estwärts

After a gentle wake-up call from Lola, everyone emerges from their tents with renewed motivation and heads for the breakfast table. Today, there are a number of tangible goals to be achieved. Lola revs up the chainsaw and quickly cuts a thuja tree into small pieces. Steffi runs around with the brush cutter, flattening and trimming the last bits of undergrowth, also for a future playground at the mountain festival on Saturday.

After breakfast, Anton and Klaas rush ahead to prepare the barn. After finishing the other tasks, almost the entire team gathers here. The stage, or rather the floor of the MFZ (mosquito-free zone), is to be completed today. And this much can already be said: it’s going to be fancy. After Lukas and Nils finish the threshold and hammer in the last nails, the team turns its attention to other tasks near the barn. Hagen finalizes the electrical and solar installation and wires a wooden cable counter where cell phones and laptops can now be charged. In the evening, the team plays a round of cards in the new MFZ.

If you don’t look up, you’ll almost miss how another wooden floor is being created high up in the barn: it’s quite a spectacle to see how the boards are quickly moved upwards and the scraps fall downwards, like swallows diving for the numerous mosquitoes. Maybe it will be possible to stay here overnight someday, but there definitely needs to be a staircase first.

For lunch, we have not only the pasta from the day before, but also vegan plov, a dish that is widespread in Central Asia, even if the general enthusiasm for the sultanas it contains is limited. After lunch, Lola grabs the car and speeds off to pick up Janne, Anne, and Anna, our new arrivals. The three of them have made it to Rakvere after a long journey and immediately take over the kitchen upon arrival. A little later, they conjure up mashed potatoes with tomatoes and green beans onto the growing number of plates.

The next day is supposed to be Anne’s birthday, but instead of celebrating, we are so tired that most of us are already in our sleeping bags by 11 p.m. The last few days of work and the long journey seem to have taken their toll on all of us. On Thursday morning, however, a few hard-working souls have already prepared breakfast. Not only is there the ever-essential coffee, but also a small birthday cake and fresh flowers are decorating the table.

A major new item is added to the agenda during today’s morning meeting: on Saturday, we want to celebrate reaching the halfway mark of our stay, and we have invited neighbors and friends from the surrounding area. Nearly 50 people will be attending! Naturally, a party committee must be established to handle the preparations. This is formed during breakfast, but then sits down in the yurt for the rest of the morning to discuss the setup, schedule, and catering.

Meanwhile, Lola transforms thuja cuttings into a deadwood hedge. Nils quickly cuts a few pieces of wood for Steffi, who hammers in the last nails for the barn cladding. The barn is now finished, apart from a metal plate that still needs to be installed on the north side to protect against further landslides. Anton and Klaas take the opportunity to dash off in the car to fetch wood, but fresh drinking water from the spring is also necessary in the warm temperatures. Unfortunately, we will have to wait until at least tomorrow for the water sample from our own well. The swallows are also enjoying the warm rays of sunshine and basking on the roof of the barn.

While Nils continues to labor outside sorting wood, many others gather in the main house under Anna’s guidance. The brittle paint on the old windows needs to be removed. They are making good progress using wire brushes by hand. Tomorrow we will start using a heater, which will speed up the process even further.

Thanks to the eagerly awaited arrival of the kitchen team, the hungry workers can sit down at the table today and enjoy delicious pasta with bean and tomato sauce for lunch. A piece of feta that survived the bus journey from Germany also makes it onto the plates. As the number of people increases, coffee consumption also rises to unprecedented heights, but Nils and the kitchen team take turns to ensure that the coffee pots are always full.

Hagen and Steffi are also preparing for the mid-term celebration. Our old petroleum lamps are being thoroughly cleaned and refurbished, and old wax crusts are being removed. After all, it should still look chic here in Rihula at dusk. But the widest grin of the day graces Lukas’ face this afternoon. He has finally managed to bake the perfect bread in the Dutch oven. Now we’re ready for the mid-term celebration.

We’ll be back after the midpoint celebration and will let the evening come to a leisurely close. See you soon!