As with guests at the chalet in Chamonix, we always ask what people eat and don’t eat. One of the things that Jack (Breezy’s nephew) preferred not to eat was broccoli. Jack had not had roasted broccoli before, and now loves it. This was fortuitous as we had rather a lot in the garden, ready to eat.

This was the first of many new experiences over the next ten days of his stay at the barn. Others included:

• Climbing a 2,489m peak
• Making (and eating) fresh pasta
• Dry stone walling and step making
• Foraging and cooking fresh wild mushrooms
• Felling trees, chopping, splitting and stacking logs
• Cooking dessert in a Dutch Oven
• Playing qwirkle
• Outdoor showers
• Eating garlic at least twice a day
• Survival without the internet
• Planting trees
• Getting big bertha rocks out of the ground
• Brushcutting
• Fire juggling
• River dips and wild swimming
• Shelf building
• Living with two old fuddy duddies!

It’s now quite without you Jack. Thank you and good luck at Conaglen.