KW-15 24 Hour Party People

If the Pirate can't go to the dance, the dance has to come to the Pirate

It has been a week of unusually high activity at the barracks.

We had about 80 people here. Every single one of them was awesome. No-one went wandering, no-one left any mess and nothing got broken. Down by the pigs, you could hardly hear the music, so they slept best of all that night. And in the morning, about 10:30am, most had found their way home. A few cars still standing, and the sun burning off the early morning fog made for quite a memory.

A careful reading of last week’s newsletter reveals that I teased the turf-digging exercise as the prelude to two other projects. This is not strictly true, but we do try to be as circularly interrelated as possible around here, and everything that we do should support everything else that we do.

The turf diggers were helping out in return for the use of the barracks for a bit of a party they wanted to have.

A delegation of them first reached out to me before the Time of the Covids (TotC), and they seemed like Good People, so I said yes. Then the unfortunate events happened, and it all slowed down for a couple of years.

And then we did it.

from Illusions II, The Adventures of a Reluctant Student by Richard Bach, Author of Johnathan Livingston Seagull. And Illusions.

They spent most of the week setting up, and on Saturday night, they raved.

Hopefully, we will have photos to share for the Barracks in Pictures newsletter (don’t forget to sign up!), and if not this week, then next.

Ravers like a bit of colour

In return for the use of the barracks, they helped out with a different project, the first step of which is cutting turves; and so the first few rooms of the basement of the Big House now have been cleared out and prettied and partied in. I’m not sure that any of the fixtures are permanent - one night of sweaty dancing was about all they could take - but we had two dance floors, two bars, a tattoo studio, and a chill out room.

They also left some bread behind. I’m not sure where that came from, but I know where it went. I fed it to the pigs this morning!

I’ve been wanting to do something “for the kids” around here for a while. There really is no entertainment for young people. There’s not a lot for older folks either, but we are boring. I love that twith he first free-form Gaffer Tape graffito, this was the message that they wanted to write!

This week, the choppy chop, Mr Rotovator, is being temperamental. He either won’t start or he won’t keep running. Which probably means the spark plug. But it might be the air filter, fuel line or carburettor. I guess I go through them one at a time. So…

• Fix Mr Rotovator

• Plant out the broad beans. They have been doing spectacularly well in the sunken cold frame, but it’s time to go out to the field now.

• I am very tempted to sow some early seed potatoes. A full two weeks earlier than my usual earliest seed potato sowing date. I have a feeling.

• Do some work on the externals of the loft. The entrance, specifically. I have kinda broken the door (by opening it) and it kinda needs fixing. Also, paint things.

• Clear all the brickwork from the potager. Maybe lay another side.

• Finish the sunken cold frame.

That should be enough for one week.

Have a photo of Pirate Brunhilda eating bread. It tastes better when it’s been plundered from students!

And until next week, with all piratey love (also from the pigs - I asked and they said yes, send it, send it human!)

Your

Pirate Ben

xoxo

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