Red House Roof (Day 8)

A lifetime of learning (and playing).
Another day working on the roof, unfortunately cut short by early rain. I added more counter battens but the basic appearance of the roof didn’t change enough to warrant another roof blip.
Adding the battens means hammering in a lot of nails and that is quite a contemplative task. As I was working I wondered where the knowledge I was using to do this came from. I don’t remember anyone teaching me how to re-do a roof in school!
Some of the specialised information I needed, specific to roofs, and these particular materials, came from Internet but a lot of the basic knowledge comes from a lifetime of activities.
The basic knowledge behind the scaffolding I built  came from my time in the Scouts as a teenager. There we learned, practically, to build quite complex structures with beams, lashings, and knots. These days I use nails too, but my scaffolding still uses some lashings.
I learned more about handling ropes, tying knots, and moving around on dangerous ground as I climbed and caved as a young adult. That’s very good knowledge to have when working on a sloping roof with a 3,5 meter drop to the ground and various ropes crossing the roof holding things in place and providing me with grab-lines when needed.
At the start and end of my working day on the roof I’m handling a 50 square meter tarpaulin, often in a wind. Sailing experience helps there.
These activities involve balance, knowing where you are, where your body is, and where you can safely move to at any time. Tai Chi has further developed that experience.
All the outdoor activities gave me a problem solving attitude.  When you are miles from anywhere problems that pop up just have to be solved. Usually there is a fix if you work at it.
School did teach me about 3x4x5 triangles and I checked the right angles on my roof with a large 345 triangle!
Learning is a life long activity!