I discovered the culprits today - wasps are nicking bits of my shed and taking it away to build their nests. I don't remember this happening last year. The shed was painted with preservative shortly after I got it about two years ago. I guess that last year, the preservative was still quite fresh and tasted bad for nest building. This is all telling me it's time to re-paint the shed. I'll wait till the Autumn when the wasps have stopped nest building.
Tom up the road (he of ferret fame) has done a lovely job of repainting the large old timber barns outside his place in black.
It looks very traditional, which also appeals. I'm very tempted to do mine black as well. I know black tends to absorb heat but the studio is insulated on the inside with Kingspan on the roof and sides so I don't think it being a darker colour will make it much hotter than it already gets in summer. I find mornings are cooler for beadmaking, by lunchtime, the sun moves round and is streaming through the windows which ramps up the temperature a bit too high for comfort even with the window and door open and the fan going full blast. I tend to spend hot afternoons indoors making jewellery. As we live in a stone cottage with thick walls, the downstairs is relatively cool.
If I find the studio does get much hotter afer it's painted, I'll just have to wait for a year before the wasps get at it again!
