life, by me

Sunday, November 20, 2011 | Posted by Hazel

So, it's been over a month since I last wrote a blog. Things have been upping the ante up here in Yorkshire. The barns have roofs on, the yurt bases are forming, and the shack team have just arrived back to continue building the rest of the shacks.

My part time jobs have evolved again slightly...I still work at the White Swan, but just a couple of evenings a week, and 2 days a week I do cleaning for some people in nearby villages, certainly adds a bit of variety to my week anyway...

You know you're rural when this is what you are greeted with on the road...

I've had a few visitors, my sisters, Anna, Meryll and Leah came to visit for a weekend in half term...

And a few friends from Lincoln, Christine, Joy, Paul, Fin and Ruth have also been to stay at the farm.

The fog has set in. Today you can barely see a few feet in front of you, very atmospheric, but I prefer being sat inside when it is like this!

We had our first potential wedding couple look round the site last week. It's hard to say whether they will book, they at least had imagination to look beyond the mud swamp across the current landscape. It was definitely good practice for myself and Beth and quite reassuring to see all our plans and ideas actually make sense (or seemed to) to people who are looking at our venue as a place to have their wedding!

On Bonfire night we piled up all our building scraps and a few donations from some locals, and had a big fire with some of the builders working on the project and local people which was fun, I love fire.

This week we also ordered wood burners for the shacks and yurts, so our guests can stay warm when it's cold outside. A shipping container arrived on Friday for us to store stuff in, we didn't quite get it in the designated place due to the large amount of mud that had been churned up by the tractors on site, that's tomorrow's job...attempting to shift a 4 tonne steel container with a telehandler and a tractor. Fun times.

P.S. In case you have forgotten, it's my birthday in a months time.

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Tuesday, October 11, 2011 | Posted by Hazel

So it's been a few weeks since I last wrote a post.  It has been pretty busy.

Firstly I now have another job, the cafe is a little 'too' casual for me, so I am now working in The White Swan, a hotel in a village a few miles down the road.  I am on front of house, which is scary as it involves serving food and I have to fight with my clumsy tendencies.  I am definitely strengthening my wrist muscles!  At the moment I am working in The White Swan 2 days a week, and at The Bivouac for the other 3.

I have had a few visitors.  Alex came to visit a few weeks ago and helped me look after Martha and Elsie when Sam and Beth went away for the weekend.  We entertained them by taking them to the sheep fair (great idea until they both decided they were scared of the sheep!) and had a trip to the park.  I think me and Alex were as worn out as they were.

The Dowells and Ruffwells came for a quick trip up the A1 and got to see some dancing sheep in Masham.

Last weekend my parents came to see where I am now living and experience a bit of Yorkshire as apparently they haven't ever been before.  We went to Harrogate and Fountains Abbey which was nice.  Here they are, nice to see dad dressed up for the occasion...

I have picked my annual batch of sloes, and the sloe gin is brewing.  I need to find out what other things I can brew now I am living in the country.  I'm considering making cider if that's not too tricky!

Even though I am now living way up North, we have still been able to appreciate a bit of good weather over the last couple of weeks, however it is now well and truly Autumn/Winter, with the dark nights closing in.

Last week we chose our yurt supplier and they drove up from Devon with a sample one so we can see what they are going to look like, here's a sneak preview of the inside of it.... we should be getting al ours early 2012, very exciting!

My role has evolved in to helping with wedding and event planning at the moment, and a bit of other stuff around the site that needs doing!  This weekend Becky is moving in to live with us too and help on the project.  The next couple of weeks should see the return of the shack team of builders, who will be coming to start building the next 5 shacks over the winter!

By the way, I also write some blogs on the Bivouac website, about what is going on here and slightly more work related, check it out at: www.thebivouac.co.uk/our_diaries/

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Sunday, September 18, 2011 | Posted by Hazel

So, it's been 2 weeks now, and I think I've settled in to rural life pretty well.  I've started getting in to the Bivouac life, living in community, making friends with my small housemates and meeting the locals.

The girls and I are still on formal terms, but I'm getting used to it, even the builders have taken to calling me Hazel Swan.

The cats have taken to me too...apparently them bringing me dead animals mean they like me (FYI, it's not a bow around her neck, look more closely...)

I started a bit of casual work at a local cafe this week in Masham, got £7.50 tips on my first shift, result.  I managed to remember how to use the coffee machine and didn't spill anything hot on anyone.

Last weekend I did a bit of exploring around the land, picked some blackberries and made a gross crumble, well, very sweet, I blame the scales as I think I put around 3 times the amount of sugar I should have done in to it.  Whoops.  Picked some sloes this afternoon, it's sloe gin time again!

Have you heard of geocaching?  It's an outdoor treasure hunting game using your GPS.  We've discovered there are a couple of these geocaching spots in the woods.  Sounds a bit geeky, so i'd probably love it, if you fancy helping me find one when you visit, let me know and we'll do it, oh the fun we could have.

The shack team of builders have been cracking right on with the shacks and have all left this weekend.  Since I have been here, Sally, Rudi and Asha (their 9 month baby) have been living in the house with us, and John and Chris have been living in a caravan outside.  They have now completed the shell of the first shack and have all gone back to Sussex to cut some more wood up ready for the next 2 shacks and will be coming back up in a months time to get working on the next couple.

Some of my jobs so far have entailed researching yurts, working on our wedding packages and sourcing some bits for the barns.

This week I discovered it gets really rather windy up here.  Apparently we are about 800ft above sea level which I guess might have something to do with it, and its the opposite of flat Lincolnshire.  At the beginning of the week I watched the trampoline fly across the garden and the other day I was impressed with the strength of the pegs when I discovered I hadn't lost any of my washing.

I've just spent the weekend in Lincoln finishing off my last piece of work for the Volunteer Centre, and now I am ready to get properly immersed in The Bivouac and start making provisions for the winter, getting ready for the snowed in days, might need to pack a shovel in the back of the car.  

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Sunday, September 04, 2011 | Posted by Hazel

Well, it's been almost exactly a year since I arrived back on British soil after my travels and adventures of 2010, and my life is upping the ante again, so I've decided to restart writing my blog.  In the last 12 months I have been living in Lincoln, and working at the Volunteer Centre (as I had done prior to world adventures).  After having done this for 6 years, I decided it was time for a change and am just about to embark upon a new adventure...

24 hours ago I moved to North Yorkshire, the most rural place I have ever lived.  I have come here to work with some friends to set up a campsite, it's more than a campsite, but that is where it begins.  

So, I have quit my job, rented out my house, left the place I know and have lived for the last 10 years (Lincoln) and moved to the middle of nowhere.  I'm not sure it's quite sunk in yet that I 'live' here, it kind of feels temporary still, but I'm sure it won't take long until this is where I call home.  This is my new house...

Since arriving last night I have already eaten Austrian dumplings with roadkill grouse in, which was a first for me, and home grown pig.  My car had a bit of off roading today and everyone apart from me drives a 4x4.  I feel like I have arrived in the country.

'The Bivouac' is my new home, and place of work - www.thebivouac.co.uk.  My role here is evolving, let's call it 'organic'...as time goes on and I get stuck in I will find out exactly what my responsibilities are, but at the moment they look like they include things such as interior design, community projects, wedding and events promotion and planning and various other bits to help get stuff ready and set to open in April 2012...looking forward to getting stuck in.

I did a bit of exploration of my surroundings today, this mushroom was situated by the reservoir which you can see from The Bivouac land, the trees in the distance are the druids temple (I think), or there abouts.

I'm living with Sam, Beth, Martha and Elsie Hardwick, in their loft.  Here's a couple of my new housemates...who insist on calling me by my full name, I'm hoping we can work on being less formal over time... 

And finally, my view from 'the office' (well, kind of).  

Not bad on a sunny day...looking forward to discovering what rural life entails and experiencing new things.  Tomorrow I start the new job!

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