Subscribe
to Orchard Barn's mailing list and receive
all
the latest offers on courses, volunteer tips and highlights and my
BLOGS
about the project ....
AND you'll be entered for a competition
to win a one
day course at Orchard Barn.
Get lucky.
Choose from the
Natural Building Experience, A Day in the Woods, Deadwood Screens,
Wattle and Daub, Intro to using Lime, Clay Selfies, Greenwood in
Building, Off-grid Compost Toilets ...
Dressed
Sweet Chestnut shingles ready for fitting
Mindfulness
in action - building a shingle roof!
|
|
Writing on the
roof? 15th September 2018
I woke early this morning, a
familiar ache in my calf muscles reminds me of their frequent trips
up and down the ladder yesterday. There must be a new exercise class I
could invent? Ladder-cise? Roofing Mindfulness? Roof-top Yoga? I jest,
but then I remember that I used to be a Yoga teacher in my former life.
Could I combine my current pre-occupation with my former discipline?
For mid-September it’s been a
glorious day with a high of 23 degrees. I’ve been working on the north
side of the roof which means I’m facing south. In many ways I’m away
with the fairies but I’m also in good company. Through the quiet of my
own thoughts I hear a family of Long-tailed Tits squawking their way
through the orchard. They descend in a huddle on the bird feeder. The
thermals must be perfect for the local Buzzards whom I hear but can’t
see. Best they don’t spot the feeding family or the tables will be
turned. It wouldn't do for the Tits to become titbits!
There’s a gentle breeze blowing
through the tops of the Elms but not enough to stop me building my
roof.
I love my purposeful high. Hours
pass on the scaffolding tower. I use up every last shingle and scrap of
batten before conceding that I have to come down to terra firma. My
occupation is all absorbing. Apart from the birds little strays into my
mind. It is a moving meditation. Each shingle needs cutting, shaping
and fitting into its place in the great jigsaw that is the Craft Barn
roof.
Occasionally I get asked when will
it be finished? Or how long will it take to complete. The askers are
frequently relative strangers as friends and family know me better than
to ask this tricksy question. You see it’s a yogic journey of enjoyment
unlike anything else I’ve ever undertaken (that’s if you disregard the
roof of the main barn).
After five hours of practise
something in my body tells it’s time to stop. My concentration wavers
and the roof is no place for a lack of focus. Tomorrow, I tell myself.
Tomorrow, there will be more fun and mindful exercise. There are still
plenty more shingles to make and fit, and no, before you dare to ask, I
have no idea how many!!
|
|