Tipi

Tonight I went to a Hallowe'en get-together at Emma and Ben's smallholding just a few miles from where I live. It's gorgeous, well off the beaten track. This year they built their own tipi. Ben cut and stripped the poles. Inside is a small woodburner with a chimney, beside it a fire pit. There was no doubt in my mind what my blip would be for today! The 'do' ran partly inside the tipi and partly outside and started at 3, with children's entertainments until about 5 - including a reportedly impressive puppet show by Emma which I missed due to not arriving until well after 5. The previous 2 days Emma had worked like mad to produce home-made soups (Leek & Potato, and Pumpkin), chilli, plus venison and pheasant hot-pots (both road-kill), and various cakes - delicious. Guests also brought contributions for the barbecue.
About 5.30 the woodburner and a fire in the pit were lit. Once established the children had toasted marshmallows, and then the foods were cooked on a grid over the pit, the top of the woodburner being used to heat the soup.
There's no electricity - Emma and Ben don't live there as yet (but that's in the offing), so once dark the inside of the tipi was illuminated with battery powered fairy lights, tea-lights in holders and a candelabra with about 6 candles suspended about 6' up from a crosswire! It looked beautiful. By evening most of the children had gone and more adults arrived. A bonfire was lit outside, and a large wooden picnic table surrounded by fairy lights used also.
This is the view in daylight looking up through the top from the floor at the side. Here it is in close-up
Here's inside with the lovely fire burning in the pit.
I really enjoyed myself. It was my first chance to see the smallolding and the tipi, and meet Ben, their friends and Ben's brothers & sisters - even their parents.
My thanks to Emma (and Ben) for inviting me! And for agreeing to me blipping these pictures :-))