Ken’s amazing enthusiasm to rescue the project must have triggered some sort of chain reaction in the Forest. And this spring he brought a gift.
Amidst yet another depressing downpour the smiley face of Jim appeared. Now if you meet Jim you might have a little trouble understanding him – a broad accented Forrester if ever there was one.
But between him and Kev the plumber and the ever resourceful Ken along with a handful of various other labourers and plasters, the course of the pebbles gradually began to change. With every week that passed they become more complete and with every week that passed they became more hobbity.
The straw was removed and replaced with block walls, the earthbags were renewed or repaired and the whole set was poured with concrete and then sprayed with render.
Inside, the walls were covered in cob, fires installed, loos added and finally all the earth was put back into shape.
In February I had worked out that it would take between 4 and 6 weeks to complete – ha!! it wasn’t the case because the buildings really did develop a mind of their own and a timetable to suit. So the great ship Hobbit went ploughing through deadline after deadline like a whale in a fish trap!
But despite the continued postponements they were on an inexorable course to completion and by the end of June that was just around the corner.