A Jurastic welcome

Mrs Google directed us along ever smaller and steeper roads, taking us further and further into the wilderness, so it seemed, until, just after a tight left turn up a farm track, she told us we had arrived at our destination. This seemed unlikely to us so a quick telephone call to Richard sorted things out - we had passed Karen's house just a minute earlier.

To say their welcome was a warm one is an understatement. Their living room fire was glowing and we were shown to our own en suite room in the 'West Wing', all this in a beautifully converted old cottage and barn, set amongst the most amazing hills and scenery one could wish for. Oh, and the sun is shining.

Just to get a feel for the lay of the land, on our first day here Richard and I took Karen's two dogs for a vigorous walk up a nearby hill along some very Scottish looking forest tracks, then later that day we all drove up the hill again to watch the sun as it dropped down behind some distant mountains. Quite spectacular and so different from anywhere else we have so far visited on this road trip.

Whilst at no stage have we felt constrained or uncomfortable living inside Martin for weeks on end, the sudden shift to so much luxurious comfort and security does take some getting used to. Were we asking to much of our hosts by imposing ourselves on their foreign retreat? Well probably, yes, but our consciences were assuaged by fixing a few niggling projects for them, the stove being one of these.

This majestic beast sits in the corner of their first floor 'Music Room' and consumes wood pellets which are poured in through a hole in the top. The trouble is that the stove's only physical control is a single small button hidden away at the rear, right where you can't see it. Instead it is operated entirely using a phone app which talks to the stove via wifi. Simple really, except one first has to have the password which is hidden away inside the machine itself, then you must be less than 5 metres away, to make it work. Even then it is temperamental at the best of times. Beautiful to look at it may be, unnecessary complicated it certainly is, however after downloading the necessary software and some playing about I did manage to get the big machine working and doing what it was built for, providing heat.

The Jura is a vast forested area, none of which is less than 200m above sea level, and the village where we are staying is around 700m high, which means the air is rarified and fresh. The trees have always been an important part of life here but they are not clear felled, as in some parts of Scotland, instead selected mature trees will be taken out and replacements allowed to grow naturally. And which trees to take and when to fell them, will depend upon the phase of the moon, so we have discovered. Here's why.

The moon's gravity has a big effect upon all the water on the earth's surface causing the sea to bulge towards the moon regularly and at certain times more than others. We call these things tides. But those who live and work closely with trees may also be aware that each tree contains a body of fluid that is similarly influenced by the moon's gravity, this knowledge being ancient, perhaps going back into pre-history. The pull of the moon will cause the moisture inside the tree to rise up, and if the wood is to be used for delicate bending and shaping this might therefore be the best time to fell the tree. Conversely if it is firewood that is required then the best time would be when the moon's influence is at its weakest, when the sap is still in the tree's roots. This astonishing piece of knowledge was relayed to us by Karen one evening as we relaxed outside in the sunshine, supplemented by a small medicinal glass of Pastis, and we are grateful to her for passing it on. I know that in future before hugging any tree I shall always check the tide tables first!

Aside from these educational titbits, our stay in the Jura will continue for a short while longer as our hosts here have themselves planned a short road trip in their own campervan. To make this easier for them we'll be dog-sitting here, taking these gentle beasts on long forest hikes and generally entertaining them as best we can. Oh, and I almost forgot to mention Madeleine the cat who also stays here. None of these animals seem to mind us, in fact I'd go as far as to say that they enjoy our company, just as long as we keep them fed and watered, of course.