Julia and her gang came up with another treat for us at the Haven today. Once we had completed our run up the relentless slope known as the Bristol to Bath cycle path (at a good pace it has to be said and with one of us having already completed a full circuits session) we arrived to the exciting news that we would be working on the roundhouse!

For those that aren't familiar with roundhouses this was essentially a hobbit house made of cobb and timber, cool in the summer and by the look of it, very cosy in the winter. Very definitely a place in which to spend more time 'back again' than 'there'.

The possibility of rain meant our original task to make cobb had been put on hold. Instead we were to split into a couple of groups:

Roundhouse Roofers

One group worked to move earth and clay into separate piles using spades and wheelbarrows. The clay was being saved for later while the earth was to be transported onto the roof of the roundhouse. Fortunately Liam and Danica have a good head for heights so they were able to position themselves on the roof itself to help direct operations from there.

Cobb Flingers and Finishers

The remaining group worked inside the roundhouse, taking some cobb that had been prepared earlier and using it to fill in a gap around the bottom of the walls. Some preferred a more generous and accelerated application while other enjoyed carving out smooth edges and generally crafting a more precise finish.

Towards the end of our session, with the sun now fully out, Julie had the chance to help mix a new batch of cobb using a mixture of sand, clay and straw. It then only remained for Darren to shed his shoes and socks and get stuck into using his feet to knead the mixture into a smooth consistency ready for finishing off the interior.

Thanks again to Julia and the team for using us so creatively again - and warm welcomes to Chris and Anna on their first run and to Freddie on his first Saturday with us.