The last week has been great- I have had the pleasure of talking to other people rather than myself for a change! On Friday I had a visit from a lovely pair from ZDF German TV (!) Who brought me some curry sauce, 2 bottles of red, a cake and some hobnobs- luxury! I also witnessed one of the more surreal moments of treehouse living- a man filming my loo…well, hey, shit happens (no pun intended).
The weekend came and with it, 3 friends from London and Clare. Jamie and Nicole promptly set up a tent (the treehouse isn’t THAT bad) while KP opted for a section of floor upstairs. Unfortunately they also brought the rain. KP brought me the “Badger Sett” of ales- I was feeling rather spoilt, so I baked a loaf of bread (one of my few humble offerings) for my guests in rain of biblical proportions. The Clay oven is now up to speed and can crank out a solid loaf in about an hour and a half, but flatbreads are still quicker option by a long stretch!
Nicole brought down a little something for the smoker…eggs. They were boiled for 2 minutes and then smoked in my hot smoker over a mix of tea leaves, sliced carrot, sugar and rice…strange, but incredibly tasty!
Despite the rain we cooked outside and then retired upstairs to light the stove and talk the night away. Everyone decided my bed was the most comfortable place to sit (which it is), and slowly people fell asleep.
On Monday, I had a friend, Chuck come to stay for a couple of nights. Again he arrived bearing gifts: a bottle of 10-year-old Lagavulin and a trip to the butchers for his favourite cut- Veal Chops. I have been fantasizing about a good steak for some time and was over the moon when presented with the light flesh of some juicy veal! We had a few drams and cooked the chops over hot coals to perfection.
On the second night we popped out with the gun to try to bag a rabbit for supper as well as a few mushrooms. We stopped in at the patch where I picked some runner beans, of which I have many…so many I have begun to pickle them. I also grabbed some spinach and dug up a few more potatoes. Chuck was clearly no stranger to a shotgun and we had protein for the pot within half an hour. I thoroughly enjoyed serving up yet another foraged/home-grown meal- plucked from a field nearby an hour before consumption. I think in terms of food miles, I am certainly winning!
Chuck had turned up during coracle building week and was a great help in terms of design and construction. In a weeks time I set off on an epic voyage from fresh water to salt water, descending the mighty Medway is going to be a challenge, especially as I am still making the boat…
I would just like to say a big thank you to all my recent visitors for their kind offerings and above all…their company. Treehouse life, although idyllic, can be quite lonesome- playing the host can be stressful, but certainly not for me! The last week has seen my diet take a radical u-turn; I have had normal things to snack on, which has been a super break from the norm. I think the highlight for me was Tuesday morning’s breakfast when I ate the Watermelon given to me by Al Humphries last week…I mean, how often do you get to cut a watermelon open with a machete?
I would just like to add: I now have www.thetreehousediaries.com, which will direct straight to this blog and of course you can follow me on twitter from the good old iphone- http://twitter.com/manupatree. Peas!
Glad you have been getting some good company out there! I can almost smell that fresh bread, I bet it was tasty.
I'm subscribed to your blog. Love it!
Posted by: ErikaJean | August 05, 2009 at 10:22 PM
Well done on the bread.
It was exciting to see you build that oven.
Excellent work coming out of it.
As always, I look forward to your adventures.
Cheers
Mark
Posted by: Mark Yearout | August 06, 2009 at 01:06 AM
hi,
was wondering if I could come and visit/write about you for my blog...
email me at [email protected] if that's ok
Posted by: marmitelover | August 06, 2009 at 09:08 AM
Sounds like you've been having a lovely time - your friends are very good to you! xxx
Posted by: The Curious Cat | August 06, 2009 at 09:29 AM
I discovered this blog recently and have become addicted. Nick, you are the man!! I like the commentary, a kind of take on the naked chef idea "down to earthisms and laddish humour" combined with your own unique foraging twist. Is there anything you won't eat Nick! If I lived in London, I would try to persuade you to let me come and visit, such a cool place. But I live in Tel Aviv so that won't happen just yet. Good luck over there, awesome pad, looking fwd to the next update and the book!! You're a real adventurer living the dream!!
Posted by: Giles | August 06, 2009 at 05:50 PM
Hi Nick,
Loving the coracle building - navigating the mighty Medway. What a great idea. Let me know when you're doing it and I'll run down to Chiddingstone/Leigh/Tonbridge wherever and grab some pics and bring some sunstenance!
The Other Nick
Posted by: Nick | August 10, 2009 at 01:17 PM