Dear Heretics and Fruitcakes

Well I have to say it’s amazing what things spring to your mind at the funniest times of the day or night as it’s now 11.55pm.

Maccarinelli has just retained his boxing title – and you may be wondering what this has to do with straw bale houses! I can only tell you what an interesting and varied set of people you all are! Tom – make sure the belt fits properly next time – I should have asked who’s responsible for measuring their waists!!

Anyway at 257 live plods on as it does everywhere else in this world. Thank goodness we live at the top of a very steep road and my apologies to any one of you who may have been affected by the recent downpours! The most effect we have seen is when Alistair went demonstrating on Thursday and I think more clay was washed onto his clothing through his hands than actually went into the moulds. Making hand made bricks of whatever constituent is obviously a summer job – anywhere but England!

Picture by Jo Hallington
Paddy & Banderos are doing absolutely fine and the medication has now stopped – although I cannot say for sure that the reason as to why we had to have them “done” has!!. We’ve booked them in for their summer holidays to coincide with ours to Ireland at the end of August. No doubt we will yet again scour the south west area of Ireland looking for that little bit of land lying on a clay seam that coincides with our dream of being able to be there permanently – Alistair out in the field digging for the lost wealth of Ireland – and me probably in a pub somewhere bemoaning the fact that my fence has still not been erected!

The dividing fence between us and our next door neighbour has been an ongoing project since April 2007 when they decided to remove the brambles in their garden and the whole blooming lot fell down – to the left of us so our responsibility! Alistair had to the end of April to resolve this – but his excuse is I didn’t name the year!!!!! 3 weeks and counting until Ireland looms so he now has no choice – unless he wishes to look for that little bit of Ireland under the sea!!!!]

Just to let you all book it into your diaries - our 2008 project will be a straw clay house in the garden. Not on Mr Brzeski’s proportions of course you understand – we don’t live on a grand estate, however we do have a fairly large back garden and I think it may look rather stunning, and at some pint in the future when we do find our bit of Ireland (albeit in Shropshire) it may well prove to be the selling point of the house. Pig roasting will be optional having met a rather nice gentleman and his family who run pigs through the woods, but the alternative could be some rather nice chicken tikka sticks from the local deli which cook up rather well.

Poland has featured rather heavily in our family since you all returned – black pudding, polish sausage, strawberries and scrambled eggs have become a regular feature at 257 – served separately or all together on some occasions! Have any of you discovered the polish bread which tastes of liquorice? Different!

Our local corner shop has become grateful to Alistair for the request he made of getting in some “Tyski”! It is now stocked as a regular item and sells for £1 a can – and has sold out completely within a few days on more than one occasion - this to the delight of the shop keeper but the absolute dismay of Alistair. He occasionally comes home with some totally incomprehensible sounding cans of stuff which he assures me are drinkable! Could be lighter fluid for all he knows but it keeps him quiet – especially if he drinks enough!

Am glad to hear all the demonstrations have gone down really well and I have been checking on the progress through the website. Even recommended people log on to The Natural House and the responses have been what you’d expect – from the downright appalled who cannot work out where you plug in the washing machine to the more experienced who think it’s a great way to live your life especially when you’d have the land to grow whatever you wanted in your “back garden” – especially if it was south facing!!! Who says either view is correct but what an experience eh! My own view is that clay is really good for your hands and your soul – and forget the washing machine because it’ll only get clogged up with all that mud!

Regards t you all and we’ll speak again soon! Lot.