The eagle has landed....

At last! It all started around 5am and was over by 7:30. Three bouncing baby girls. Mother (Gwendolyn) and kids doing fine.

Everyone is very relieved. And just in time - the next expectant mother is now due.

We rapidly move to the fraught issue of names. Of course if it was up to me they'd be named 1, 2 and 3.

But Jussi (and Ailsa) wants them to have names - and we've decided to name each years 'crop' alphabetically - starting this year, naturally enough, at R.

Kids from the British Alpine Mothers will be named with a Mythological theme, those from the Nubian with an African theme, and those from Saanens with a Botanical theme.

So welcome: Roshima, Rhea, Rumina - not sure which is which just now.

But last word goes to Ailsa - hopping up and down clapping she declared:

"I can imagine them running up a rainbow and hopping onto a cloud."

K+3 Jussi's Birthday

No news. Yawn.

As goat number one holds in her kids - other goats rapidly approach their due date - raising the spectre of a glut of kidding goats. C'est la vie.

It would be nice if the first kids arrived on Jussi's Birthday though. So here's hoping.

I spent yesterday in Wick. The highlight being a fish supper for lunch - luxury! The day was reasonably unsuccessful - but I did manage to buy shed loads of seeds. These are now hanging over me - staring accusingly, nipping me every time I think about rest. I thought seeds would be pretty laid back things - but not these - nag nag bloody nag. So I guess I'd better get out there and prepare some beds for them - might quieten them down a bit.

K+2

No news.

Jussi is getting used to Bonnie's snoring and reckons she's getting good nights sleep in the stables - but I still hold out hope that it's not to become a permanent move.

Yesterday was a beautiful day and I was out taking part in democracy. Highland Council Planning Committee came to the village to consider a planning application for a 'wind farm' (two turbines, total capacity 5MW).

The proposal is to put the turbines on a part of the common grazing. We are trying to secure our share of this common grazing - (we've still not got it!). If we get the share, we'll get a share of the rent to be paid by the wind farm developers. So I'm even more biased than I usually am.

The day started with a convoy of cars traipsing about and stopping to look at the views. The Council members had photo-montages showing the impact the turbines will have on the views and at each stop there was great discussion about how poor the montages were. It was a beautiful day as I say, which was beautiful but slightly disappointing for those of us in favour of the proposal. I mean on a clear day there will be quite an impact. But there are very few clear days hereabouts.

Then we went to the meeting proper, which was in the village hall. The Councillors sat at tables laid out in horse-shoe fashion, everyone was microphoned up and it was all rather cure really. Pompous Councillors do exist - but these guys, on public display, tried very hard to ask intelligent questions and to look like they cared a great deal about the decision they had the duty to make. Aw sweeeeet!

The meeting (which was constantly interrupted by the Council solicitor warning Councillors about procedure and what they were and were not allowed to ask/say) commenced with a detailed description of the proposal from the planning officer, followed by questions from the Councillors. There were then presentations from the proposers and supporters (the grazing committee) followed by questions from Councillors. Then the objectors had their say.

Like I say I'm a tad biased. But the objectors were intensely irritating and stupid. One of the main points was that it was silly to generate electricity in the north of Scotland and export it all the way down Birmingham, which, according to them is where the power would be consumed. Thus displaying a stunning lack of understanding of how the grid operates.

Another objector, from the community council, raised all sorts of issues about access to the land for peat cutting - an extra-ordinary intervention given that the only folk with peat rights are the crofters all of whom are in support of the proposal.

Of the four objectors given the floor, only one knew what he was doing, carefully dissecting the planning officers report and highlighting flaws in the application.

These presentations had been arranged in advance - and were selected from folk who had made representations when the planning application was open to comment over a year ago. Democracy being what it is, the public were not allowed to participate in the meeting.

A statutory consultee - SNH - had objected (on grounds of visual impact), but hadn't sent a representative to explain their objection - something the Councillors were very unhappy about. I'm proud to declare myself an environmentalist - but not of the ilk of SNH. Those who wish to protect the fluffy without regard to those who work the land, have done for centuries, and whose forefathers created the very environment SNH-ers work so hard to conserve (like jam) deserve derision. They also give precious little regard to the overriding threat of climate change. I'll save this diatribe for another time.

Anyway - the most fascinating aspect of the proceedings was the rift in the village - between the crofters - represented by the grazing committee, and the incomers - represented by the community council. The incoming busy-body who views their surroundings smeared in jam (there is a good metaphor in there somewhere, but I'll leave you to put in the effort to make it work), deserves much derision. Another diatribe for another time.

The proposal was passed and now goes for review by the Scottish Government.

K+1

No news

K-Day

Today is the day the goats are due to start kidding. Everyone is very excited. Jussi 'slept' in the stables last night - though not terribly well on account of Bonnie, who snores. But for the next couple of weeks Jussi will be encamped.

If all the goats kid on time - which of course they wont - there's a couple to kid in the first half of this week, then more then some. The stable extension isn't complete, but Jussi reckons she worked out how to do without. The next big decision is when to start bottle feeding.

Bottle feeding massively increases workload. Instead of just leaving nature to do its stuff, you have to separate mother and kid, milk the mother twice a day and bottle feed the kids at least 4 times a day. So instead of spending all day leaning on the fence going "Aw" there's 14 milkings and approximately 40 feedings to take care of.

Experienced goatherders are telling us to start bottle feeding asap, many even suggest starting immediately to ensure that you know all the kids get a good dose of colostrum. The advantage being that the kids will grow into much friendlier (and more manageable) goats. The disadvantages are, I trust, obvious!

Comic relief

There was some bizarre red thing at the school this morning - dutifully attended by Jussi and I. We stuffed ourselves on home baking and so before a consequently late lunch I had chance to plant the Jerusalem Artichokes Lulu had given me. Friday 13th seems like an auspicious day for planting so after lunch and a cuppa watching the Cheltenham Gold Cup, I put a few broad beans and cos lettuce into the cold frame (which I built - the lid almost fits).

Of course I'm supposed to be writing a business plan - but planting and digging is more fun. I made a completely new bed for the artichokes - they have a belligerent reputation. Last year we brought up some from Dunbar - originally a gift from Laura - but they disappeared without trace. Fingers crossed for these ones.

It's a big time of year. It's roughly a year since I left Changeworks, it's almost the anniversary of us moving up here, ditto me starting to blog, it's Jussi's birthday soon and them there goats are due to start kidding any day now. Jussi is plotting how she'll sleep in the stable - there's a good chance she'll be sleeping there on her birthday night! Oh and Hull City will be thrashing Arsenal in the FA cup soon. Maybe.

Scottish environmental and attitudes survey 2008

Just published - hot off the presses - go read it here.

Depressing headline: - when asked what the single most important issue facing us today - 4% named the environment or climate change. Pathetic!

It suggests two things to me. Most obviously people are hugely influenced by a what is on the media - the survey was taken when the press was dominated by the credit crunch. This isn't the full story but for reasons of brevity that's all I'll say for now.

Secondly - there is a grave deficit in leadership. Our leaders are not doing much to combat climate change and this is inevitably translated into people not thinking it's all that important.

A dilemma and the beginning of a solution. The dilemma is that there is a mounting body of evidence to suggest that we mustn't focus on how grim the situation is - in the face of such cataclysmic projections people tend to give up - climate change is so mammoth people feel disempowered and don't believe they can do anything. But if only 4% recognise climate change as THE issue facing us today, what can we do? Maybe the shock horror tactics employed by the green movement in the past is needed to wake people up - and then we harness the positive aspects of change once people are listening.

The beginning of a solution? Politicians have often told me that they will do more about climate change when people clamour for more action. Afterall it's a democracy. Putting aside the woeful understanding of leadership exhibited I wonder what people politicians listen to. Maybe a loud voice in their ears is their constituency party activists. I spent a substantial amount of time in the 1990's telling Women's Rural Institutes, church groups and the like about climate change - maybe organisations like Energy Saving Scotland Advice Centres should direct more attention to constituency parties.

Horror headline. The survey was able classify respondents according to how they viewed the environment and (somewhat unhelpfully I think) classified the environmentally aware as 'deep greens'. Deep greens tend to be educated and wealthy. They have the financial power to make environmentally friendly choices and the wherewithall to understand their impact.

But check this: deep greens are the most likely to have flown for leisure purposes in the last year - because they can afford it. For Fakks Sake!

A solution to this? It must involve hitting people, very hard, in their (trouser!) pockets. And the fairest way is to have a financial system based on Carbon - with personal carbon allowances so the poorest can get what they need to live - and the rich, if they must, can pay through their noses for carbon profligate activities.

And our current financial mess is an excellent opportunity to move the system onto this basis. The 'gold standard' was introduced after the crash in the 1930's, now we can introduce the carbon standard.

Of course it wont happen - greenies, lead by the still shimmering Mr Obama, have been diverted down the 'green new deal' route, to my mind completely missing the scale of response needed. And anyway our leaders are headless chickens in the face of real crisis.

As I say in comment on the other grim environmental news story this week, It's a fact, we're fakked. Or so says my heart. My head insists we can do it, we can overcome this crisis - but only in moments of delirious optimism. Truth is the hour glass is running very very low.

Free tea service

So today we receive two gifts. One gift actually cost £350 - the cost of getting the van through its MOT. The man giving it to me handed over with the words "Now you can go home make yourself a cup of tea and reflect on how evil cars are" - quite profound for a garage mechanic.

The other- WOW. A goat tea pot. Delightful don't you think? Thank you Mona!

Warming cuppas are the order of the day - having decided to attack my head with Number One clippers - I'm feeling distinctly cold and wander about in a bobble hat (so last year...or maybe five years ago).

No apology!

In 2007 the IPCC came out with predictions that got splashed across the media the world over. For the first time this body of hundreds of climate scientists agreed that climate change was happening, and it was happening as a result of human activity.

That the IPCC must have unanimous agreement before issuing its declarations is one of its great strengths. Fundamentally however, it is also its greatest weakness. The predictions that IPCC offer are wildly conservative: many would say dangerously and irresponsibly conservative.

This week in Copenhagen it was announced that rather than a sea level rise of about 40cm by the end of the century we are now looking at a rise of up to 120cm. Most of the evidence to support this prediction had already been collected in 2007 - but the scientific process is slow and it's taken two years for all the checks and balances in the process to be completed before this study could be released. If a panel of the general public had been asked to assess this data about melting ice sheets in 2007 - they would have agreed that they are melting faster than the IPCC accepted.

Similarly, we knew in 2007 that the oceans were acidifying at a frightening rate, but this research has only just been released in Copenhagen. This doesn't threaten sea level rise - just a complete collapse of the marine eco-system.

And in 2007 we also knew that the melting of the permafrost in the tundra was releasing millions of tonnes of methane - threatening a cataclysmic accelaration of climate warming. The scientific process has yet to unleash the impacts of this one on us.

On a happier note it is now thought that the Greenland ice sheet is more stable than we thought - so the 6 metre sea level rise is much less likely than some were saying in 2007. And this highlights the strength of the IPCC approach - nothing is announced until the evidence is unequivocal (or as near as dammit).

Less than two years before the 2007 IPCC reports, hurricane Katrina wreaked its havoc on New Orleans. One of the lasting effects of Katrina was the displacement of some 300,000 people. A massive human tragedy. But the revised projections for sea level rise are somewhat more devastating. A one metre sea level rise will displace not 300,000 people, or 3,000,000, or 30,000,000 or 300,000,000 but some 600,000,000. Roughly a tenth of the total human population on the planet.

Katrina had it's Gretna controversy. How will the world respond to 600 million displaced souls?

Is this boring you. Really? - How much more important does an issue need to be? When will you engage with it and try to do something?

But what to do eh? That's a huge and very difficult question.

My advice - do what you can - and feel good for doing it, and then next time to a bit more. But maybe also we need to accept that this thing is going to far too fast - and our politicians aren't up to the task of stopping it. So get prepared for the worst and start building resilience - Transition towns are a good start. Above all though, make sure you enjoy doing it. Transition Towns are as much about the joy of community as anything else - and leaving the car at home is about feeling alive to the air on your face, the oxygen coursing your veins and the wierdo on the bus!

Slow blogging

I'm neglecting blogging a bit. Truth is there's so much to do just now. And the kids aint even here yet.

OMMAGAWD.

Legacy

Thank you Sarah and Chris!

I was a bit kenacked having charged over to the west coast and then hurtled back. But it was great to have visitors - and they brought real crunchy fresh veg and real crunchy fresh carrots and real crunchy fresh gossip and real crunchy fresh joy.

...And I'm sorry I didn't put coriander in the curry - I thought it was parsley.

That trip West - in full

There seems to be something wrong with the clock on the ipod. And I can't get a two page print out to show. Not that you're really interested anyway.

Whither the weather?

On Wednesday morning I complained about sleet, yesterday morning about driving blizzards.

Yesterday afternoon was bright and sunny. Brill. In the morning I was nicely cooled in the blizzrd doing the mucking out and in the afternoon nicely warmed in the sunshine mixing concrete. Cement mixers rock!

This morning it is absolutely glorious again. Uplifting.

But the forecast for my travels - which entail criss-crossing the Highlands - is of frozen roads and driving rains and snowy hills. But I don't care. This is the first time I've left Sutherland (apart from trips to Thurso and Wick) for months. It's exciting!

Phlegm

....and next we have an email from a regular reader in East Lothian noting some of the less palatable aspects of British cuisine. As he points out - Honey Roast Ham - Yum. But Spit Roasted Chicken?

Visits

I'm off to Ullapool tomorrow, staying with Lulu and Christian Friday night and then viewing a wind turbine installation on Saturday. I'll get back in time to share on evening with Chris and Sarah who are visiting from Dunbar.

All this depends on the weather calming down a bit.

I'm aware that this piccy is so like numerous other piccies - but I'm too scared to do more than poke my nose outta the front door. Believe me, it's worse than this picture makes it look.

School run

One of the great things about this croft is that Ailsa can walk to school - it's very rare to find a croft within walking distance of a school. But her walk takes her over a very exposed hill, and if the wind is in the West, or North, or East, South or any point in between, the walk can be very unpleasant and what with the driving sleet yesterday and today's driving snow we've given her a lift to school two days running. But we've driven her to school on less than a handful of occasions so I guess we're either very lucky with the weather or meany parents.

While I've been whinging about vans and weather and concreting and the weather and the weather Jussi has been quietly getting on with mucking out the stables. Today it's my turn to do this heavy and smelly work. It's OK - I quite enjoy it really - but I fear today the goats will be in the way - cos there's no way they'll go out in the snow. I've just got to be careful not to prematurely skewer a hapless goat.

Taking stock (improved version)

How to amuse yourself in grim weather? Hey let's count how much beer I have! (Please click in the image).

The striking thing about this, to me anyway, is the fact that in January and February this year I've brewed 80 litres of beer (that's about 140 pints), and of that there only remains 38 litres. So somehow we've got through over 70 pints. Given that beer is (generally) only drunk when: a) there's footba on tha telly, or b) we've got visitors, the conclusion we must reach is what fine and hospitable hosts we are.

Gityerassesupere.

No such thing as bad weather...

I confess to having an extremely irritating habit of reciting:

"There's no such thing as bad weather, only bad clothing." I promise you - it irritates no one as much as me, although it can make you feel a little bit better when faced with the prospect of venturing outside.

But - whoever thought it was a good idea to mix snow with rain and then hurl it across the landscape at great speed - whoever that was, well - they were...erm...rotters!

And so today I shall hide.

Hey Presto!

The bag splits and sand and gravel splurges all over the place. In the way and not where I wanted it. So I've just shoveled the stuff into a tidy pile. Warming work and worthy of another cuppa - hence sitting here instead of working.

Leak? Water pump? Blown gasket?

Or negligence? It's looking like the latter. Tut tut - that's plain nude swimming with jelly fish that is.

Visitors

We're expecting visitors at the weekend - but we're not sure when........

Meanwhile I've had an email from someone asking for an invite. For Gawds sake! We don't invite people - we just expect you to arrive (advance notice helps of course).

Gityerassesupere.

Winter returns

Today we awoke to a winter wonderland - and it is decidedly colder. This is bad news for me - wanting to do more concreting and trying to keep the beer warm. I'm not too worried about the beer - it's due to be bottled anyway.

Yesterday was a deluxe white van man day. After driving to Wick to get the 5p per litre off diesel (and double club card points - oooh!) I drove to Thurso to pick up a load of animal feed, cement, sand and a tonne of sand and gravel mix. Eeeeeh manly or what.

But the geezer with the fork lift didn't put the bag in far enough - and it was a bit of a struggle keeping the back doors closed. In fact at one point I had to stop and scoop as much of the sand and gravel towards the front of the van cos the back doors were straining.

And...

I'd put the cement and the sand and gravel all around the back door - the side door being clogged up with animal feed - and this meant that a substantial amount of weight was behind the back axle - which made driving usually ..erm..fun - as the back was lifting the front wheels off the road. So I had to stop to redistribute the weight.

And...

The engine started over-heating. This was coupled with the failure of the cab heating. So we've run out of water somehow - leak? busted water pump? blown gasket? Bollux. I'll have a look at it this morning. The van is booked in for MOT next week so it'll be sorted soon enough - but it's more evidence of nude swimming.

So the main jobs today: bottle the beer (Muntons best bitter), investigate the van, empty the van, and stick metal rods through the floor of the lean to - to anchor the walls and floor.

Emptying the van is fun. The tonne bag will be tied to a tree, and then the van drives off. Hey presto!

Sunrise 07:11, sunset 17:48

Yesterday felt decidedly springy. Warm sun, squally showers (like April) and we even saw and heard a cuckoo (not cuckoo but strangled croak). Distinctly colder today though.

We had a couple of goat people visit us last week - and they advised us to feed a couple of them up a bit - so increased rations as they work their way through the final semester. The goats are in good condition but a couple are looking thin - and very pregnant. First kidding is due March 16th - like two weeks time. Eeek. Our visitors were amused by the fact that we're starting with 7 goats to kid - they thought it was rather a lot for a first attempt..... It is going to be mayhem. Oh man this is getting scary.

Meanwhile Jussi has come up with this contraption to cut down on the morning task of collection recycling from the garden.

Last night we watched Monty Hall's Great Escape - a BBC prog about a guy coming to live the life idyllic in the Highlands - UK readers have a week to catch it on iPlayer. We laughed and shouted all the way through it. Complete nonsense.

They came from outer space

My photo managing software has an automatic red eye removal facility. It doesn't work with goats because unlike humans, goats don't have blood behind their retinas - they have a colloidal complex of mercury and kryptonite, which is why they shrink in the cold.

New duties

OK - so this is mildly amusing. But now the Council have given us a mammoth wheely bin. Bright blue. In it we slavishly put all waste paper (except stuff for lighting the fire), plastic bottles (except those suitable for bottling beer), cans and cardboard (except when we need some mulching).

But it's windy here. Said recycling is generally broadcast over the garden every morning - and collecting it all is getting to be a real pain.

And here are a couple more piccies from Lulu - The Pie. Made from the left over stew we'd had the night before. It was, erm... filling.

Sky larks!

Yay!  The sky larks are here - tweetering away madly - such a lovely sound such a fantastic herald - spring approaches!

Meanwhile googlemail is down.  This appears to be a world-wide event and illustrates the dangers of cloud systems.  Here's hoping they get back soon, that they haven't lost anything in the process - and that all those millions out there who depend on gmail to run their businesses are managing to stay calm this Monday morning.

So while I'm waiting for gmail here are some more piccies from Lulu.

Kite buggy anyone?

We live 'ere.  The cottage at the top, although from here we are completely unaware of the houses below us - except that one of them keeps cockerels and another seems to host alcoholic parties.

Wipers update

Thanks for the comment and emails on the topic of the wipers on the Skoda Fabia.  I've learnt several things:

• Not all Skoda Fabias have the same wiring diagrams.
• Some wiring diagrams and advice is very confusing.
• Our fuses all appear to be fine.
• This means something more serious.
• This means expense.
• Tears and tantrums.  
• It's only when the tide goes out that you discover who's swimming naked.

Daunting task

Sifting through 600 piccies to find the ones to go on the blog is a wee bitty mammoth.  But here are a few to get started.  Cos every journey starts with a step innit.

Christian brought all kinds of techy manly stuff to help us progress the lean-to - you know things like

 ladders and string, and levels and big eff off drills.  Not only does he own such things but he knows how to use them.  It's was a joy to see a craftsman at work. 

 

Lulu took lots of piccies of goats.  

There's one in this lot that 

shows effect of the nasty law requiring goats ears to be tagged.  They invariably rip them out which can't be nice for the goat and makes a mess of their ears.  

Show-goaters are very upset, but for us it's just a bit of a shame.

The goats love pine - and L & C brought tons of the stuff.

Despite spending most of the winter indoors the goats look to be in pretty good condition - no doubt all that turpentine doing the trick.  

Some are also beginning to look very pregnant.  Jussi's morning routine is now to put them on the milking stand and to rub the inside of their legs and udders as they're feeding.  It is hoped this will make them easier to milk when the time comes.  And they're kicking - the kids inside the tummies that is.  Exciting!

But getting ready for the kidding seems to be making us all very busy - at a time when there's lots else going on too.  I can't claim to be rushed off me feet like - but there's definitely plenty to do and the guy who promised the loan of a cement mixer is starting to make excuses noises.

Burst pipe hits Golspie

I think the local rag needs new sub-editors.  This is a fair example really, usually they just write a sentence like "Security fence would make Embo look like a no go area".  The story of Golspie being assailed by flying bits of pipe was on page five - front page reserved for "Yvonne is bodice maker to the clans" (with photograph of very proud looking Yvonne). 

Photographic Record

Lulu and Christian have been and gone.  They were here for a little under 40 hours.  In that time Lulu took over 600 photographs - one every 4 minutes.  On a par with the amount of beer we drank.

Phew!  

Good to have visitors - more due in a couple of weeks so the brewery will be working overtime for a while.

Piccies to be exhibited in the days to come (not all of them obviously).

Well being

When I was at Changeworks I was gently trying to nudge the organisation to be concerned with the wider well being debate as the real solution to the environmental and poverty driven mission of the organisation.  As far as I'm aware the new economics foundation are leading thinkers in this arena and they've just launched a new website here and new report here.

It's great stuff and for me, one of the great exhibitors of the potential of thinking like this is the transition town movement.  If there's one near you get involved! 

Messages

Yesterdays shopping trip passed without incident.  Well except for the fact that the windscreen wipers on the car have taken unauthorised leave of absence.  I mean like they've packed in.  For those of you unfamiliar with the climate up here, it..erm...rains...erm...alot.  So the car is grounded.

Skoda Fabia owners might like to consider where the fuses are.  We don't have a handbook and finding the fuse box approached the realms of impossibility.  I stopped at our friendly (well he earns a lot from us) mechanic in Shebster and it took him quite a while to find them.  Anyway - all the fuses appear to be OK, but of course there are a lot of fuses - and we only think we checked all of them yesterday.   

If you own a Skoda Fabia owners manual I'd be really grateful if you could point me to which fuse drives the wipers? Pretty please.  And while you've got the book open what's that funny lever in the funny little compartment by the driver's right knee labelled 'ON' and what's the funny switch in the glove compartment that appears to have a frost symbol on it?

Anyway Tesco's had big lumps of beef brisket reduced to clear so I bought them and sliced em up for a big stew tonight.  The remainder of this stew will be made into a hot water crust pastry pie tomorrow night.  The remainder of this will be curried.  The remainder of this will be made into an omelet.  That is to say I bought quite a lot of meat.

And if donuts cost 65p for 5 and £1 for 10 - do I save 35p by buying 5 or 30p buying 10?

And when I got home there was a tome from Highland Council building control asking for clarification over forty points with respect to our planned house improvements.  There's something biblical about this eh?  I don't just mean the size of the letter, but forty. 

We want to put a new stair in the house - because the existing one is narrow, steep and rises under the eaves in such a way that lanky sods like me have to put heads between knees to move around at the top of the stairs (OK I exaggerate a bit).  So you think Highland Council would be pleased - but no - they want to ensure that there's enough width and clearance around the stairs to install a chair lift at a later date.  Generally I'm in favour of systems like building controls but surely this is extreme meddling?  For us it risks substantial rethink of the stair space and jeopardises hope of getting a bloody move on on this bloody thing.  Bloody nanny state.

Meanwhile Malcolm has sent a message celebrating the promise of Spring in Dunbar - and, he adds, we should only have a few more months to wait.  Cheers man!

Sunrise 7:40, Sunset 17:22

Me mix concrete for two days.  Me no mix concrete today.  Me sit in car.  Me shop for meat.  Me cook for hungry visitors soon.

Yumm.

Supermarket Representative (2)

Still no offer of employment.  But actually they were £3:99.

Supermarket Representative

I'm not a supermarket representative.  

Yesterday Lidl were selling fruit trees at £4.99 each.  Given you should normally expect to pay around £15 - this is cheap.  So along with our two warming pots of Nutella we took a plum tree - just to see.

I'll be amazed if proper trees from a proper nursery flourish up here - but this tree doesn't stand a ha'pe'th of a chance does it?  Still off to plant it now as a warm up to mixing concrete.

Existentialist buildings

This contains the following sentence:

"In existentialism, the individual's starting point is characterised by what has been called "the existential attitude", or a sense of disorientation and confusion in the face of an apparently meaningless or absurd world." 

It may be stretching things a bit - but the sentiments expressed in this quote do go someway towards summarising our bewilderment in the face of trying to build a lean-to for the goats.  Nothing is ever as simple as the often complicated 'how to' articles articulate.

It was thus that after a not inconsiderable number of minutes debate on how to forward this project, some days ago, we decided "Oh buggerit, lets just fill these holes with concrete".

Regular readers will know that we checked the weather forecast to be sure that if the conditions were not ideal for the laying of concrete, they would at least be acceptable.  The coldest snap for twenty years then ensued - not good for new concrete.

There was then, yesterday, the first of what I suspect will be many 'moments of truths'.  The unveiling of the concrete.  Amazingly, it has set hard as rock.  The Gods are with us.

We then hastily progressed towards our next moment of truth.  Have the holes been sunk and filled in the right place?  Many of you will suspect that there is something amiss about the order of events here, but suffice to say the order is a result of the disorder of the inconsiderable number of minutes debate on how to proceed.  It is a fact that Jussi and I find it easier to identify faults in the others' plans than to see the merits, which results in a sort of lowest-common-denominator-progress , in this case "fill holes with concrete".

But so far it looks as though the absurdist gods are benign, with a twitch of tweeking.  (Absurdism may be atheistic - but I can't be bothered to find out and, anyway, I don't really care.  This isn't a philosophy class).

We are now building a corner form into which the concrete will be poured, for the lowest corner.  The main aim of this is to conserve concrete, because moment of truth three revealed that the foundation trenches have been dug in slightly the wrong place (a consequence of the twitch of tweeking), and have now had to be widened.

The building of this form is inhibited by extreme meanness. Early settlers in the Americas built excellent homes from the plentiful supply of good timber they found around them.  But if they bent a nail they would painstakingly extract it, straighten it, and try again.  Thus do we hunt down not just redundant nails from building projects past, but scrag ends of wood (and string and bags and and and) also.

Nutella is on special offer at Lidl at the moment.  Ailsa is loving it.

There endeth the philosophy lesson.

Visitors

They came; they laughed and played; they went.

Some families don't want an internet presence because of all you weirdos out there.  But here is an edited photographic record of the good times we had.  

It's stopped snowing now but the heavy frosts continue.  Today I might peak a look at our lean-to foundations and think about building the forms for the wall trenches.  But somehow I doubt I'll get further than think.