Yesterday we had a nice hanging out in the woods day with barbecued meat for lunch cooked in the fire pit next to our tent which was lovely :). In the afternoon the kids went off to play with sisters D and A who they get on really well with and Ady and I went up to have a look round one of the houses; at least three of the families have said we can look round but it’s not actually happened yet so this was fab 🙂 LOVED their house – it’s even higher up the hill than where our tent is pitched so it’s got even more of a view. You enter through the kitchen which has a burner for hot water, cooking and heating, a curtained off area with a shower which is fed from a large container and a pump, a row of cupboards and shelves and a bowl for a sink. Next level is the living space, a long room with various seats and fold down tables at one end, a desk with computer and large screen for watching stuff on and the kids toys at the other end and a stair case in the middle which leads to the bedroom area upstairs which is one side the boys room (they have 3 boys) with beds on the 3 walls and a small area of floor space in the middle and the other side theirs with a bed and small table either side. The beams are exposed throughout and all the washing is hanging from beams to dry and left stored there hanging up.
We had a really nice chat with Mel who lives there and then came down to light the bathhouse burner. It felt like hard work trying to keep the bathhouse and the longhouse burners lit and we ended up chopping up kindling in the dark with Ray (the other WWOOFer trying to help but actually being a hinderance). We did eventually get a bath and some dinner though and then brought hot water bottles up to bed fairly early knowing we were in for a cold night. We’d seen weather reports saying minus 2 but one of the other people here said it had actually been minus 4 on her thermometer. It was certainly cold last night and that 3am wake up when the hot water bottles have gone cold and your toes are freezing was not nice 🙁
Today was quite hard to get going again after 2 days off. Both of my knees are protesting at the hill, my right knee even more so and it keeps sort of clunking out of place. I am better with the uphill than the downhill and it will be fine for ages and then suddenly jar and be excruitiatingly painful for a while so I am trying to go easy on it. I really don’t want to create an injury that makes issues through the year. We were awake early thanks to the cold so we went down to get tea and coffee and sat looking at books with the kids while breakfast was being made. There is a small, but very interesting library here, I must note some of the book titles down and get hold of copies.
This mornings work was dragging some wood along, clearing some debris around the saw mill and then after tea break Ady and Ray went to help dig out a huge stone in the middle of the path that was creating problems for the landrover while the kids and I carried bark up the hill to go round the base of some saplings as weed suppressants and then covered them in mulch made from old pine needles.
At lunchtime two more WWOOFers arrived (a couple in their 20s, only from Exeter on 2 weeks holiday from work and looking to get a taste of WWOOFing before deciding if they want to do it longer term and further afield). This afternoon we were with Seth (partner of Mel) and moving wood around. We came down to the longhouse for a tea break and going back up again had me hitting the wall I have been anticipating, too high, knee protesting, just too much 🙁 I did half an hour and then offered to go and light the bathhouse which got me off an hour early to go and chop kindling and get that lit – still not easy but without the hill. It took some lighting but by the time Ady appeared an hour later bringing me a cup of tea I had the burner roaring and heating lots of hot water for a bath later 🙂
Dinner was chaotic with pretty much everyone coming in to eat together but it emptied again just as quick. Ady and I went off for a bath and then Ady and Davies had a game of chess, Scarlett and I looked at some books and chatted and everyone else disappeared so we headed up to bed.
Once tomorrow is over we will be on countdown out really as we’re off on Saturday to a mid point campsite. But we’ve been invited to dinner up at Seth & Mel’s on Friday – our last night, and we’ve been invited back for Seth’s birthday celebrations in a few weeks which I *think* fits in with us being close enough to come along for which will be brilliant. Tough work and the hill aside this is an amazing place which has touched all four of us hugely. Most definitely life changing.
It’s sounding fab. I’m really pleased you’re blogging it all so we can live it as well.
I hope the next hosts have a flatter piece of land though!
Comment by Kirsty — 15 March 2011 @ 8:25 am