Today felt like one of those days where Járnheim stopped being something I could only picture in my head and started looking like a real place.
I spent the day building our second feast table and another set of benches, before giving everything a good going-over with the blowtorch. Aside from giving the timber that dark, weathered look I wanted, charring the surface helps give it a bit more protection from the elements which it’s certainly going to need living in a Lancashire woodland.
Then came the satisfying part.
Everything I’ve built so far was loaded up and taken down to the camp: both feast tables, the benches, the stools and the shield.
Seeing it all together beneath the trees for the first time was brilliant. There’s still a huge amount to build, but looking across the clearing today, I could finally start to see the beginnings of the place I’ve had in my head for months.
Tomorrow is another big milestone … our first proper Járnheim build day.
We’ve got volunteers coming down to help transform the clearing, so tonight I’ve prepared a huge beef casserole with turnip, swede and parsnip, which we’ll reheat over the fire tomorrow and serve with crusty bread and salted butter.
If people are giving up their Sunday to help me build a Viking camp in the woods, the very least I can do is feed them properly!
And after spending the day building furniture, burning timber, shifting everything to the woods and cooking tomorrow’s feast…
I’ve now come straight to Wigan to work tonight.
I am absolutely shattered.
But tomorrow morning we go again.
There’ll be fires to build, timber to move, structures to raise and plenty more work ahead of us. Járnheim certainly isn’t appearing overnight. It’s being built piece by piece, weekend by weekend, by hand.
And looking at these photographs today, I think all the graft is going to be worth it.
Tomorrow, the real build begins.
No pain, no gain… apparently. 😂