Paradise Regained

Apologies for the slightly late publication this fortnight but, the internet went down on Sunday for some reason. The fact that I had too much to drink on Saturday night had nothing to do with it at all, honestly, trust me I'm a doctor.

With hands all but healed, this fortnight I set about resuming work on the second bathroom, which has been patiently waiting my return. Before I did this I pulled one or two small bits and pieces out to the basement to make the Great Room feel more like home and added a couple of rugs for atmosphere.

Not the best photo to show off the Great Room but, at least it gives you some idea of how it now feels.

First up in the bathroom I tiled the bath and installed the faucet and taps. It all works well but, I have yet to christen it by having a bath.

With that done it seemed logical to get the floor tiling done, for which I needed to run the under floor heating wires. The floor temperature sensor is in the middle and it all tested positive before I put the tiles down.

The tiling went smoothly although over half of them had to be cut. The under-floor heating works well and will be appreciated in the winter

I then installed the toilet and built and mounted two wall cabinets, one over the loo and the other …..

…. above the sink counter - .… 

….. better seen here.

The lavatory didn't take up as much room as I imagined it would and there is more room in here than I expected.

Finally, I finished the shower tiling. Pebbles on the floor and …..

…. the same tiles as the bath and floor for the shower walls. So, black and white bathroom now done, bar the shower door (that will have to be bespoke as the entrance is too large for off the shelf doors) and fixtures and fittings that I will add later this week.

No sooner than I published the last blog, the humming birds arrived and have been buzzing the feeder constantly ever since. For those interested, the liquid is just sugar and water - fifteen teaspoons of sugar to one (large) yoghurt pot. The robins have also built their nest under the North Wing deck but, are not yet sitting on any eggs.

I have been promising myself that I would plant some grape vines this year and last week I bought and planted three on the South side of the cabin. Two are doing really well but, the third is being a little slow getting going.

There are two different types of grape and suitable, so I am told, the one for eating and the other for wine or preserves.

I am going to encourage them to grow up the deck posts so the fruit will be out of the reach, of the deer at least.

The melt is rather slow this year. There was lots of snow in the winter on the mountains and the temperature in the valleys this Spring has been warm for two months now but the temperatures, particularly at night, at altitude, have been cold. At least it has meant that there have been no floods in our region, which many will be thankful for.

This weekend has been very sociable and Saturday evening I had guests for starters at my place and then we moved on to Rod and Candy's place for the main course. I ate and drank far too much and paid for it on Sunday morning. No regrets though. Sunday evening was more sedate and we started at Dan and Debbie's and then moved to Rod and Candy's fire pit where we sat warming our feet at the fire with a glass of Merlot, eating ribs and chicken and listening to wolves howling in the forest and geese chatting away on the water - "Paradise Regained".

The Full Monty

 Well, it's that time again. It has been quite a slow fortnight as far as progress is concerned but, in other ways, it has also been a significant period. I have had my first guests, Janet and Stuart Doyle who came for Easter. They arrived bearing gifts of wine and a delicious home made Dundee cake and during their stay made up for my appalling lack of preparation by donating a much needed tea pot and coffee maker.

Stuart helped me by putting two coats of stain on all the shelves in the study and when Janet wasn't busy working in the kitchen she found time to help unpack all my books, dust them off and put them on the shelves. What a splendid job she did too. They are now far better organised than they have ever been. Stuart even made a step, so I will be able to reach the top shelf without standing on a chair.

If that wasn't enough, at the end of a long and tiring day Stuart helped me bring up the two, two seater sofas from the basement that I brought over from the UK. These are over thirty years old and are still in excellent condition, if in need of a little polish/nourishment.

Stuart and Janet left on Monday morning to visit their daughter Jeniffer in Banf for lunch on their 10 hour journey home to Whitecourt in northern Alberta. It was great to see them and I look forward to their next visit, which I hope won't involve any work at all. Thanks guys, you are the best.

I spent the rest of the time finishing off this side of the cabin, light work while my hands heal.

I put doors on the side board and some of the lower shelving in the study area and continued the exciting process of unpacking boxes that I packed up three years ago. I also put up a row of smaller shelves to house my CD music collect.

At this point the temptation to interrupt the work in the study in order to set up my stereo system was too great. After all, three years is a long time to go without quality music and part of the fantasy of building this cabin here was to look out of this window at the wonderful view of the lake and the Rockies accompanied by Motzart, Sibelius, Bach, Vivaldi, Mancini, Straus and co ……..

It has taken my appreciation of both this place and their music to a different level. Achieving it wasn't as straight forward as just setting up the stereo. I had to put in a 220 volt power supply which I floor mounted. Frankly, it was just too difficult to now put the socket in the logs.

So, to the accompaniment of genius beyond my comprehension, I set to work with renewed inspiration at chinking the rest of the logs in the dining area and hanging a few more pictures. The desk will probably move when I get around to making the dining room table but, it looks fine where it is for the time being between 'The Camp of the 4th Division' and 'Marlene Dietrich'.

Much time was then spent doing the finishing touches like staining the doors, putting an architrave above the book shelves and unpacking the rest of my boxes. The latter was a cross between Christmas and a trip down memory lane. Each book, photograph, plaque, decanter and ornament had a story to tell as it came out of the box and I found a place for it to go.

I must have moved everything at least three times and will probably rearrange it all again before it is finally done. But, the cabin is finally beginning to feel like home and …..

….. at last I have been able to start living in the rest of the house. For the past six months I have virtually been living in my bedroom but, now I can relax and enjoy other parts of the cabin.

I bought some rugs to make the place feel a little more comfortable and to protect the floor boards from excessive wear.

The final piece was getting my computer set up on the desk in the corner. The challenge here was to get an effective internet connection in an area of the cabin where the signal strength on my iPhone is only one bar. I had to install a booster system that involved external and internal antennae and seventy feet of co-axial cable.

The strongest signal in the house is in my bedroom and so I put the external antenna on the roof above it.

The internal one I put above the desk. I could probably have put it in a place where I would get a larger area coverage but, it would be more conspicuous and I also wanted the strongest signal directly over the desk area. Anyway, where I was getting one bar, I now have five bars. Well worth the money and effort.

The summer bird migration is well under way. Most of the birds have been back for about a month now, including the robins, but, 'mine' have not returned or at least are not nesting at the cabin yet. The geese are here, the same two pairs fighting over the best spots on the cliff facing the front of the cabin. The ospreys are already sitting on eggs in their large nests.

Last year the humming birds arrived exactly on queue on 1st May so, this year I had my humming bird feeder all cleaned and filled ready for them. Only, despite the temperature this week rising to 30c, they haven't arrived yet. Well it's ready for them when they get here and, as I have put it right outside one of my windows, I hope I will get plenty of opportunities to photograph them - wish I had a better camera.

As you all know I am partial, upon occasion, to a good old (out of fashion) English breakfast and that the proper ingredients are hard to come by over here. Well, I was wondering through my local supermarket, unusually taking my time to browse the shelves, when I happened across some back bacon and some good old fashioned pork bangers. The temptation was too great and so I went on to look for some tomatoes, mushrooms and eggs. The only thing I couldn't find was some black pudding (blood sausage for the un-initiated) and so went to a special meats seller in Cranbrook whom I thought might have some. Sadly, I was informed that since a law was introduced about two years ago, banning products made with blood, it is no longer available. The nanny state gone made - what would we do without them! Probably live happier lives.

The Full Monty. 
I know a breakfast like this every morning is probably not conducive to a long life but, at least I would die happy.

The pace of work this fortnight has remained slow, not helped by the fact that within two hours of having the stitches out last Saturday I managed to burst the wound open again. I resisted the temptation to go back and have it sown up again and resorted instead to my trusted roll of duct tape. The good news is that I don't think it will be long, about I week I hope, before I can get back on with the main bathroom.

Despite the slow pace this fortnight, I feel that another small milestone has been passed. All but four of my boxes are now unpacked. The last four contain only large glass Japanese fishing buoys that will decorate the bar or the deck, I haven't decided which yet. So, they can remain where they are for the time being. For all intents and purposes therefore, all my possessions are now out and available to me. This gives me a feeling that although the cabin is not yet finished, I have now completed my move. The journey, so to speak, is not yet over but, the transient nature of my life over the last few years feels like it is coming to an end. The uncomfortable period of limbo is fading.

Psychologically, this is an important milestone. As most readers of this blog are aware, this project has been part philosophy and part therapy. It has now mostly fulfilled its element of therapy. In all honesty, time has probably been the main healer but, the project has kept my mind and body occupied while time has healed the wounds. As I complete the work on the cabin (above the basement) over the next few weeks I will start to think about the future, travel and exploration.