What a day! Barry and Leah have been helping out at Cuckoo Farm, and so I went along today to lend a hand. Unfortunately today was a messy day so there are no photos, you'll just have to use your imagination! I did get covered in lime plaster though!
Paul and Zoe have built themselves a beautiful farmhouse, using the traditional straw bale technique and today we were working on the end wall, which needed some TLC. Paul was a great teacher and very patient with my rather poor skills. First, we got a pair of gloves, (much needed ) and started by mixing up some hydraulic lime and straw for filling in bits of the wall. This appeared harder than it looked as it relied on getting the right ratio of water to lime....but I got to use the biiiig mixer! I did find that a lot of the skill was the same as baking...different ingredients, measuring, mixing, smoothing plaster on, just like making and icing a cake really! When the mixing had been done, I then was shown by Paul how to make some wooden pegs to help pin down the chicken wire over the bales. This just helps with the structure and application of the lime.
Me and shaping wood....well, if there's a Vampire attack in the future I can kind of make sharp stakes, but don't hold your breath! Paul, having made probably thousands of wooden pegs, made it look terribly easy but by the end, mine weren't too bad! Paul is a very patient teacher and gave me lots of pointers on how to hold the knife for the best effect. We discussed how his generation all had pen knives growing up and I lamented my lack of skills!
Having finished the pegs the next step was to apply a coat of lime plaster over the bales. This was one of the best bits, as the sensorial experience is very enjoyable. It called to mind an article I've recently read in the journal Resurgence, (an excellent magazine and available here). The article discusses the importance of re-engaging with raw materials, and how "the process of working with the hands allows us to tap into wisdom that transcends the constraints of time, place or language." I found it calming and satisfying to smooth on this "slop", (technical term!) and know I am helping towards a building that should hopefully be there for many years to come.
All too soon it was time for lunch, and a simple but delicious meal it was too. Many slices of toast and soup later, it was time to get back to work. This meant for me to finish the top of the wall and the corner, which was rather tricky as you have to reach up under the thatch and hold the bucket of slop and hold the ladder and keep your balance. I managed though, you'll be pleased to hear!
After that it was on to plastering. I think I've found my new vocation! Plasterer Liz...what do you think?! I seemed to get the hang of it ok using my 'towel and hawk' so Barry and I got going on the end wall, just trying to smooth over all the dips and bumps so the finished result is pleasing to the eye. This actually is annoyingly tricky due to the unlevelled surface but we didn't do a bad job and then Paul came along and smoothed it over as it was drying quickly.
All too soon it was time to finish up and have a final cup of tea and a biscuit. Ever since I'd seen the Grand Designs episode with Ben Law, I have been interested in straw bales houses. I think they are beautiful, naturally regulate the temperature so they are cool in summer and warm in winter, and there's never any stale and stuffy air. I would love to build my own house and Paul suggested Canada was the way forwards as you get A LOT more land for your money. He also showed us this book, which is BEAUTIFUL and so inspiring. I'm tempted to head over to Canada now.
I suppose I come from a 'wood' background, (my grandfather worked for the Forestry Commission for around 20 years,) and his philosophy was:
"My forestry philosophy has not altered in the 65 years that I have been in practice: it is that wood is a renewable resource, and woodlands and forests should be managed to produce the highest quality timber of which the site is capable; and that as a general rule when trees have reached their prime maturity, they should be felled to live on for many years in such form that their quality dictates; as oak beams supporting the roof of a cathedral; as fine craftsman-made furniture; as a framework for a house."(written in 1995)
Unfortunately, I am coming to my interest too late, as he died in 2001. I now deeply regret that I didn't have the chance to pick his brain in relation to so many things but I hope that now I can carry on the interest and passion on wood and general conservation.
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