(*cough*)

Yes, I have a cold. So instead of spending the last two days getting stuff done, I’ve spent it in bed, feeling feverish and dizzy. Still, it’s not all bad news, Elmo’s hooked up the broadband, so we’ve now got proper wifi in the cabin, and the stove is working exactly as advertised to keep the cabin a very toast 26 degrees (though I swear the thermometer must be wrong, because normally 26 degrees is too warm for me.)

This morning I met with Alice, a lady who builds buildings out of wood and has just completed an oak frame building at an eco-project in Wales (www.felinuchaf.org). She seems a lovely person and has done a lot of really interesting things with wood, from furniture to barns, so I’m really looking forward to getting to know her better. I’m in the process of arranging to visit the barn she’s just finished erecting, and possibly to spend some time volunteering at the centre where she works.

In other news, I finally got round to painting the walls, well, some of them, and gosh what a lovely difference it made. Not only does it look tons brighter and cleaner, but it’s really bound the clay together and it falls apart a lot less than it did, which is very welcome indeed, I was really tired of sweeping endless piles of sand off the floor.

Pictures to follow when I get to it…