A Shot At Competence - Sunday 20/02/11

Thursday was the second day of the consensus training. Took some time in the morning to cut and chop wood whilst the sun shone and the sky was blue. Sometime in the afternoon, after many coffees and relaxing, Emma and I planted some more hedging.
Friday I hung around outside helping Kit assemble another woodshed for most of the day. In the afternoon we mixed a small amount of mortar and built up the corners of the house. That way, all I have to do is join them up ensuring they meet the levels.
Saturday morning I hitched a ride with Nick into Crymych and bought £15 worth of water pipe and fittings. Between sorting and moving our little caravan for another volunteer, I rigged up the pipe. All connected, I opened the valve up and sauntered back to our static dreaming of running water and the luxury of a hot shower.
As I opened the door, my dreams evaporated. Emma was combating a cascade of water erupting from the boiler in the kitchen. Balls. As I'd feared over the winter  and suspected after we took delivery of the van, the boiler had blown a pipe. Consulted Ayres on his recent repair job, and followed his advice of J-B WELD
and Milliput . This meant a 24hr wait for it to cure.
Today I waited patiently for the repair to set. I busied myself with some track way maintenance for a neighbouring house, and Kit prepared to leave. After his departure, Nick and I murdered two more cockerels.
The first one was a beautiful dispatch. One shot to the back of the head and he was obviously dead. The other cockerel was none too happy and attacked Nick as he advanced to stick a knife in his dead chums brain.
The second was not so easy. Again, a shot to the back of the head followed by cartwheels, but he needed two more after that. Not good when Cassie and her son Davey were watching. Still, was all over very quickly and I think she was satisfied by my competence.
By now it was time to test my boiler repair - Boiler fixed, but now there's a leak and a crack in the pipe under the hot tap in the bathroom. Have got to wait another 24 hours whilst the silicone sets.
Will I ever get a shower?

Cap'n Van Winkles Walking Stick

Katy and Leanders Roundhouse, minus tarps!!

M Jones

Puns a Plenty - Monday 07/02/11

For the past week we have been bombarded and buffeted by relentless high winds and intermittent rain. But just after midday today, as I was bricklaying, I photographed the moment the winds abated, the grey grumpy clouds moved on and the sun emerged.

I would like to think that the turbulent weather was part of natures process of ridding itself of the old season, and welcoming the new.
This afternoon, as I was demonstrating to a hapless piece of slabwood how easily my sharpened machete could hew large chunks out of it, I saw Kit and Cassie having what looked like a very serious discussion. She appeared to be in a 'fowl' mood, her husband had made a 'cock up' and we'd eaten the wrong bird. She wanted £10 in compensation, hardly a 'poultry' sum. Thankfully we hadn't executed an innocent bird. The delicious and full flavoured cockerel in question was indeed on Death Row, but meant for another table. Along with issues pertaining to the layering of a shared hedge bank, and accusations of responsibility for a new resident rat in their roof, I kept my beak out of it... Puns are fun.

M Jones

Farkel n Cockerel - Saturday 05/02/11

Ahh...Saturday. Generally, for me, no different to any other day. But this time Kit, the Boss, hitched a ride with Nick into Cardigan leaving me free to do as I wished. I wished for a wash. Frustratingly my quick fix on the bath plug let a large saucepan of freshly boiled water escape straight down the plug hole.
Stand up wash then.
Being that I washed in front of a mirror, and Imbolc has come and gone, I shaved off my Winter beard, instantly regaining my youth. Such a positive change in fact, I was kissed back into the bathroom by Emma. The kisses also put my ash toothpaste to the test. I was not impressed by the flavour, but its abrasive qualities left my teeth feeling the cleanest they've ever been. A couple leaves of mint sorted the flavour problem.
With all my time off, I quickly got bored. So for the rest of the day I sawed and chopped up wood from the slab wood pile. These are off cuts and waste from milling and only three sawn up 5 metre lengths filled our cupboard and bathroom. Despite being wet with rain this wood is more seasoned than the other crap we bought and therefore burns better. Being larch is also burns hotter too.
Kit and Nick returned around 16:30, and we began cooking the 'cock' casserole.
Slow cooked in red wine with barley grains and vegetables, the meat was exquisite. Served with roast potatoes, it was a meal worthy of an upmarket restaurant.
Our bellies full of food, we passed the evening playing 'Spicy Farkel'. Sometimes pronounced 'Fark - all' on low scoring throws! If like me, you have no idea what this is, broadly speaking, its a game of six dice. A player throws and different scores are tallied on the outcome. The throw has to include a one or a five. One = One hundred points and Five = Fifty. The other combinations of numbers and their values are similar to poker. So you have Three and Four of a kind, a straight, Three pairs etc.
Since Imbolc on the 2nd February, the weather has been dreadful, with high winds and rain, but the cloud cover has kept the temperature comfortably high. Over 13C in the caravan and over 25C inside with the wood burner on. With that in mind, I am reverting back to sleeping starkas. Albeit with a hat on and a hot water bottle, just to be safe.
Will report back on whether its safe for the rest of the population to follow suit...

"We did not receive any messages sir, and Captain Blackadder certainly did not eat this delicious plump breasted pigeon cockerel"

M Jones