Tea at Trianon: How to Build a Hobbit House

John Wilson Croker on Marie-Antoinette

"We have followed the history of Marie Antoinette with the greatest diligence and scrupulosity. We have lived in those times. We have talked with some of her friends and some of her enemies; we have read, certainly not all, but hundreds of the libels written against her; and we have, in short, examined her life with– if we may be allowed to say so of ourselves– something of the accuracy of contemporaries, the diligence of inquirers, and the impartiality of historians, all combined; and we feel it our duty to declare, in as a solemn a manner as literature admits of, our well-matured opinion that every reproach against the morals of the queen was a gross calumny– that she was, as we have said, one of the purest of human beings."

~from History of the Guillotine by John Wilson Croker, 1844

Edmund Burke on Marie-Antoinette

"It is now sixteen or seventeen years since I saw the queen of France, then dauphiness, at Versailles; and surely there never lighted on this orb, which she hardly seemed to touch, a more delightful vision. I saw her just above the horizon, decorating and cheering the elevated sphere she had just begun to move in, glittering like a morning star full of life and splendor and joy. Oh, what a revolution....Little did I dream that I should have lived to see such disasters fall upon her, in a nation of gallant men, in a nation of men of honor and of cavaliers! I thought ten thousand swords must have leaped from their scabbards, to avenge even a look which threatened her with insult. But the age of chivalry is gone; that of sophisters, economists, and calculators has succeeded...."

~Edmund Burke, October 1790

Tuesday, September 27, 2011

How to Build a Hobbit House

Easy, convenient and inexpensive. I want one. To quote:

The family struck lucky searching for a site for their dream project. In return for looking after the area, the owner of the woods gave them their plot for free. After digging into the hillside, Mr Dale – with the help of his father-in-law, a builder – first constructed the building’s timber frame. The roof, which came next, has a layer of straw bales for insulation and is covered with sheets of plastic to make it waterproof. Finally it is covered with a layer of earth, which ensures the house blends perfectly into its surroundings. (Read entire article.)

The North Coast said...: What a lovely house! I always found the Hobbit lifestyle beguiling, too. It's wonderful to build such a beautiful, cozy, sustainable little house so cheaply.

I only wish that the Dales had been able to purchase the land they built this on, and I hate to see people make this kind of investment on other people's property. You never know what can happen; your landlord can die or fall on hard times and have to sell, and the next owner has other plans. Best to do this on property that you OWN.; September 27, 2011 at 12:22:00 AM EDT
Hans Georg Lundahl said...: If I find a wife, getting a troglo-house would be ideal, once the ground was paid. In France there is no habitation tax on troglodyte housings.

I have my own ideas about architecture, but the thing is, it would take heaps of work for several men.

Meanwhile, do have a look at my blog posts:

Oh the Sunshine on the dewdrops on the cobwebs in the fog ...

(REM has been notified about second stanza)

and:

L'Esprit d'Escalier

and - if you do not mind - this one:

Be my Unwin or Hooper if you like!; September 27, 2011 at 2:54:00 AM EDT
papabear said...: Wish I could build one...; September 27, 2011 at 9:21:00 PM EDT