Free building materials

Mostly. The straw cost 1:50 euro a bale from a local farm, and the mud, totally free, from our occasionally sluggish and oozy river that passes through the garden. Ezra, balanced on a plank, shovelled the mud into a wheelbarrow and we added the straw bit by bit until (hopefully) the right texture was achieved. Time and weather will tell, but from looking at various Youtubes on how to do cob (torchis in French), I think we did ok.

I'd already a day nailing and screwing bits of plank, sticks, etc onto the inside to hold up the mud mixture and so far, it's looking solid. Next, the roof, and we're going to attempt to do DIY slate and zinc. Such is this structure's absurd over the top-ness  that we might have to honour it with a few unusual birds as well as yr usual rusty types.

Farming fashions

Recently in the UK (Dorset) I was interested, and rather happy, to see the return of the oblong hay bale, as appose to the round ones usually covered in plastic. Maybe it's just in that county? Or maybe a countrywide 'tendance'. There was always something comforting about the sight of hay stacked in wobbly towers across a clipped field; something I haven't seen in France for some time. Maybe it's straw, not hay stashed in the round ones? Might have to check this . . .
Anyway, while walking at Badbury Rings, a favourite Dorset landmark, and ancient hill fort, I saw this majestic hay ship sailing across a newly smoothed beige expanse, rather like something one might have constructed on Minecraft - a giant pixilated vessel (or a dog/sheep/cow, depending on how your visual imagination works) intent on entering the next land (field) to add more oblong pieces to itself.