-type pantry. Lovely home! I especially enjoy seeing a butterball-shaped kitty quietly skitter in or out. Min always have to see what’s going on, too. 😅 I love all of the Persian rugs, too. I’m also a collector- you can never have too many! Those old houses need a lot of TLC, though. A lot of that is maintenance but sometimes things just go wrong and something has to be pulled out or replaced. That’s why a lot of such old houses have not remained; they are dangerous and expensive to run. So kudos to you guys because you have really been doing an amazing job- literally holding the fort down! Can’t wait to see more of that amazing and historic property! ❤

[@valsummers5330]

No fun freezing pipes You are lucky they didn’t crack You girls are so tough Happily it’s now june

[@carollen5633]

Hello, love your videos. In the olden days we would burn potato peels to cleanout the chimney. Take care and blessings. ♥ ♥

[@BeFree-BeFrugal]

Love the electric log burner.

[@alantaylor403]

Thankyou for the recording of dramatic and domestic events during the winter. Your home in its lovely setting represents far more than stonework and mortar. It creates a"hygge" atmosphere through its evolution and your place in it.

[@carolekinsey7835]

Brrrr i could feel the cold you experienced during the winter there. Your log burner looked great and thank goodness you had it. Wow, that fire in the chimney was scary. We have wood burners in our home and that is one thing we worry about. Getting a chimney sweep in is not cheap, but saves this happening i suppose. We buy a powdered solution that you burn in the flames of the fire. It removes soot. It's called Flueclear. Well worth getting. Its good to see you both getting lots of work done on the house. Xx

[@kimberlymolitor354]

No end to home ownership chores!!! Glad you are on to spring/summer weather now!!🥰🥰🥰

[@sherrya6922]

That log burner is absolutely adorable I love it and I love the colors that you're using in your walls

[@vaijayanti_prememalcolm8160]

What a view xxx

[@janeschool]

I enjoy your videos. Next time you paint please try blue tape to receive clean edges.

[@ws4860]

A soot fire is very dangerous, soot and tar deposits in the chimney reach temperatures of between 1000 and 1500 degrees Celsius when burned. Your chimney is now probably "glazed" on the inside, which could soon lead to the next fire. You should definitely have this checked by a competent specialist.

[@diannmcdonald4949]

Great video. Especially like the electric stove in the guest room. I did have to laugh though at your really low temperature of -11C. We see temperatures of -20 with wind chill bringing it down to -27. Glad though that you made it through. Keep your water tripping just a little so the water won’t freeze and wrap your pipes in the proper insulation. A little wasted water is better than frozen pipes that burst and create a more serious problem. Looking forward your next video. Have a great week and keep safe.😊🇨🇦

[@user-xd2ky4it8m]

Am happy everything is good❤

[@juliederry3719]

Omg ladies you have been through a tough winter, and I also worry about climate change and the impact on the planet, this has been a fab video to watch, tfs x Julie

[@sadielevens1144]

You guys are amazing ❤❤❤❤❤❤

[@tmross4]

Alex, you and your mother should be interior designers!

[@robertlamb6062]

Love your videos.

[@c.w.3750]

Crazy chicken again

[@c.w.3750]

I know nothing about how other parts of the world deals with cold. I was wow -11 winter sounds wonderful BUT freezing pipes and no water is dangerous.

[@c.w.3750]

We get -35°C for a couple weeks but we are built different cause we expect it

[@teresahamilton7801]

u 2 are living the life! enjoyed your winter activity diary very much. wondering if the storage closets were filled when u moved in? is this an ancestral family home? thanx!

[@oceanluvngal]

I hope you are able to find a way to prevent your water pipes and drains from freezing again. Did any burst? It, and chimney fires, are pretty common occurances here in Atlantic Canada though less so as more people turn to electricity or propane as their main home heat source.

[@stephenraney]

🥰🥰✌🏼🤟🏼🖖🏼😎

[@DeborahKEgolf]

❤😊Looking good Ladies.

[@bettyrue5780]

Gale, you remind me of my Mom. She could do anything she decided to do. Alas, I am no Alex. Didn't inherit all her talents. I tell people "my Mom knew how to do everything. I didn't know how to do anything, because she did everything for me. (I know how to do a few things, but not as talented as she was.)

[@Danigys]

Are you going to paint the floors as well?