A cottage is another name for a small house and it is normally built from things that can be found locally, just like the ones from the fairy tale of the Three Little Pigs.
Declan and Pip do a great job of pointing out some of the main features of this cottage, from the wooden window frames to the stone walls. These make the building very strong. Watch and find out which type of cottage Pip and Declan are talking about.
Pip and Declan are standing in front of a thatched cottage.
DECLAN: What time is the next bus?
PIP: Huh? Ah, there should be one in about two minutes.
DECLAN: What shall we do til then?
PIP: I don't know… ah, want to play a game?
DECLAN: Oh yeah! You know I love games!
PIP: What kind of person lives in a house like that?
DECLAN: What, you mean that old-looking house with the straw roof?
PIP: Yeah, that's called a thatched cottage Delcan, like the one my Granny lives in.
DECLAN: Haha, I don't think your Granny lives in that one, because I think that house was built by a pig.
PIP: A pig? Don't you mean a goat? So that when it gets hungry it can go onto the roof for a snack?
DECLAN: Haha, no no. I mean a pig like in the story of the three little pigs and the wolf. Do you know that one?
PIP: Aw! I will huff and I'll puff and I'll blow your house down! Ow ow owww, haha!
DECLAN: That's the one!
PIP: So, which of the three little pigs built this house?
DECLAN: Em, let's see. Take a look at the roof. The first little pig built his house out of straw.
PIP: Ohh, that's because straw is naturally waterproof, and is maintained by a thatcher.
DECLAN: Hmm. Oh, and look at the windows and the door frame! The second pig built his house out of wood.
PIP: Obtained by a woodcutter from a local wood in the area.
DECLAN: Ah. And the white walls of the cottage. Didn't the third little pig build his house out of stone?
PIP: Mined from a quarry in the mountains.
DECLAN: Hmm. Well, come to think of it Pip, it takes a lot to build a cottage like that.
PIP: It does! So, which of the three little pigs built this cottage?
DECLAN: Well, that's easy Pip! All three of them!
PIP: Haha, yeah!
What makes this home so unusual is its thatched roof, made from dry straw and reeds that have been tightly packed together. It might seem strange, but thatching is actually a really good choice for a roof. Thatching will keep your house nice and warm, it is waterproof, it's really good for the environment and it should last a long time.
So he can huff, and he can puff, but there is no way the Big Bad Wolf is blowing this house down!
