Finally snow starts to melt!

April 17 my son Hannes visited. He helps me to think of many things, especially some esthetic details  Here You see im walking up to the chapel together with me to discuss the different options of  planning the lantern on top of the roof.

Previously we have thought about a rather strict design of it, different variations has been in our thoughts, some of our sketches You can see here

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Now we have evan started to talk about if it would be better to have the lantern not so strict in its design since the whole building is as it is…

we even think about ideas like this now:

Everything has to take its time and  decisions has to “mature”…  at least now, finally, snow is melting and we can start to hope for a BUILDING SEASON!

Starting the building season in the midst of snow

This week we are starting  – no matter all the snow still around. Although we did not start WITH the chapel, but things that will make the process of continuing building of the chapel easier : )

Here You see the view from the clay blending station this morning:

All the bathtubs, in the summer used for soaking clay, now turned upside down… and my nice blending machine under its winter “nordic” .. still april 9 we have lots of snow as You see.. even if it has melted some…

Now we could wait no longer. We are preparing our “course area” some barracks are planned to arrive this week. In them we will have some extra space, for workshops, for cooking, lunchroom when it is too cold or rainy to eat outdoors, a lecture hall, etc… The digger and his assistant started the work here Monday morning and given that everything goes well – God  willing – at the end of this week much will have happened.

 

Here You see the view in the afternoon, one “bed” for one of the barracks is already prepared. And on the picture below You see how the plumbing is being prepared. There will be water and plumbing attached to to the kitchenwagon and to the lecturehall.

 

And we are so happy to share this experience with the first voluntary helpers of this year, work-away-ers from Germany and Austria: Kerstin and Bettina. Here they are resting their backs after having loaded gravel into the greenhouse.  That will make it possible to cultivate in. Last summer it was not a “greenhouse” it was more like a poolhouse” .  Now, thanks to the effort of the young helpers we soon can start the pre-cultivation in there.

 

So finally, after a long winter pause, we are back into building activities and preparing for the season to come when we hope to come further in the process of finalizing the chapel.