There was a woman.
Now she had a great life … doing work that made a difference … living in the country and working fairly regularly in a city … playing with friends of all ages and backgrounds … and knowing what was important in her life.
She lived in a world where success was measured in strange ways. By the job you had … the money you earnt … owning a home … having a partner
She wasn’t a natural rebel but she did live her life by her own code of values and she defined success in her own terms.
One day she went to a bank to find out how much they would lend her to buy a home of her own. She ran her own successful ethical consultancy and had been in business for over 15 years.
She was sure they would love to give her a bag of gold to buy her home.
Imagine her surprise when the money lenders told her that they would give her a certain amount for only 20 years. You see, they had a problem with her age and she was without a partner to add his pile of gold (and she would rather stay happily single anyway).
Now she was a creative and resourceful woman who was always interested in finding answers to difficult situations. After exploring what she didn’t have (rich relatives, offshore bank accounts, a life of successful bank hold ups) she went to bed and slept on it.
Over many days she let the problem (or as she saw it - an interesting conundrum) just mull around in the back of her mind because she knew that the answers would not arise immediately - and they wouldn’t always be obvious. She had to make sure she was open and tuned in to all the possibilities and coincidences that arose around her.
She woke one morning and went to that magic place where all knowledge (but not always wisdom) was held and asked it where she could buy a home for the small pot of gold the money lenders had offered her.
A place she had never heard of came up many times on the screen.
The very next day she set off with a faithful companion to visit this mysterious place. It was surrounded by lakes and mountains and very friendly people. On that very day she decided she would pack her bags and move to the town.
Being a sensible if somewhat impulsive woman she decided to rent a pink cottage in the centre of town so she could get to know the townspeople.
From the first day she was greeted with smiles and welcome. She was a cheerful and happy woman herself and that drew people to her - from small children to the elders of the town.
While the pot of gold from the money lenders was still available to her she began to have misgivings. Did she really want to pay them a large amount of money every month until she was 70?
What else could she do?
She had met a number of people who had built their own homes - men and women of all ages.
Could she do it? Build her own home?
As with all people she felt the doubts first. What did she know about building? It was all too complicated and she didn’t know carpentry.
Then her natural curiosity and ability to think creatively kicked in. She went to that magical place where all knowledge was kept and asked it questions about self building and natural materials and sustainable design.
A plethora of information appeared before her and she began to see that there were other ways to create a home without being shackled to the money lenders.
You see fair reader, not so very long ago (and in many places today) people built their own homes from the earth and materials around them. They had help from their neighbours and friends. They knew how to build to capture light and heat. They grew their own food.
They were their own wizards and witches and had never heard of property developers.
She realised that she wasn’t alone. Many people were relearning old skills and building their own homes.
So, she gathered many tomes on natural building and consulted with other people.
In September 2007 she decided that she would build a cob home.
It would take time and she had much to learn but she now knew that the quest was doable. She would build her own cob home. A curvy and beautiful home that was a delight to all the senses (a bit like herself really). A place where people would feel calm and welcome. Where stories and laughter and songs would prevail.
She also decided that she would write about the journey to her home. She would share the trials, tribulations and triumphs along the way.
And … as she shared her dream with people they told her of others building cob homes and offered to help her. Some of her friends delighted in teasing her (for it was well known that while she didn’t mind getting dirty, she also loved lolling and champagne) about her dream and she smiled and told them that they would have to do better. And she knew they would be the first to help when it was needed.
And all dreams need a plan and skills and … lots of things. So she girded her loins (a very interesting look in a country town) and began gathering books and skills and ideas and images. Her knowledge grew and her confidence in the dream coming true … grew.
To her delight she found that information on drainage and foundations and lintels and insulation and roofs and compost toilets was really interesting. She began to look at space and light and the movement of the sun in a different way.
She shared the research on another of her magic blogs LizBiz and any other seeker will find the information under natural building.
She decided one day in October to start a blog that told the story of the steps towards building her home.
This is it folks.
I’ll be sharing stories, information, thoughts, learning and ideas here over the next 2 years. The plan is to buy land by June 2008, do a cob building course over 9 days in September 2008 - and begin building in the Spring of 2009.
I’ll also be sharing other people’s natural build stories. And -I’ll be writing a diary/workbook that I’ll self publish in 2009/10 and will be sold through Walnut Books in Cork. There are 4 great cob building books (2 USA and 2 UK) but none have been written about Irish cob building.
I’ve posted 2 articles (I wrote them in Liz Biz) with web refs and a bibiliography at the top of this blog. If you know any good resources or have questions please post a comment.
And with all good stories ... she lived passionately and with good humour ever after …
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