UK - Day 5

After a restless night in a very creaky bunk bed, I am happy to see first light and get up to go exploring my new surroundings. As I put on my shoes out on the porch, I look out over the garden and the mountains beyond...it is so peaceful and beautiful! Nothing is better than waking up with the crisp, cool air of the mountains in a place as breathtaking as this...

As I slowly wander away from the Ecocabin, I see trails of all sorts and sizes going off in different directions - all very tempting, but I continue on. I've decided to see more of the campus before wandering too aimlessly.
The buildings are silent at this hour, seems not a soul is stirring. Without distraction, I notice more about them than I did on our short tour yesterday.
The variety of materiality in each is really good to see - to have more examples in one place. In fact, it seems that everything is built with the intention of being an example and a learning tool.
Unlike the typical school campus, there is no paving, very little parking (yeah, I know most students have a similar comment about their campuses, but I'm talking VERY little parking), and rubbage bins are nearly impossible to find. Recycle bins on the other hand, are in abundance and very clearly marked for proper use. Nice!
There are other learning tools besides the buildings themselves. CAT has a lot of young visitors, and they know how to cater to them! Pictured below is a game of sorts incorporating the top of an old wind turbine and a simple wood structure with posters. Players try to score the lowest points in how much energy they use.Another exhibit collects water and solar power to generate power to run a voice recording explaining how it all works.
I wander through some other gardening areas - these are mostly flowers and bushes. In the distance, I notice the construction going on. The huge crane looks out of place here, but its purpose is intriguing. I wonder what the future holds for this place...
Yesterday, I was told of a trail up the mountain to the old wind turbine and rainwater collection reservoir. This morning seems like a perfect time to check that out. The trail is like any hiking trail, lined with ferns and birds overhead.
The view from here is possibly even more breathtaking than the first one this morning. I just might fall right in love with this place!
I must admit the reservoir leaves a little to be desired, from a visual standpoint, but here it is!
Wind turbines nearby are spinning slowly, and a bright bell flower catches my eye.
Looking out across the valley to the facing mountainside, I spot another morning wanderer. This one is walking carefully through a sheep pasture toward the upgraded wind turbine. A little zooming shows that it is Prof. Bruce. I guess he likes to wake up with a morning stroll too!
And now, it is that time of the morning when my stomach plays dictator and I hope breakfast will be served soon! With the hunger-induced weakness, I cut the walking short and go to the computer lab to send off a quick email to my man before the morning meal.
We sit slightly mixed at the cafeteria tables, attempting to get to know some of the CAT students. It's a pretty quiet breakfast. Then, we gather for a lecture on Approaches to Research, Skills and Methodology by Judith, the water expert. After learning how to properly conduct research, we are introduced to 4 choices of groups to sign up for a 4-day research charette. While we take a traditional tea time, the professors/tutors look at our choices and place us in groups. I am assigned to Group C - Test Cells with Kara and Jason as tutors. Only one other Idahoan is in my group - the rest are candidates for insta-buddying! Very happy with the outcome.
We drive to the lovely village of Corris to begin our project in the backyard of the old school, which now operates as a hostel.
And, there is a sheep meadow right across the street!
Here, in this little village across from the Snowdonia National Park, we keep our distance at first - relaxing in the rare warmth of the sunshine. Sabhdh and Jen pull out some brightly-colored things and quietly twirl them. It was fascinating, and I want to try it...
Jen has a shy smile, but she is more than happy to teach me how to do this. First, you just practice moving them in sync, or in alternating rhythms, and then you're ready to cross your hands!
I can't do it for long without them hitting together, but it's a great way to pass the time and make buddies!
The fun is cut short with the arrival of our tutors who inform us that we have a lot of work to do on our first day of the project. Our test cells must be built and set up for a calibration run overnight. The test cells consist of plywood boxes, with insulation and glazing on one side. We decide on an assembly line of sorts to accomplish the construction task.
We are researching the effectiveness of insulation and thermal mass in an airtight interior environment, so they must be constructed carefully and all joints must be sealed. My job is to seal the inside with "mastic" (clear sealant) and the outside with "gaffa tape" (duct tape). It goes pretty smoothly until we run out of wood screws.
While someone goes looking for more, we get a little distracted:

After the wood screws arrive and we receive another little pep talk from the tutors, we buckle down to finish all of the construction, callibrate the data loggers, and set the first experiment running for overnight. After our brief bonding moment, we work quite well together! :)
Toward the end of our race against sunlight, we are swarmed with little biting bugs known as midges. They are as small and quick as gnats, but they bite like misquitos - stealing blood to feed their young. Unfortunately they swarm in thousands, and are impossible to keep track of or swat at before they attack. So we huddle into our hoods and work as fast as we can before escaping to the hostel to twitch and scratch until the sensation wears off.
I can safely say that I despise these little buggers even more than misquitos!!