I had four lovely volunteers, who were keen to learn how to build with cob so they continued with the chicken house and did loads of plastering of the kitchen. The chicken house is well on it's way to being useful and the kitchen extension is now mostly plastered. I am so happy to have had this help. Now my eye is led to the roof where I need to put wood around the edges.
The gardens and landscape generally, are outstanding at the moment. Fields of blue and yellow. I visited Sophie's garden which is looking beautiful.
I also went with Sophie up to the windmill to buy flour. My old home! Always when I come here I remember the years I lived near the mill. The children were still children then. So many memories of a valley I love.
Today was a day spent home, alone. After cutting grass and gardening, I walked down to the cafe for a tea and an ice-cream. When I arrived Patricia called me into the dining area. She was making 'alconqueres', one of my favourite sweet biscuit/cake confections. She gave me a taste of the centre stuff and then I saw all the baking trays going off in a wheelbarrow to her mother's bread oven. I went and watched them finish getting the oven ready, scraping away the ashes. We stood and chatted for a while. I felt so happy to be a part of this small village.
I built a shower for me and my guests the other day. It works very well. I even put in a proper shower instead of a garden hose! Works a treat, especially when the sun shines, which it hasn't done very much this month. A cool spring. Blissful really.
