Chris drives the car. Niki sits shotgun. I’m in the back. We’re all hunching over to peer out the window, confirming that, yes, we really are driving straight for the ominous looking storm clouds on the horizon. Good thing we’d packed a thermos full of tea. This is my first time pitching in to work on Glen Tui.

We arrive. We meditate in the eaves of the little hut. Despite the work yet to do, the hut is already a loveable place – brilliantly simple, cozy, strong. Chris tells a story about a foot of snow that had fallen during one visit. I get excited thinking about stoking the soon-to-be-installed-stove during winter’s bone, snow blanketing the landscape outside.

We check on the trees. They’re doing great. We start planting more. I’m realising how much thought and effort and mistakes and solutions have taken place here to work out this streamlined system that keeps our saplings safe from hungry sheep and gale force winds.

The work feels great. Satisfying. Niki is patient and gracious as she explains everything. Chris drives metal stakes into the ground. They’ll become a new fence line. So much work. So much dedication.

When it rains we head inside to put up gib. Chris instructs. I get to wield power tools, drill a few screws, and feel that sense of satisfaction that comes with constructing something. Something that will shelter my fellow Bodhisattvas.

My work is a drop in the bucket, but I feel part of this place now. A couple of those screws holding the ceiling up were put there by me, and all the other ones were put there by my friends. That’ll be something for me to smile at one night when I’m nodding off in my sleeping bag.

Another trip to the country, this time with two Hungarians in tow – Denes Andras, one of the Hungarian travel teachers came with us plus another friend. Four bodies, 2 trays of trees, the picnic and some enthusiasm set off to do a bit more.

We planted some more seedlings in our shelter belt that is being established along the south east border. Although the winds are not srong from that direction the view to the neighbour is not so inspiring so the shelter is to create beauty and privacy. Country conditions are more extreme than city living and this day was no exception. It was cold and wettish.

After a tasty slabs of bread, avocado and toppings for lunch we did a few more then showed Denes around the retreat land. He liked the sheep more than the trees so we called it quits after that and went back to the centre in preparation for the evening lecture.

Next week we went off to plant our little trees again. There had been a strong Nor’wester since we were up last week – common around spring time – fierce, gusty, drying and destructive. It caught the hut in its most vulnerable spot – full blast into the front door. Unhooked the door, smashed it against the steel cladding piercing a hole in the iron and breaking the glass.

Time for a proper door we think. We will invest in a new aluminium door that is strong and easier to fit, won’t buckle and will withstand intense heat, wind and rain. Although not cheap – we will be thankful in the long run. We planted some more trees – it is quite involved – they need to be well rooted, watered, feed, supported with a stick and shelter bag, mulched with carpet and held down with rocks and sods. This way they tend to have a higher survival rate. Not a 5 minute job but worth the effort in the long run.

A picnic in Glentui is not a simple affair. One needs a group of people, shovels, pickaxes, crowbars, electric tools, a wheelbarrow, ladder, couple of cars, food supplies, water, and a Plan.

We have good news: the hut is closed-in, and with that, the unauthorised animals are banned from inside. The verandah doors are being finished to a high standard by our dedicated door expert.

Interior is also getting a facelift thanks to our team of interior experts, the builder and his young apprentice. As you can see on the picture, the standard is five-star plywood walls and roof, with natural random wooden pattern, as you’d expect from such an upmarket establishment.

Everybody will feel at home with an additon of light points and power sockets. Did I say about woolen insulation already?

Of course the picnic wouldn’t be complete without our inspiring ladies.

One of our new Czech friends did the carpets – not for the hut, but for covering the ground around plants, so the weed cannot go through while the plant is growing roots – it’s a lot of finnicky work with a knife.

We are planning a shelter belt to the South of the hut, to shield us from the neighbour – a 100 or so fast-growing plants need to go into the ground, into holes 30cm deep.

The ground is full of stones, wires and roots up there, and the perseverance and energy manifested by our dakinis was extremely inspiring and powerful.

One of our Czech friends even sacrificed her nice trainers and got through all this with a tiny shovel.

On the picture below, you can see how hard is the work up there – the work is done in the best Central European style:

And here is the whole happy team again. See you soon – in Glentui

Last Saturday at Glentui, the hut building workforce included Karol Sleczek, our very knowledgeable travelling teacher and his lovely wife Hermina, Sasha (energy +) from Melbourne Oz, and the usual suspects Niki and Chris (the boss), lovely Lyla and Rody.

After a short and sweet meditation punctuated by the calls of the tui’s from
the beautiful surrounding bushes, the action was full on.

Karol, Hermina and Sasha levelled a flat area of about 4m in diameter for the yet to come water tank, (back breaking convict work!), Karol proved that the different road rules in force in Poland should not affect one’s ability to negotiate tight corners with a wheelbarrow full of dirt in NZ, while Hermina and Sasha displayed outstanding (and surprising) pick and shovel skills.

Niki and Lyla were busy levelling and landscaping a flat area, this time, right in front of the hut. Mateusz, previously against this idea after experiencing difficulty in fine accurate carpentry work on a slanted ground, suddenly agreed.

Chris and Rody were busy finishing the eves at the back of the hut, skilfully balancing on makeshift trestles and and a ladder whilst hammering in nails upwards. Very effective exercise for developing neck and shoulders muscles (and very entertaining to watch). The inside insulation was also started in the upper part of the hut, wool batts were cut to size and fitted in the walls.

Lyla and Niki’s combined effort provided the working gang with a delicious and wholesome lunch, which, added to the breathtaking views, made the event a delightful and convivial experience.

Every sanga and friends are warmly welcome anytime to take part in the action and lunch is always of the finest quality (no reservation is required

PS. Lyla and Rody went back to the site on Tuesday to re-grass the front of the hut and complete the wall insulation. The upper part was thoroughly tested during a (clean) “nana nap” and got a two thumbs up rating for cosiness.

Another couple of beautiful Saturdays at Glentui, calm and warm late autumn days. We had a good crowd of helpers, some from out of town, which is always great as it strengthens the national feeling of the project. Between the seven of us we were able to achieve alot. Some headed down to the trees to weed the grass away from around the base of the young plants. Grass sends out a growth inhibitor and will stop the trees from growing so fast. They are looking fantastic. We see how they do over the frosty winter.

The other work gang concentrated on the cladding. It became trickier the higher we got. Much like a jigsaw puzzle, fitting bits in and around two roof angles and also the windows. Luckily there was someone taller than our regular builder as it was  more than a tiptoe job for him to fit the very top piece on.

We will fit the final bits of the jigsaw next weekend.

We have a deck, and a trench (or the beginning of one) for putting the electric cable in. When friends come to visit and help – this is the best way to test the friendship – ask them to dig a ditch in the boiling sun.

Well, they are still with us, the trench is almost half done, and all are happy to be part of the project.

Each day is different here – this weekend the deck was oiled a rich orange colour to protect it from the fierce sun and the battens were put up on the roof, ready for the corrugated iron.

The grass is growing long and green – an early summer feeling about the place. We checked the trees at the entrance and they seem fine- still a few more succumbed to the harsh environment, but most are settling in.

Next time we will open up a water supply near the trees for the inevitable thirsty dry time ahead.

All this means Glentui is shaping up. We are already imagining a barbeque with fine friends on the verandah under the starry sky… and an early morning meditation before sunrise in the mini gompa!

Another trip to the retreat land to see how the hut looked and how the trees were faring in the spring nor’west gales.

The guys all put up the walls last weekend and I was eager to see how it looked and how the interior space would feel. Having a design on paper is a different kettle of fish to the actual thing.

Its cool! It will be a great little space to use with friends. Walk up a few steps onto the verandah and then inside through some french doors to a cosy, open, and functional space. We planned the two sleeping lofts which can fit two double beds to be quite high so that the living space feels big for it’s actual tiny size: 2.8m x 3.5m.

A meditation platform that can double up as a bed on the left, a pot belly on the back wall for heat and cooking, a kitchen bench on the back right corner and a table on the right. We figured we can have a ladder for the loft access which slides away so it doesn’t encroach on the living space when not needed. With four windows inside for views and ventilation we will have lots of light and fresh air.

The next step is to clad the roof and walls with corrugated iron. “What colour?” is the big discussion.

We then did a little landscaping and tidying up around the hut then went to inspect the plantings. They were not doing too bad. We replanted about six dead ones and refixed many shelter bags. A very fiddly business.

Come late afternoon we shut the gate and drove back with a satisfied feeling that once again something had been achieved.