Fifty Shades of Grey

I started this fortnight with putting some finishing touches to the black and white bathroom. There are still a couple of things to do such as the shower door and some better light fittings but it is now useable.

I decided that I had to christen the loo - well you've got to, haven't you? Anyway, while I was sitting there contemplating all my handy work, it dawned on me that precious little in the room was actually either jet black or pure virgin white and that the tiles and pebbles in particular were all various shades of grey. So, I have decided to rename the room '50 Shades of Grey'. All I need now is the book to go with it, which I can leave by the bath for bath time reading for the ladies.

I also ordered the glass doors for the shower, which will be ready on 1 July. I almost fell over when told the cost and thought a nice set of plastic curtains would do just fine. Sadly, I couldn't find any in black, white or grey so I'll have to have the glass doors.

The next task on the project Gantt chart is to get the North Wing up to the same level as the rest of the cabin (above the basement). The panelling had to be finished off and, where it was not dependant on the floor boards being in place, I also put most of the trim in place.

The aim of the first phase is to get it all ready for putting down the same larch floor boards that are on the floor of the ground/first floor.

I decided to split it up into three areas. The living space and the two bedrooms - 3 and 4.

The living space is over half the total area of the North Wing and it took me six days to get it straight. I brought the mitre saw up from the garage, which I used out on the deck and that saved a lot of time going up and down the stairs with pieces of panelling and trim. The contrasting colours and the proximity of the beams give these rooms a cosy feel and I can't wait to see them with the floor boards down.

The bedrooms are much smaller and by the time I had got around to them I had perfected a few techniques for speeding the process up and it took me only 2 days to complete each of them.

Bedroom 4 first and …. 

…. Bedroom 3 last.

After which, I gave the place a good vacuum cleaning ready for the floor boards sometime next week.

I then did a quick estimate to see if I had enough wood left over from the flooring of the Great Room and it was a mild relief to find that I have, with a little to spare.

With all my sawing and staining (of trim pieces) on the North Wing deck the robins decided to move from their nest and built a new one under the main deck outside the Great Room. By the looks of things I think they are now sitting on eggs. I haven't taken a closer look for fear of frightening them away and so don't know how many eggs there are.

I have been plagued by thigh muscle cramps at night this week which is probably a sign that I need a rest so I'm going to take tomorrow off and try to resist the temptation to do anything. Fat chance but, at least I'll try.

With the North Wing now ready to floor board, I have been able to get the last piece of scaffolding out of the house and I hope never to have to bring it back in. I will now return it to its owners with grateful thanks.

Today I threw away my last pair of old army green jeans. They had served me well. With the other pair, which I threw in the bin a couple of weeks ago, I've worn them nearly every day for the past nearly three years. They had worn so thin in parts they were almost see-threw and covered with appalling stitches holding them together and glue, stain and paint stains. Maybe I should have kept them as a memento of all the work I've done here - maybe not. I think the cabin can stand for that.

That is it for this fortnight. I hope next time to be able to show you the North Wing with all the floor boards down.

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.

The Last of the Summer Wine

I thought I would post slightly early this fortnight. I have Stuart and Janet Doyle visiting for Easter and I thought it would be a good idea to get this out of the way before they arrive later today (Friday).

I had to change my plans half way through the period. I started off resuming work on the main bathroom, while I waited for the quartz slabs for the kitchen counter tops to arrive from Calgary.

I ran all the wiring for the underfloor heating and then boxed in the bath and walls around it ready for tiling. I remembered to turn the water supply to the bath on just in time before sealing it in or I would have had to cut a hole in the fibre board, which I may do anyway.

That done I put the sink in. This is the same one as is in the two piece bathroom downstairs and it will match the colour scheme in here, which is going to be black and white.

I then cut and fitted the Schluter shower tray into the shower alcove and connected up the drain.

At this point Don, one of my neighbours, phoned to say that he was arriving a day early to install the slabs in the kitchen. I rose early the next day to move the car, ready for Don to back his truck up to the front door to make it easier to unload the slabs. While I was at it, I decided to take some rubbish down to the dump.

To cut a long story short, for a small price in bone, blood and flesh, I managed to retrieve this set of elk antlers from the bottom of the dumpster and they will go nicely on one of the walls of the cabin. Next time I tell this story I'll show the scars and will probably add a bit - like how I had to fight off a cougar and a bear to get them. I was never one to let the truth get in the way of a good story.

Anyway after a trip to the hospital to get patched up and sparing the Doctor in ER the truth about how I came about my injuries, I managed to get to the airport to pick up my neighbours, Luis and Nona, who had flown in from Mexico via Galgary and get back out to the cabin just in time to watch Don finish installing the slabs in the kitchen.

He did a splendid job, which is probably what you would expect from Don, who always aspires to the highest standards in whatever he does. 

I spent the next couple of days plumbing in the sink and the dishwasher, slowed down only a bit by bandages and splints. Bar the splash plate on the wall above the counters, the kitchen is now finished. The splash plate will have to wait until my hands are healed up.

To celebrate, I cooked myself my first proper meal in the kitchen, a stir fry - come on, what did you expect, a full roast!

I washed it down with the last of the summer wine.

Unable to resume work in the bathroom out of a need to keep my hands dry, I have started work on the 'home office' at the other end of the cabin. I have a few shelves built already and no doubt Stuart Doyle will help me stain them and fill them with books. I will probably build an angled desk in the corner.

Well that's it, the Doyle's will be here shortly. Until next time ….

The House of the Rising Sun

Since my last posting I have worked almost exclusively on the kitchen.

It took three days to make all the doors and draw fronts but, I have yet to decide how to finish them. I think I am going to follow the advice of a close friend and wait until the counter top is in and will live with them for a couple of weeks before deciding how they should be finished. The architrave on the top of the wall cabinets is in place as is the kick board under the base units. I have also finished the under counter lighting and the trim under the wall cabinets to hide the lights from direct view.

My neighbour, Don Burton, whom some will recall supplied and installed the quartz top for the en suite bathroom vanity, came over last weekend to measure up for the counter top. He made a template out of hard plastic sheets which he joined to together with masking tape and took away with him to Calgary to have the top cut out of the same quartz, which will be a good match for the island top.

I did have my heart set on a copper cowling for the hood fan but, after eight months of waiting for it from the supplier with no sign of them actually getting down to making it, I decided to go with a glass and stainless steel one from Ikea. It isn't as nice and doesn't really suit the rustic look I was trying to achieve but, as compromises go, I can't really complain. BC tradesmen and suppliers can be a bit like Caribbean islanders. It is often mañana, which really means maybe next year if I feel like doing anything, which is also probably unlikely.

In case you are wondering. I didn't want stone on the island, which doubles as a kitchen table. I wanted something softer for eating off and sitting at to be sociable. However, it does mean that I will have to provide some protection for the wood, especially either side of the gas hob (cooker) and ….

…. that is why I have put these grills in place. There will also be some cut offs from the quartz slab I have bought for the counter top and Don his having some chopping boards/protection plates made out of them. Bye the way, the blue saucepan was the first food to be cooked on the hob - you've guessed it - boiled eggs.

You have probably noticed the ironing board in the background of the previous picture and I bought this because I had to shorten some curtains for the internal windows in the bedrooms. With the days getting longer, guests due at Easter and the house facing the  "rising sun", I felt curtains were now needed. Off the shelf curtains here come in two sizes, 96 or 84 inches.

The 84s are just right for the long windows but, ….

…. far too long for the internal ones so they had to be shortened. Actually, I didn't sow them. I bought iron-on tape and did a much better job than if I had attempted it with a needle and thread. I can sow my own "blue jeans" but my needle work just isn't good enough for this type of work. 

Anyway, red for ….

…. bedroom number 2 and …..

…. chocolate brown for the master.

There is still quite a lot of work to do in the kitchen. I hope that the counter top will arrive next weekend and then I can get on with the back plate. The ceiling needs decorating, some panelling is still required and I want to put some small shelves on the wall cabinet ends either side of the window. The panelling however will have to wait because, would you believe it, I have run out of wood. I have some on order from Macdonald's Mill but, I don't know yet when this will be ready. I hope that I will be able to pick it up next week.

There have been two more sighting of the cougar. It is now confirmed that it is a female and that she has two cubs. I am concerned for her because the threat she posses to children and small domestic animals almost certainly means that she will be killed. I wish she would find another place to raise her family.

On a lighter note, I went to see a play last night - The Foreigner by Larry Shue. It was put on by the Cranbrook Community Theatre, a small amateur unit that works out of an old Masonic Temple building. The theatre, which is upstairs, seats 88 people and the stage is very small but, don't be deceived, the productions are very professional and this one was very entertaining. They have their own Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/pages/Cranbrook-Community-Theatre/280798644410?fref=ts) which is worth a glance if you are interested. I will certainly be going to any future productions.

Coming together

PS. Older, 'Animals' fans, will understand the link between the title of this post and certain words in the text that are in between quotation marks. Younger readers might want to google "Animals - The House of the Rising Sun" 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MgTSfJEf_jM&list=RDMgTSfJEf_jM