Categories
Site development

The unexpected story of a Mongolian yurt

On Friday 15th January two charming Mongolians came to Tarly from Nottingham with a yurt.

Storm Bella had left the marquee in pieces. It had to be dismantled. The urgent search was on for a yurt. New ones were made to order with a three-month wait involved. Used yurts were mostly summer reception venues and not lined for winter temperatures. Out of the blue, attention was drawn to a Nottingham-based Mongolian business with a passion for sharing the yurt with the world. It seemed to be ‘meant’, and we made the order.

First, we had to construct a platform on which to sit the structure.

The children were fascinated by the circular base and helped to clean it.

Within two weeks, this extraordinary ‘tent’ was delivered. We were employed as labourers.

It took the day to erect the substantial structure, with its multiple layers of canvasses and woollen insulation blankets. At last, we have a blizzard-proof extreme weather shelter.

Categories
Site development

Children will return to an exciting site and sight for 2021

Following the assault on and demise of the marquee, work has been done day and night literally to ensure the best possible provision for children in this new year. (Daylight at Christmas is too short.)

Given only one week after Storm Bella, a great deal has been achieved.

The wooden path across the field has been borrowed. (Apologies to those who prefer it to the squelching of mud underfoot.). The pallets have been used in temporary accommodation to have a surface above the bog and mire.

Then the location of the marquee has been turned into a building site. It will be wonderful to share with the children the process of constructing a replacement extreme weather refuge on the plat.

And just wait till you see what we erect here! No doubt, that will be the next post in this series.

Categories
Maintenance

Belligerent Bella mangled the marquee

The weather forecast had warned of the arrival of Storm Bella on Boxing Day night. Resources had been removed from the marquee and every precaution taken to preserve the tent. Nevertheless, the following morning the sight from a distance suggested that the tent was not right. It certainly was not its normal shape.

There had been a problem with extreme winds before. One morning after a stormy night, the contents had been exposed. Of course, that was easily remedied by putting back the front canvas.

But this time the impact had been more serious. The toilet gazebo was no longer on the plat but the other side of the stock-proof fence. The marquee was overturned, and the frame bent and broken.

The damaged gazebo was recovered and put together again. It will serve for a short time before it is replaced with a shed. The marquee has been dismantled and the site cleared. The polytunnel is serving as a temporary furniture store.

There is work to be done before the children return in a week. Pressure!

In the words of the Apostle Paul: “We are troubled on every side, yet not distressed; we are perplexed, but not in despair.”

Categories
Site development

A novel new path to the woods

The latest project has been to create a passage to the woods that bypasses the muddy path past the adult toilet shed.

An underlay has slabs laid on it, and then a log border keeps bark scattered from travelling too far.

Bridges take children across one of the ditches to the woods and adults across another to the shed. Observe that chicken wire covers the bridges to prevent slipping.

All was going well until Storm Bella. That story will have to wait for the next post.

Categories
New site Site development

Wonder-working compost containers

After the post on flood defences, we turn to the more positive topic of making compost. Three delivery containers make for a brilliant series of compost boxes. You will observe that the first is already filling up with garden refuse, rotting straw and raw vegetable matter from the kitchen.

We have had to buy compost for vegetable beds. It will not be many months before we shall have our own home-made material.

Categories
Maintenance

A battle with the elements

Tarly Pit is a beautiful site and offers a wonderful environment for the enjoyment of little people. But … nearby Water Lane is rightly so named, and flooding is a constant threat.

Even the route to Tarly Pit can be challenging. Whether driving from Water Lane or from Cranbrook Road floods must be navigated.

Ditches have had to be dug.

A very slippery track to the site has had to have attention.

And then more ditch digging.

But that proved insufficient to carry away all the water flooding across the field. It needed to be deeper and broader, and a solid bridge was constructed.

This is far from the end of the story. Much more must be done before we are safe from the elements.

Categories
New site

One week on and there are enhancements

A favourite area at the nursery school is always the kitchen. It is understandably reassuring to children who are new to Mr Noah’s and especially to the youngest children. So at the weekend a new ‘room’ was created and equipped.

Also, it was apparent from a mere one week trampling of the reception area that bark would be more practical than the grass (becoming mud) surface.

Categories
New site

We are all set to receive little people

It hardly seems possible that the long-awaited day is upon us. Everything is ready and some finishing touches have been applied on the eve of opening.

And it was right to suppose that there is a whole colony of fairies that have taken up residence.

Categories
New site

Final preparations before the day we open to children

Anticipating Monday when we open for our first session with children, final touches are being made. That does not mean that the nursery school site will be complete. There is a lot more work to be done over a period of time, but we must be ready for little people. It is like preparing the ground for sowing.

Here is some ‘no-dig’ ground preparation. First, the cardboard goes down to inhibit the growth of weeds. Then the multipurpose compost is heaped onto it and spread evenly. And we are ready!

Finishing touches are being applied. There are lots of little people’s gates and labels for the sake of literacy.

And look at the beautiful refurbished little benches.

After the months of work, a sit down and a little snooze seems like an attractive prospect, but there are children coming.

Categories
New site

The crucial document for which we have waited

Today we were able to put our OFSTED registration certificate on the board. Having had the OFSTED site visit last Thursday, the necessary document arrived today. What a pleasure it was to pin it beside all the other documents!

The practical significance is that we will now be able to open to children, and the term will begin, albeit a month late.