The Final Straw… 🐪🌾
For this post, I feel like the pictures will do the most of the talking. Suffice to say that we love, love, love living in the straw bale house, affectionately known as ‘Little Strawbs’
Creators
Soul Searching Amongst The Stars
So far 2020 has been a real eye opener, hasn’t it? With our usual jaunt in the Pyrenees working for Collett’s Mountain Holidays cancelled due to the COVID19 crisis, we took the opportunity (as soon as lockdown would let us), to set off on some new paths high up in the French Pyrenees.
Home Sweet Home
Progress on the house was somewhat slowed over the summer by the heat of the day, which lasted literally the entire day, from 11am-8pm throughout July and August. However, steady progress was made on the interior of the straw bale house.
Packing My Bags For The Misty Mountains
Delving into the true essence of the people who are born, live and work in the mountains.
A Sealed Super Structure
With winter well and truly behind us, I find that now is the time to reflect upon some of the successes, failures and surprises which the winter and spring had in store for us and our straw bale house.
What Light Through Yonder Window Breaks?
Shakespeare knew where it was at; windows really are making all the difference to the house. It’s starting to feel like an indoor space now. Surprisingly we found the windows super easy and satisfying once we had all the right components.
The Splendour Of Render
An account of the ups and downs, ins and outs of using lime render on our straw bale house.
You Put The Lime In The Coconut…
For the past month or so our lives have been consumed with making lime putty. Processing quicklime and turning it into lime putty, ready to be mixed with sand just before it goes onto the walls of our straw bale house as render/plaster.
Trans-Siberian & Trans-Mongolian Railways
Although our round trip to South Korea and Japan was a little while ago, I’ve rounded up some of our best (and worst) memories of the trip and put them down in writing. Since returning to Europe, many friends, friends of friends and even complete strangers have asked us for help or advice in planning a trip on the most infamous of all train journeys through Russia.
Making A Crust
Since our move to France, the most commonly asked question is “How are you making money/a living/ends meet?”. For all those budding homesteaders or people wishing to live their dream but who are worried about their modus operandi abroad, I thought I would share our experiences of not only making ends meet but actually saving to build a house.
No Dig Gardening: Veggie Raised Beds – Year One
It was spring 2016, and into the vast world of growing veggies we plunged….
Dechen Chöling – Yoga & Writing
When an experience is so fundamental it is difficult to express the process, let alone the feelings in words. But that’s what I’m going to try and do. Rare time focused on cultivating consciousness, mindfulness, awareness; call it what you will, it was very precious.
Les Vignes Basses 