Yesterday, out hiking up behind our house, we came across our future neighbours manhandling a massive tree trunk down the hill with a few old hand tools and not much more. Amazing. At one point the thing started sliding down the wet grass towards the trail we’d just come up at a rate that made me very glad we weren’t a few minutes later setting off.
It was a tree that had fallen in a winter storm into their alpine meadow. Used to be that’s how everything was built around here. Choose some good straight slow-growing trees that grow about 200m or so higher up the mountain than you where you want to build, cut them, wait two years and then build. Simple.
Bruno explained the tool he was using to lever the trunk is known as a ‘mouche’. We’re so pleased he’s going to be our carpenter as well as our neighbour.
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