‘Really? That would be amazing. Hair I can handle. One twist and it’s up on my head, stick in a sparkly comb and I’m wedding ready. Thanks, Fern. Now all I have to sort is the right thing to wear.’

Margot looks across at us. ‘Salad finished, ladies?’

We focus on the task in hand, giggling like two schoolgirls who have been caught out.

‘We have hungry people waiting,’ Margot points out, as if we didn’t know.

13

Hard Work is Good for the Soul

‘Hi, Bastien. John and I have come to help. Just tell us what you need doing and we’ll have a go. And Margot made up this lunch box for you. She isn’t too happy that you didn’t stop to eat. I really couldn’t understand the message she was giving me to pass on, but I’m sure you can guess that it sounded like a stern telling-off.’

He shrugs his shoulders, probably relieved that she didn’t deliver it in person.

‘Merci, Fern. She is a tough woman, but kind. Like a dog, yes?’

John and I start laughing as Bastien steps forward to take the box and smiles appreciatively. I think we get his meaning. A good heart and a dispenser of tough love.

‘Is problem that is not easy to solve.’ He walks us over to the gaping hole in the back wall of the half-open barn. The farm building is enormous, like a light aircraft hangar, and was probably used to store hay bales in the winter. The other side of the central dividing wall is the woodworking unit. ‘The sheep pen backs onto here, this wall. Maybe fox, or deer, wandered into forge and sheep in the pen got spooked. They kicked down planks here and wall collapsed.’

Looking out through the hole, the sheep aren’t in the lean-to pen now, so I guess he’s moved them to safety.

I watch as John wanders along the back wall, tapping on it with his fist at regular intervals.

‘The framing and braces are sound, but a few of the cross members have been knocked out,’ he says, giving Bastien a nod. ‘I see what you’re doing, but in my opinion it’s going to take several days to put that pile back together and some of it is beyond repair.’

We all stand gazing at the heap of splintered wood which has been neatly stacked up ready for reuse. Bastien has made a start, but it’s a huge task. Suddenly, Taylor walks up behind us and lets out a loud, ‘Jeez. What a mess!’

‘I think the only answer is to replace the cross members and see if there are any other materials hanging around you can use. This stuff came down easily because it’s not in great shape.’

Taylor seems to agree with John.