City girls moving to Rural Ireland for that slow living, homesteading cottage life! - Episode 38

This is (I think) my longest upload. So much is happening at the cottage now that it's hard to fit everything into the one video! If you enjoy let me know in the comments below :)
Also it's time to start thinking of tree planting. Mostly native Irish Trees and hedgerows will be planted, but if you can think of any beautiful flowering trees that might do well in my southfacing but wet (drains well) land let me know! I'm hoping to get some cherry blossoms planted this year, as well as some more lilac trees.
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#homestead #cottagelife #homerenovation

[@dianakeiser6663]

As a retired nurse, I would suggest you have a good first aid kit at your cottage. Just basic supplies would do. Take care

[@morrigans_cottage]

That’s a really great idea I’ll get one this week - being on my own especially would be important to have! Thank you for the reminder!

[@seanshannon9910]

Hi Asling as I stated in previous comments a works plan is essential if real progress is to be made, in the absence of a plan, you are spreading over to much, (resulting in burrenout). Sit down make a list of priorities,excluding the farm at the beginning until dwelling is under controle. The front wall needs capping ,wann + pearls, only one pear slightly damaged due to possible collision. Sash windows are romantic but crafty ( pioraty 1 ) get grant application in by end of next week, not next month, Work out from that your self Enjoying your videos very much You’re work ethic is admirable If I can in any way kind regards Sean

[@James-rn6lo]

If you are going to paint the gates get Hammerite paint as it covers rust very well.

[@morrigans_cottage]

Hiya Sean! Thanks so much for all the tips they are very appreciated! I’ll hopefully get working on all of this :) and hopefully the grant will be done in the next 1-2 weeks, it’s so hard to get a roofer out but I think I’ll have one out for a quote next week fingers crossed! All your advice and support is brilliant I really appreciate it! Hope you had a lovely weekend!

[@seanshannon9910]

Hi Ashling the only roofing problem is the side annex, roof and flashing kind regards Sean

[@lizdaugherty5607]

You are the weed cutting queen!!💚

[@morrigans_cottage]

I think the weed cutting has gotten the best of me 😂 but I’ll happily take the queen title 😂💚

[@nilecrocodileRobyn]

Back at the beautiful homestead and surroundings, so tranquil. The potatoes are looking great, my potatoes will be ready soon as early new pots. Seeing things grow is so rewarding and you will grow your dreams with the homestead. Bainne is enjoying the grass, I see, icky for Mum to clean up but great for her digestion. Kizzy likes the grass seeds I grow for her. Just to say that don't always feel you have to do longer videos, I know this means extra work for you in your busy life. Although it was a treat to see you all for that bit longer! Hugs to you all from Robyn and Kizzy xx

[@morrigans_cottage]

Hiya Robyn! I hope you and Kizzy enjoyed your weekend ❤️ that’s deadly that your potatoes will be ready soon! I have no clue what I’m doing with them I must actually look up about growing potatoes! My friend got me cat grass seeds so I must grow that! But I’m so glad to know that it isn’t bad for them! I’m glad you enjoyed the longer video! I think that now there’s more work to be done the videos will probably start being longer, so I’m glad you enjoyed and it wasn’t too long or boring! Lots of love from me and the girlies ❤️

[@mocarra100]

Vinegar and salt will kill all of that grass on the cement. The thumbnail pic of you in all of your animals is very cute. What you need is a good riding lawn mower. Does your family not have a lawn mower you can borrow? Much love from Oklahoma USA Jackie 🇺🇸💖

[@morrigans_cottage]

Hi Jackie! That’s a great tip for the grass on the cement I’ll try it this weekend thank you! I figured the girls deserved to be in the thumb nail they are the stars of the show! Thankfully I got a mower this weekend, although it didn’t work as well as I thought but the grass did get cut thank god!! Hope you had a lovely weekend! Lots of love from me and the girls 💚

[@suziebelle1959]

You have done so well with the grass! I think it's a great idea to get the outside work done while you are waiting for the grant. Every little helps. Sorry you fell over! Hope you are not too bruised. I really enjoyed the longer vlog but no pressure if you are too busy. Hope you are getting the lovely sunny weather this weekend xx

[@morrigans_cottage]

And thanks so much, definitely starting to chip away at the bits! Hope you enjoyed your weekend too ❤️

[@sylvanaire]

You got a lot done, don’t cut yourself short. You are limited on what you can do while you wait to apply for the grant. You’ve got a big enough job ahead of you to take it easy on yourself with your goals. The blue & white color scheme sounds lovely. Ask your builder guy his opinion about repairing the metal gate. I think most of the rust can be removed with a drummel/grinder type tool & then you can just repaint it, even with that one spindle rusted thru, it doesn’t give real structural support, so you could get away w/leaving it as is for now. That’d be a lot less expensive than replacing the whole gate. Jmo! 😊 I am at my cottage to open it for the summer season and I haven’t got much done yet & I’ve been here for three days. I did have to wait for the water to clear up as the well is always rusty in the spring. But I really need to get a move on. You’re a bad influence on me as I sat here and watched your video instead of cleaning, lol. See you next time!

[@sharong8511]

I think the gates can be saved also. That one spindle can be replaced or left as it is, as you stated. I think they’re lovely.

[@morrigans_cottage]

They are lovely little gates! I’ll do my best to save them!

[@morrigans_cottage]

All I can do is apologize for distracting you from your cleaning, but I hope you enjoyed, and I hope you got all you needed done at your cottage, that’s exciting that it’s ready to open for the season! That’s brilliant advice about the gate, I’d love to keep them so I’ll do what I can to get them into slightly better shape, repair and repaint! Hope you had a lovely weekend, cleaning aside ❤️

[@AmirHussain-Pakistan]

beautiful vlogs And Very Nice National Park

[@morrigans_cottage]

Ah thank you so much I really appreciate the feedback ❤️

[@johnmcdonnell1847]

You need to fence off the back garden and get some animals in to eat the grass. Otherwise you will be cutting it every weekend when the growth really takes off. Either powerwash the wall or use a wire brush to clean off before painting it

[@morrigans_cottage]

Thanks so much for the tip about the painting! I’m hoping to get a power washer asap and I’ll get that done :) the fencing is definitely on the list of things to do, hopefully I’ll get it done this summer but if not it’ll be ready for the next! I think I foresee a very busy summer of grass cutting 😅

[@James-rn6lo]

As someone else said ,get a ride on lawnmower,essential for the amount of grass you have.Good luck. James

[@morrigans_cottage]

Hiya James! Thanks so much for the suggestion! A ride on mower is deffo on the wish list! I think it might be a couple years til I’ll get one but it’s on the list!

[@karlahassenstein547]

It really looks like concrete block. I've never heard of creating lines in concrete render to imitate block. That would take a LOT of work. All the work you've done is amazing. I have to sprinkle paprika heavily on my veggies to keep them from animals (who have plenty of other things to eat).

[@morrigans_cottage]

Oh I haven’t heard of using paprika before that’s so smart! So far they seem to be leaving my veggies along but I’m sure they’ll be munching in no time on them 😂 it’s really hard to tell what they’ve done with the render but I think the block lines are just a design, they’ve only put them on the front portion and not the rest…. Very strange 😂

[@CraftyLoops]

Ashling, I think you have rabbits munching on your plants so you may wish to consider putting your strawberries into hanging baskets, because those will be the first thing to disappear, lol. And all your hard work will disappear in one night. Strawberries grow really successfully in hanging baskets and it also makes it harder for birds to get at them too. I'm up in Northern Ireland and the spiders at the minute are crazy. Im practically in town and my garden is full of them. I think maybe the mild winter has had an affect and they didn't die off as much this winter. That probably means they'll be monsters by Autumn and I'm not looking forward to that, teehee. Lee :)

[@morrigans_cottage]

That would be very interesting if it was rabbits! I haven’t seen any sign of them but they could just be keeping well away from me! I’m going to get some baskets and plant some more strawberries in them for sure thank you for the tip :) oh god that’s not good news about the spiders 😂 they are big enough I don’t want to see them any bigger 😂😂😂

[@CraftyLoops]

@@morrigans_cottage I have a wee bottle that I fill with water and peppermint oil and I spray it around my window sills and doors and that keeps the 8-legged monsters from entering my house. It really does work an absolute treat. I'm not the best with the wee buggers but definitely spraying around my windows and doors with the peppermint oil works an absolute charm. Hope that helps. Lee xx

[@morrigans_cottage]

Thanks Lee I will definitely try that! I also plan on getting those window screens so hopefully that will help too, altho there’s so many holes in my house I’m sure they will find their way in! Thanks again for the tips they are VERY appreciated as I haven’t a clue 😂💚

[@janetsides901]

I had strawberries growing in the garden for four years,they always got eaten,I put them in one of those stacked planters and put them up on the deck,I’m going to get tons this year.😊

[@CraftyLoops]

@@janetsides901 Oh that's fantastic!

[@LindzandLife]

Hiya lovely 💜 loving the plans you have. See can you get the lend of a pressure washer it will remove a lot of the flake and always good to have good clean walls before painting 😉 Please wear a mask especially for that external paint. Ive so many strawberry plants all mine are in pots and window type boxes or the slugs get them before I can 😂 glad to see your potatoes have taken off mine are just peeking through so all crossed. Another great video x

[@morrigans_cottage]

Hello 💚 I was thinking I might actually buy a pressure washer with my next paycheque from work, I think I’d probably have endless use for it! I also think my strawberries may get eaten by slugs before I get a chance to eat them, but sure biodiversity and all that 😂 and I’m so bad I keep forgetting to put a mask on but I’ll make a better effort! Hope you’re enjoying this bitta nice weather 💚

[@eettyy12]

You realy are doing so great

[@morrigans_cottage]

Thank you so much for saying ❤️

[@Kim-J312]

You have such great outdoor space ❤😊. Ireland is very beautiful. I visted twice , a month at time . My co-worker family lives around the Sligo area . We spent our time from Enniscrone (spelling🫣) (my favorite ❤) down to Cork and the beautiful west coast . We drove to Dublin for one day , left right away lol we are from Chicago. So going from big city to big city was blah . I think we needed someone to show us were to go . Limerick was a cute small city , fun. ❤😊Very nice friendly people ❤ ☘️

[@morrigans_cottage]

I’m so glad to hear you enjoyed your trips here! The west is stunning, almost magic! Dublin can be nice too but I understand going from one city to another doesn’t always make sense, ya wanna see the beautiful spots! So glad your enjoyed 💚

[@dianakeiser6663]

My heart goes out to you with all of your hard work you are doing by yourself. Hopefully some help will be coming soon for some of your projects. Your countryside is so peaceful.

[@morrigans_cottage]

It’s super peaceful I absolutely love it, but it is some hard work! Thankfully my dad was here this weekend and did a lot of work with me so that was a huge help. Altho I definitely felt a little overwhelmed with all that was left to do! I have a week off next week so hopefully I’ll catch up a bit!

[@RayHindy]

Hope you get where your going someday I wish you the best,bye

[@morrigans_cottage]

Well I’m not going anywhere so no need for a bye, but thank you for the well wishes!

[@user-ww1yv8ue8p]

i use white vinegar n salt to kill my weeds outside ash , yeyy love ur lilac tree its full om bloom s ,u got alot more on your one than my 3 lilacs here xxahh love what ur doin ,ur soooo keen on gettin things done xx

[@morrigans_cottage]

Ah that’s a great tip thank you so much I’ll give it a try in the weeds 💚 and the tree is blooming so lovely I’m delighted with it! I hope you had a lovely weekend ❤️❤️

[@deborahkalichak1586]

It’s very beautiful..love the purple flowers..birds singing 🌸🌸🌹

[@morrigans_cottage]

I’m glad you enjoyed, it really is beautiful I’m so lucky!

[@aviendhassister]

Loving your videos Aisling! I've been binging them from the start over the last week or two. Is there a local library or historical society? They might have old photos of what the cottage looked like originally with the bare stone before the concrete and the extension.

[@morrigans_cottage]

I’m so glad you’ve been enjoying the videos, and thanks so much for taking the time to let me know :) hopefully you’ll see improvement as the videos go on! There are records held in the local church I think, and potentially the library might have some - so I’ll definitely be checking both once I’m down full time and have a little more time! My neighbours should also have photos - their family have been in that same home for hundreds of years which is so cool!

[@LB-pt2dd]

Thank you for the longer video! 😊

[@morrigans_cottage]

Thank you for watching! Hope You enjoyed and it wasn’t too long or boring in parts!

[@deborahlee8135]

Lots of plans you have! Obviously, the plan needs to fit finances too, something i am discovering too. So your doing well. I dont know what brands you have there, not do i know much about your kind of buildings so not helpful in that regard, but you may want to research whether sealing any concrete before painting is a good plan? I think concrete sucks up paint and so it can be hard to stick. Oooh, just came back to say i watched a video where they used a pressure washer on old paint ... ? I'm glad you are putting your strawberries in, even if its not their final place. I'm learning that i just need to get plants in if i want a result 😂 i also learnt to put little open top cloches on seedlings to help stop things eating them. Lots of learning and things will change as we get new info is my thinking. A free tip .... i have some rubbish bins around because i am finding lots of things in the ground, too, and its easier than finding them again later because i tossed them out of my way 😅 I am so jealous of the colour of your soil. Mine is grey, hydrophobic sand mostly. You've done an incredible amount of work, its no wonder you are tired. But every week we see you push further ahead. ❤ Good luck with your grant application, the sooner the better 👍

[@morrigans_cottage]

Ah thank you so so so much for all the advice, it all makes sense and is super appreciated! I think we’re both very much on a learning curve with it all but that’s half the fun I suppose! It’s definitely been a busy few days here, the sun doesn’t come out often, so I just didn’t stop this weekend! But lots got done and hopefully that will be seen in the next two videos coming! Thanks again for all the advice, I’ll definitely Check out specific concrete paints and maybe pressure wash everything to remove the old paints!

[@evelyngorfram9306]

Bainne looked so cute in her Paradise Kingdom under the (Oregon Grape?). Morrigan was cute too, of course. :) If you can stand it, consider not killing spiders but just moving them outside. Spiders eat lots of generally undesirable insects, and are generally beneficial (if creepy) to have around. I like to use a matchbox with a sliding cover to catch spiders: the open end goes over the spider, the cover slides closed, & the process gets reversed outdoors. Safe & secure, & mitigates any risk of spider-human contact.

[@morrigans_cottage]

Bainne really was in her element! I’m not sure what kinda tree, I know someone told me in previous videos but can’t for the life of me remember the name! I try not killing the spiders and I generally don’t mind if they’re inside if they stay far far away from me, but the big ones do give me the absolute creeps! There seems to be A LOT of spiders outside at the moment, I don’t think I’ve ever seen so many!

[@WestCorkWander]

Great work in the garden. Don't worry I fall over my own feet regularly, so you are not alone🤣 Use you grass clippings from the roadside to mulch around your plants. I need a rake like that 🤔

[@morrigans_cottage]

I got the rake from the cutest old man, cash only kinda shop! And I’m glad to know I’m not the only one tripping over my own feet 😂

[@user-ww1yv8ue8p]

you look areal young dude in ur cap ,it suits u ash , yeahh white vinegar n salt n hot water i did, i ve just pulled roots out the ground , wrks well they go all deady n white col n easy to pull root out ground , leave 4 a few days though n then pull em out ,yep have a gd week its bn beautiful all sat n sund here xx

[@morrigans_cottage]

The weather has just been fab (except today) I’m glad you got to enjoy it! I’ll definitely get working on the roots! ❤️❤️

[@XO.DianeKelly]

A good wire brush and a pressure washer would be great for the outside walls xxx

[@morrigans_cottage]

Ah thank you! I’ll have to get a wire brush! And it looks like Lidl will have pressure washers in sale next week so I’ll try grab one of those! Thank you ❤️

[@XO.DianeKelly]

Fabulous!! I’m absolutely loving your vlogs, I’ve had a relaxing day and binge watching my way through them. Your distructive moods do make me smile 😂. I love seeing the older parts of the house come back to life. You’re doing a grand job ❤ xxxx

[@morrigans_cottage]

@@XO.DianeKelly ah thank you I am really glad you’re enjoying! The videos are a bit chaotic but I’m hoping as I go on they’ll improve a little! ❤️

[@beckygwinn2107]

Def see about getting a mower. You’ll never get a head without one. Your land is beautiful and the little road 🥰. So envious. I never heard of a church that broadcast mass. What if you’re not Catholic? I live in the US so maybe I don’t understand your region. Maybe all are Catholic.

[@morrigans_cottage]

So I think the majority of people in Ireland are Catholic, and the town I live in probably only has 100 or so people if not less who’d be able to hear it and I’d guess most if not all are Catholic! I’m not religious myself so I just ignore it lol! I got a mower this weekend and it definitely helped! Altho I think I’ll always be behind on it 😂

[@suziebelle1959]

You definately got a lot done ! It looks very hard work. Its a great idea yo get some of the outside work done while you are waiting for the grant. Sorry you fell over, hope you are not too bruised xx

[@morrigans_cottage]

Thank you! Thankfully not hurt although a little bruised and embarrassed! I blame the shoes 😂

[@crochetingaroundnewzealand]

Beautiful area!! My advice is don't show the front of the house or car on video or at least cover your number plate. Write a list of the most important things and stick to it especially making sure the house is water tight. I wouldn't have sliding windows on the house especially the front. Too easy for strangers to climb in. You need some sheep to eat the grass. Well done ❤

[@morrigans_cottage]

Thank you so much 💚 I try to remember to keep the licence plate out but I must do better at it, although I do hope nobody/nothing would happen from having them in the vids but 100% Better safe than sorry! That is definitely a risk with the sliding windows but I’ve always wanted traditional sash windows but maybe I can look into what would be safest! I may have some furry friends coming to the fields (not sheep but hopefully something good) but I’ll know more in the next few days!

[@Nightowl-72]

Good afternoon from Australia 🇦🇺 Just a word of caution with the paint from your fence. Do you know if it’s lead based? a lot of old paint is. If it flakes off and gets into soil it will contaminate it. Heavy metal contamination can be very bad for humans and animals, especially if anything is eaten that has been grown in the soil with heavy metal poisoning. Even if not lead based , all that paint you are chipping off unfortunately should be cleared away and disposed of and not left to fall into your precious soils 💜

[@morrigans_cottage]

Hello! How are you! I don’t know if you watch Eurovision but thank you Australia for giving Ireland 12 points 😂 that’s good to know about the paint, I did try and pick up as much as possible, and it was thankfully by a section of land that’s just used as drive way but 100% will try and keep as much away from the soil as possible! I hope it’s not lead but better safe than sorry! 💚

[@Nightowl-72]

@@morrigans_cottage I’m doing great thank you! It’s winter here and it’s been quite wet outside, but I love the cooler weather. Although our late autumn is probably warmer than your late spring by the sound of it! We are doing some painting on the inside of our cottage 💜

[@morrigans_cottage]

@@Nightowl-72 I’m glad to hear you’re getting some cooler and wetter weather I’d say it’s a nice break from the blazing sun! It’s deffo still nicer there than here 😂 anything over 10 degrees here is a win! That’s very exciting you’re getting some painting done enjoy!

[@loissaedder2214]

I think you need to be careful what you paint the concrete parts of the house with. If it's painted with the wrong type of paint it can cause lots of issues. I have no first hand knowledge but just what I've learned from other youtubers. Hello from Queensland.

[@morrigans_cottage]

Hello all the way to Queensland! Definitely somewhere on my bucket list to go to! Thanks for the tips about the paint, I also know nothing about that so I really needed to do some research before buying!