Shaun the sheep on the roof – Happy new year

If you haven’t heard of Wallace and Gromit you may not know Shaun the sheep.
Here is a clip to tell you about it.

Quite a while ago I heard of the availabilty of sheep wool as insulation. I thought “great idea” talked to some people about it, read about it and promptly forgot it.

The new roofs enticed me to check back on the whole thing as we wished to insulate our ceiling.

Now, you can make it yourself. All you need is a flock of these, some sheers, a nice stream close by, borax and a carding mashine. Here in rural Galicia sheep wool is discarded as no one has a use for it, sad.  But than putting it in nets, dunk it in a stream and forget about it for some month so it cleans isn`t for the impacient. Borax is required, as without, its like a whole page advert in the Voz de Galicia – Free apartments for moth -.

I found a shotcut in the form of a company in Navarra that does all that and than makes nice rolls and ships it.
OK, being ECO is not for the financially inhibited as a m2 10 cm thick is 10 Euro and than there is VAT and transport.

In a Wallace and Gromit episode Shaun the sheep makes it first appearance and acidentally gets shorn and the woll made into a pullover which it than wears. Since than all wool comes from Shaun, at least in our house.
Iñigo @ AislaNat (http://aislantesaislanat.es/) was actually answering e-mails, sometimes one wonders why companies here in Spain bother to have a web site and e-mail as they tend to not answer or phone at ungodly hours.

After a litle email ping pong and informing them that I was concidering an offer on a flock of sheep, a final offer arrived. The price of transport was a bit shocking, but than someone has to pay for the guys who shovel the snow in Navarra and drives the 620 Km. Michelin maps tell you it will cost about 75€ one way in a decent car, which put sit into perspective when factoring in the hassle of hiring something that can transport 6 m3.

As not unusual with me I don’t worry too much about things under control and only when a transport company called me saying they are prepared to threaten delivery did I call the company to ask what the actual size and wheight is, so I can organise some space.

A bit later the driver of the delivery called and I thought I made out he is already in Mer. When I went out to check, he wasn’t, which if you know the signage here in rural Galicia comes as of no surprise. You may just see the small signs that meantions Mer. If you follow these you are likely to see the next sign showing in the direction you have just come from. There is no sign proclaimint that you have entered Mer or that you are admiring the sights that make up Mer. Even some satelite navigation may tell you “…you want to be here (x), but you are lost…or can’t find suitable road….”

When he finally found us and saw the small road leading to our house, he said “I can’t get down there” to which I could only reply that I just wanted he wool not his truck.
As I wrote, this comes in nice rolls, weighs next to nothing and is just a bit bulky.

We only have a very small opening to get to this roof, if and when I no longer fit it’s time to go on a diet. Barbara actually had a vivid dream some nights before of handling huge rolls of sheep wool and feeding these to me into this opening.

A dream come true, although she did not tell me about the bit where she takes a nap whilst I struggle on.

The stuff is simply great. No mask required, easy to handle and comfortable to snuggle into it. No cutting, just ripp where needed and thats it. If one wants to put it directly under the roof some netting to fix it would be required as it is just wool, nothing else.

As our bed room is under there, we now drift to sleep with a faint …bääääääh… the last thing we remember.

And before I forget a

HAPPY NEW YEAR

2011 = 4 years in Galicia and enjoying every moment of it.

Expat