“Bodge Lodge” part 4

Yay!!!!!!

Another top weekend on site..tho this time I only spent precious few hours there, as I had to sort out my travel plans at home before I could go onto site.

I was really hoping to go to York for a Greenpeace meeting, and I kinda felt really guilty, like I was letting them down, but this time, I really couldn’t avoid doing my stuff, so going wasn’t an option for me, despite the fact I wanted to.

So after I was done in the “civilised” world, and did all I needed to do,  I descended once again onto my beloved second home, really excited about seeing all my friends….but it was like a ghost town when I arrived.

I swear if we had been in the American midwest, I’d have seen a few tumbleweeds drifting past.

I found a few protestors in the kitchen, some drinking coffee, some making food, some rolling …er … cigarettes, and I was greeted again by big smiles and a hug!

I was told that most of the protestors had in fact gone for the day to the Punx Picnic in Derby or the Beer festival (also in Derby), the previous day, and had not yet ventured back….and they were suspected to be p**sed up in a field somwhere.

After being filled in on the latest events on site (some of which included arrests for protestors using diggers as giant climbing frames), I went for a look in the cottage to see the progress….all I can say is…Mr Bailiff….BE VERY CONCERNED!!!!!

The place looked awesome, the progress was incredible, and everyone had been working so very hard on getting it safe (to a degree), but extremely eviction resistant.

As we needed more lock on points, and crevices to hide in, to beat the bailiffs, 2 of us decided to try and hollow out the chimney to see if we could stand in it. It was hard graft, as there was lots of bricks and pot, an insulation clay packed in it, but after spending a good few hours digging away, we finally made it deep enough to stand a little person in it (namely me). lol

I have to say, although the exterior wall is a little shady, initially it’s a great little place to stand, and even sleep, as I could rest my head on the roof, thus claiming it as “pixi’s hole”, and I’m hoping to have that as mine when the eviction team arrives!!!!

On the other side if the crevice subject…..

Warren was coming on very well, and now has ventilation devices in place (which is SO VERY impressive), and after having a look see, he kinda made me nervous, and I didn’t want to play with him, lol.

After being in the cottage for a while, I felt the need for fresh air and sunshine, so I navigated my way out of the maze of lock on points and bailiff beating equipment, and emerged, like a butterfly from a chrysallis, and I decided to make dinner for everyone.

Surveying the contents of the kitchen, I noticed an abundance of fresh veg, and enough garlic to repell a whole army of vampires, so I set about knocking up a 5- a- day supreme!!!

I didn’t have to wait long for the pan to boil for dinner (which made a change) as the others had made a fantastic fire in the cooking area, so immediately after preparing the carrots, spring onions, garlic, mushrooms, lentils, potatoes and rice I made a spicy rice and veg dish with sides of garlic bread.

All seemed to enjoy it, it certainly went down fast enough! And as it happens, there was enough left for 2 more hungry travellers,just freshly back form the beer festival that night…needing to soak up the alcohol! lol

After filling our bellies, we decided to light an outdoor fire, and soon it was roaring, and giving off so much heat that I thought I was going to melt like a wax work dummy.

As there was so little people on site, the others all went to sleep quite early, leaving just 2 of us up chatting into the early hours…..

I decided that the weather was too nice to pass up on, so I opted to sleep out under the stars, in my sleeping bag, with another protestor, so I had someone to talk to. It was so lovely, just talking the night away, then gradually driting off to sleep by the warmth of the fire, the crackling of the fire wood and the sweet melodic and rhythmic sound, of…….. one of the other protestors, snoring, like a flippin pig in his tent.!!!!…I’m so glad I brought my ear plugs!!!! lol

Waking up in the morning was pure bliss, I somehow (despite virtually freezing my breasts off that night), had a really greats nights sleep, and awoke to feel the blazing sun burning my face…which was pleasant in a ..”I hope I don’t get cancer” type of way.

Feeling fairly motivated, I made a cup of fruit tea, and had a couple of biscuits..freshly raided from a local skip, and started my busy day.

We were well up for doing some more work on the chimney, and getting it deeper, so we could establish lock on points inside it, but as it was so hot, and the view was so beautiful from the roof, we just ended up sitting on the rafters for a good hour, soaking up the atmosphere, and the beautiful scenery, before UK Coal rape the land.

We had visitors on site today, in the shape of a local lad who sometimes brings us fresh fruit and veg, and he brought 2 children with him..who I was was told, were the previous occupiers of the house.

They chatted to us for a while, about how they felt, now they can see the  house in all its barracaded glory, and to be honest they seemed a little subdued about the whole thing, and vey bitter against UK Coal, but they were very happy to explore, and tell us whose bedroom was whose! lol 

Once the kids had gone, work resumed on site, people were chopping fire wood, another protestor was whittling a new handle for a mallet, and even the site dog got in on the action, taking bits of wood and chewing them up for us…lol

The mood lifted further when a group of rather hung over protestors came bimbling over the field, after a rather successful alcohol consuming weekend away in Derby, closely followed by 2 others from site who had just been getting trollied in a smalley pub with the locals!!!!

I love local support!!! lol

The evening ended far too quickly, but we had the pleasure of seeing a large black vehicle, at the entrance to site, with tinted windows and some rather official looking people taking pictures, before I set off, and unsure whether or not it was UK Coal, coppers or the evicion team, we all stayed low until they had gone.

I gathered all my things a few minutes later, harbouring the thought that this may well be the last weekend I get there, as the court date is this coming friday, said goodbye to my friends, and the dog, gave the squatters flag a mental salute, and headed off to my pick up point, with one of the protestors as my chaperone, in case of arsey offcials, (of which there were none luckily).

And that was it again…..all too fast, over, for another week.

Despite the fact that site was getting more serious, and hard work was more of a neccessity than an option, I still had a great time, and I know that even if we get evicted this week, morale will stay high, and the fighting spirit of all of us combined will keep us going.

All we ask now, is that, people, who are willing to stand with us, as part of our team, our family, against the eviction team, in our hour of need, come and help us in the fight to try and beat the land rapists.

                                                              Pixi. xxxx 

I have also been informed that there is a new propsed quarry site about to get underway…so please please please, any public support for that would be great too…

Glebe Mines, owned by INEOS (the multi-billion pound company that owns Runcorn chemical works) have put in an application to the Peak District National Park Authority (PDNPA) to build an open pit quarry on Wensley Hillside. The site, which is 6 miles from Bakewell, is within the Peak Park and is 2 miles away from the scene of the well-known Stanton Moor quarrying disputes.

Please help.