Ladies and Lords of our Churchfortress Castle, loyal and occasional fans, noble donours, all you dear members of the digital world’s ultimate newsletter distributor, it’s that time again!
A lot has happened since our end of 2018 winter meeting. Very much! As usual, we want to bring you up to date. We did not believe it at first, but you’re reading our newsletter N ° 20! Again, in words: TWENTY. Hopefully this triggers you with almost as tingling a sensation as ours, including snap breathing.
First, a rally. After a long struggle we finally surrender to this devious Zeitgeist and use more channels for our public relations. In addition to the Homepage, Newsletter, Facebook and Twitter, you can now follow us on Instagram. For those who love impressive pictures without novels attached.
And now the usual letter-rich Churchfortress experience report aka LRCER (yes, I just made that one up;): Movile’s first 2019 projects were tackled in April. In addition to the ubiquitous restoration work on our future headquarters in the former teacher house, we have decided to provide our visitors with fresh, local produce from our very own vegetable garden this summer. For this purpose, our superheroes Firewoman & Fireman first built a stylish wooden fence with help of the Tolkien-like locals Dorin & Florin. They then prepared the soil in a gentle and traditional way with the horse plow. The beds were finally created by our also super power equipped(in the form of several green thumbs) girlfriend Ana-Maria — the best neighbour you can imagine. After a short time, the first shoots of carrot, onion, zucchini, cucumber, chard, potato, dill, parsley, savoury, basil, rosemary, calendula and a variety of other chlorophyll containing friends speared from the ground and began growing towards the warming spring sun.
But vegetables alone don’t make the good mood in us. For, April is also a time of cutting, dealing with fruit trees. So, after mapping with GPS in the parish garden, our Fireman aka Fruit Tree Guru jumped on the long ladder, cutting three trees in several days before sleeping for just as long. He’s fine by the way. Thanks to his selfless act, they would survive the summer without breakings but with tasteful apples. Much like us, they need more air, light and love…and chocolate!
To freshen up the aged orchard meadow, new fruit trees of old varieties were planted in the parish garden. Thanks go to Brunhilde Böhls and her fruit tree nursery organising said old varieties, and chief financiers Hermann Ongert with HOG Hundertbücheln. During a lunar landscape excursion in the burned orchards above the village, we moreover discovered vines and gooseberries to add to the teacher’s garden.
But that’s not all. On a stormy-cold winter day, Paul had been delegated to cutting old trees in the Parish garden storing them, wrapped in blankets and wet sand, in the frost-proof cellar. Almost all survived the winter storage without a mouse attack. They were waiting to be refined by Firewoman & Fireman, to preserve the variety of trees in the village and parish garden. Almost all trees survived the hot summer. They’re now looking forward to a rainy autumn and winter. The cut trees are strong. Their lower branches (where you can harvest better) start fruiting againand the next variety backups are already planned. For a long life, many tasty apples and delicious grapes in Movile!
And since April is well known for surprises, we were able to climb another milestone within the walls of our future luxury residence: Under the calm and thoughtful guidance of our local craftsman, the wonderful Daniel Andree from Roseln , we began renewing the house electrics, bringing everything up to date.. Hence, we no longer need to tap the stream of helpful neighbours to operate our circular saw and the associate disco ball.
Never mind spring tiredness! On a beautiful sunny day in the merry month of May, we remembered a great success from last year and brought out of hibernation the biggest cooking pots in the village. The most popular brewmaster of the entire region called his sleepy lackey. Soon an uncomparable smell flowed through the beautiful village of the hundred hills … Following a secret recipe handed down through generations, we mixedbarley and hops with the magical water from our well. This, under the strictest observance of the holy three temperature levels, and with constant supply of love and gratitude. Attracted by the beguiling smells, many villagers as well as well-traveled city guys soon came by the open courtyard gate for exhilarating chats. By the end of the day, of course, last year’s remaining supplies had been emptied. Fortunately, the next batch was already waiting in the cellar for their summer action: Hundertbierchen Vol. II saw the world.
With such a treasure in the basement, extreme caution is required! While one of us took care of the highly professional German delegation of friendly landscape planners and architects, the others began to restore the entrance to said cellar. Under the guidance of our almost ingenious and undoubtedly generous friend and role model Stefan Vaida from nearby Alzen, we walled and worked hard to offer the precious liquid gold the appropriate protection, in our house. As always in our projects, only traditional materials were used and only that replaced which was no longer obtainable. The work was completed just in time. The treasure was brought to safety protected from of all the impatient two-, three- and four-legged friends.
In a flickering change, the good news reached a new crowd of Movile friends, raising their gaze a little further up. Driven by ambition, cheerfulness, passion and team spirit – but perhaps also by the fear of the next winter – one of our fabulous damsels gathered numerous helping hands for the almost legendary Crackworkshop. With lightning speed and all available forces – plus a magical mix of clay and water – the extremely painful crack at the heart of our common future was patched up. The result is impressive. Chapeau!
And if you are ever in such a flow, you should not let up, right?
In June we went straight to the teacher house. The second round of our new, reconstructed double-wood windows was expertly installed by the carpenter of our confidence. Hard to believe what a feeling our brave avengers grasped after this time of great triumphs! Heralds and minnesingers from all over the continent had plenty to do to honour these heroic deeds. We would like to take this opportunity to thank our noble donours wholeheartedly! Your generosity allows us to turn this clubhouse into a very special place! For, even the biggest heart alone does not pay off those bills…
And as the summer had picked up speed as much as the lords and ladies of Churchfortress Castle, the month of July knocked on the door asking for his promised adventures. What should we say? We didn’t disappoint him! Supported by our famous partners, the Saxon people of Movile, and under expert supervision of a lower Bavarian noble man, people continued to mortar, screw, clean, weld, collect and ring the bells! A new fireplace was built in the parish garden, with enough space for the legendary campfire evenings under star filled skies at the foot of our beautiful castle. A hurrying expert from nearby Agnita then climbed onto the roof of the Teacher House, instructing us in the art of Transylvanian dormer construction. Thus, he secured the eternal friendship of the Hundertbücheln nobles. Thank you, Wölbi, for your spontaneous help! We love our new dormer very much and we will do our best with the second!
The middle of July was initiated with an unforeseen blow. Suddenly the big 15th century bell fell silent. Despite utmost cable care, it didn’t make the slightest sound – the flail had freed himself from his eternal prison to take a look at the beautiful Harbach Valley. Experts were quickly identified, an accomplished blacksmith found, a new ring welded on. Without much grumbling, the flail found its way back to its original place. The joy that our two master hikers Horst and Michael captured when the five-hundred-year-old sound floated back through the valley can only be guessed at.
Carried by the sweet sound, we set about cleaning the tower clock and looking for damaged areas. Both laymen and experts suspect that it will soon be possible to reactivate the widely visible time machine on the – in relation to other castles in the area – quite powerful bell tower.
Our first half of the year concluded in the most beautiful flowers and fragrances! At great expense, some of the most healing and fragrant herbs were collected in the invisible mist of the hundred hills and then stored in newly built drying frames for later processing. Propolis from the industrious beeches was crushed, mixed with palinka, and calendula flowers were applied in oil to make creams and tinctures. So even this year, illness, rot and sickness will have no place in or around our magical Movile castle!
Finally, just before this newsletter publication, another great news began buzzing in. During village construction work, something really magical happened. The excavator exposed a big “trovant” (sandstone slab), nearly two feet in diameter. Is it an old table, a monumental stepping stone for the gate to the parish garden, or have the giants from the Bücheln barely missed our church with this discus? And who challenged them? Tis still to find out … Tis clear, however, that against adequate compensation, the 500-pound slab was transported to the vicarage and will soon be in use as a huge table, for centuries to come. Norok, helfgott, cheers!
As soon as this pamphlet is on the way by stagecoach, to the remotest corners of the countries, the next team – including president, jester and brewmaster – will already begin their journey to the most beautiful village of Harbach Valley. New adventures, stories and dangers are waiting!
PS: Next spring, Churchfortress e.V. would like to take part in the Environmental Week 2020 of the German Federal Environmental Foundation. We shall present our project at Schloss Bellevue. Stand fees are € 1,600 for the smallest booth and we’re still looking for patrons. All donations are received with great appreciation!
