Category Archives: Montessori school

Tadpole Part 5: Planks and Paint

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Next the pine floors go down, the windows, doors, and passages are framed in seligna (i.e. eucalyptus or ‘gum trees’). Interior brick walls are plastered with Rhinoset and some interior  paint colors tried out.

 

Mr Willard making shelving

Mr Willard making shelving

You folks in Visp, Switzerland, will know where the idea for the floor to ceiling windows (well almost if you are kid height) came from!

Final floor boards

Final floor boards

Looking back toward stairs

Looking back toward stairs

Mr Farai enjoys plastering in Rhinoset

Mr Farai enjoys plastering in Rhinoset

 

Rhinoset drying

Rhinoset drying!

Looking better already

Looking better already

 

Mr Rafael - chief painter

Mr Rafael – chief painter

 

Luke finishing off upstairs

Luke finishing off upstairs

Tadpole Part 4: The Roof Goes On

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In August 2014 we were high enough to start the roofing activities, build scaffolding, and invent new roofing – cromadek industrial roofing sheet steel cut into a fish scale pattern.

Tadpole dormer window

Tadpole dormer window

 

Constructing the dormer

Constructing the dormer

 

Edmore scales the highest peak

Edmore scales the highest peak while installing Alububble

 

Now Sir Edmore

Now Sir Edmore

 

Covering the dome with Alububble

Lamek helping to cover the dome with Alububble

Lamek on the dome

Lamek on the dome

 

Edmore bringing up the roofing sheets

Edmore bringing up the roofing sheets

Careful handling required

Careful handling required

 

So that it eventually looks like this…….

The Tadpole Building

The Tadpole Building

 

 

Rondavel extension: Part 1

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Our next new building project has started at Hornbydale. I won’t give the game away yet but will make posts under rondavel extension.
Mr Willard collecting firewood

Mr Willard collecting firewood

Digging the foundation trenches has mainly been about burning our way through a large number of boulders over the last two months. Here’s how it works… 
 
First, collect a vast amount of firewood (eg saw up a full size pine tree).
Mr Ramius bringing more firewood

Mr Ramius bringing more firewood

Second, make a bonfire around and over the offending boulder.
Mr Didmus at bonfire

Mr Didmus at bonfire

The blaze must be large enough (ie hot enough) to burn red hot for 8-12 hours so it’s generally an overnight process before the rock is hot enough.
Mr Didmus tends the fire

Mr Didmus tends the fire

Through this time the granite will start mildly exploding and cracks will develop to various depths – some surface flakes and some deep bisecting cracks if we are very lucky! 
Mr Didmus and Snoopy at the fire

Mr Didmus and Snoopy at the fire

 
 
Attack the rock

Attack the rock

Mr Willard attacks

Mr Willard at work with the mattock

 

Then with a combination of brute force and a very strong crow bar start opening the cracks.
Mr Willard has success

Mr Willard has success

The whole process can take numerous ‘burns’ for rocks embedded in the earth.
 
The audience

The audience: Albert, Didmus, Ramius, Snoopy, Megan

Mr Tongai in action

Mr Tongai in action

Mr Tongai

Mr Tongai

The really good side to all this is that we will use the new rock pieces as building material, instead of buying bricks. More on that once we start building…
Mr Willard & Mr Tongai

Mr Willard & Mr Tongai

 

 

Mr Willard

Mr Willard

Moon shot from the southern hemisphere

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Dramatic pictures are emerging of a new space mission apparently targeted at the moon. At the secret high-altitude launch site our cameras have exclusive access to the new rocket system as it is being developed.

The lunch site has been chosen so that the rocket is carefully aimed at the moon from lift off onwards.
Aiming at the moon

Aiming at the moon

Here we see the all important nose cone developing against a backdrop of distant peaks and troughs
Nose cone

Nose cone

As engineering continues to work on last minute adjustments to the crew capsule …
Engineering in the Main Cabin

Engineering in the Main Cabin

… the crew takes a moment to relax on the newly built launch tower during the rigorous training and selection procedures Happy crew on the launch tower

Happy crew on the launch tower

We are told that moon juice will be collected via this retractable arm – now being re-programmed for low gravity cheese. The amount of R.AN.DEE (Ranting All Night & Day Endlessly) that has gone into this new exploration system is sure to excite fellow space-fans – it is clearly in-excess of anything seen before in such a mission.
Retractable arm

Retractable arm

The crew decide they want to see where they are going so aerodynamic potholes are added to the cabin
Portholes to aid navigation in space

Portholes to aid navigation in space

An early morning test firing of the rockets leaves no doubt as to the tremendous cheese-melting thrust the newly developed power system will generate
Cheese melting thrust

Cheese melting thrust

Now all we need to know is whose shirts they will wear….

The Tadpole Building: Part 1

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This is our first building project! We are refurbishing the fire damaged rondavel below our house to make a study centre for the children. It started out as a single round room and will be steadily transformed into a two story building with an added ‘tail’  (below) containing the new entrance and bathroom downstairs.

Tadpole tail under construction

Tadpole tail under construction

Here is what we started with – the burnt out shell of a small circular building (rondavel). You can obviously see the lack of roof, and the electrics were burnt out and there are cracks in the walls …

burnt out rondavel

burnt out rondavel

burnt out rondavel door

burnt out rondavel door

burnt out rondavel interior

burnt out rondavel interior

Our builders are Mr Samhembere and team. Somewhat amazingly his uncle, Mr Patrick 1 – also working on this project (below) – helped to build the main house here in 1975 …and swore he would never come back!

Mr Patrick 1 forming the special tadpole curve

Mr Patrick 1 forming the special tadpole curve

A highly complex methodology was used to calculate the shape of the curves you can see being formed here in stone and brick by Mr Samhembere senior (Patrick 1). Later you will see what a great outcome this unique shape produced in our building

Mr Mr Patrick 1 building the special tadpole curve 1 forming the special tadpole curve

Mr Patrick 1 building the special tadpole curve

And now we start to see the walls going up and the building shape appears.

The end of the tadpole tail takes shape

The end of the tadpole tail takes shape

As you can see below the location will give the upstairs room a view of Troutbeck lake

Second level of the tail

Second level of the tail is added

At the end of a busy day

At the end of a busy day

And the finished structure with custom made lintels.

Tadpoles walls are finished

Tadpoles walls are finished

Hornbydale Estate, Troutbeck, Zimbabwe

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The Troutbeck School

The Troutbeck School

January 2016:

The Troutbeck School opens for its first full year!

 

The Troutbeck School

The Troutbeck School

 

There is a special website for the school: www.thetroutbeckschool.com

 

The Troutbeck School

The Troutbeck School

 

And a Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/thetroutbeckschool/

 

The Troutbeck School

The Troutbeck School

 

April 2014:

We are the owners of Hornbydale Estate, situated above the clouds at 7200ft, 2200m, in Troutbeck, Zimbabwe. Today the 129 acre, 52 hectare,  estate comprises the main house, holiday cottage, staff quarters, tropical gardens & tree ferns, arable and virgin land with natural springs. Situated at the top of the hill we have commanding 180 degree views of the Troutbeck Valley and lakes, Worlds View to the north west, and the mountains of Mozambique to the east.

Hornbydale Estate, Troutbeck, Zimbabwe

Hornbydale Estate, Troutbeck, Zimbabwe