three years on and our tipi rope had worn out and the canvas needed cleaning and waterproofing. so jen and i took the tipi down – it collapsed into what looked like a giant game of pick up sticks. we washed it and waterproofed it as well as trimming off the base of the poles which were a bit rotten.

then day 2 was a grace visit to the wood which meant plenty of willing helpers. putting a tipi up is fun and a challenge. the way it works is you create a tripod and pull it up with a rope, then position it.

you then lean in the other poles in a particular order.

you attach the canvas to the last pole – the lift pole – and lean that in and billow round the canvas.

fasten it at the front with wooden pins. our old ones snapped so jen made some new ones from hazel.

then push out the poles and fix it down. the inner lining is waiting to be put back up next time we go down. thanks to grace helpers! steve summers took some photos, some of which i have taken the loberty of using (thanks steve) – his photo album tipi raising is here. thanks sue for the lift pole photo too. we’re hoping that will stay up for a few more years now!