A VERY HAPPY NEW YEAR TO YOU ALL

This will be a short post. I'm going to do a more comprehensive one next time I can get near a high speed connection. Our Xmas tree was the top of a 25 footer- most of it stayed in the plantation. There aren't any more house size trees ! I'll go back for the trunk in the spring and we'll have some firewood for Joe's fire pit.



In the meantime, this picture is really for Sarah, to let her know that some thirty years later I have finally found the right spot for the stained glass window she gave me. About time !

From my "study" window I have a great view of the sunset, the main barn, and at this time of the year the bus.

The "Happy Farmer" has taken advantage of fairly clement weather the past few days to do some brush cutting in the plantation the other side of the marsh in front of the farmhouse and to start work on the tree line on the North side of the field behind the farmhouse.

Looking forward to all the new adventures and activities in 2009.

Work in progress !

This is a view of the newly installed satellite radio set-up. When I have finished the whole job it will get posted !

Here is a view of the recently re-arranged section of the library. Yes. Those are my archives !

I was going to post a picture of some work I have done in G's room, but my labelling is all wrong, so it will have to wait for another time.

I haven't taken any pictures of the trim that is now completed on the four downstairs windows that have been waiting since Summer 2004. I haven't yet decided whether to stain the wood, or paint it. Decisions, decisions !

So, enjoy ! and a Merry Xmas to all.

Never a dull moment !

Beethoven's First Piano Concerto playing in the background. Magnificent, and totally interference, both atmospheric and commercial, free. The combined genius of my offspring made this possible and as I proceed with some of the in-house tasks I am accompanied by the most incredible range of musical offerings. I am no longer bemoaning the demise of classical programming on the CBC, although I do miss the wit and humour, not to mention the scholarship of Yurgen Goth, Eric Friesen, Shelly Soames and Danielle Charbonneau. CBC has gone to World Music which, in my view,places it in the ranks of most indistinguisable commercial radio and I was suffering from withdrawal symptoms. All remedied.

The snowblower has been getting quite a work-out. I have already used it five times and it is providing me with plenty of exercise. There's loads of inside work to keep me occupied, from insulation and draft elimination, to finally getting the trimming done on four downstairs windows, three of which are now completed. I am making some headway on sorting out the library which became a storage area after the move from 259. It is rather slow going because I tend to spend quite a bit of time reading as I rediscover old favorites and come upon the occasional untouched volume.
A little bit of re-arrangement in the downstairs "reception" area, to the right as one comes in the front door, has been necessary since our Xmas tree will be here this year. I'll make sure to get a picture when it is installed.

Not the most exciting post to be sure, bit it is quite satisfying to be adding to my "only a done list" and letting my mind drift onto further possibilities.

If I don't post again before the holidays, I hope that you all have a wonderful time during the upcoming festive season.

The end of the harvest !

It wasn't the greatest year for my tomatoes ! Perhaps I should plant them before the middle of July ! If I can get started a bit earlier next year I might be able to add green tomato chutney to my walnut offerings ! I have st find ways to use the concrete mixer to justify its existence. Can't use it to mix the twenty bags of concrete stored in the barn. They have already solidified !

And this year we got to the Beetroot before the deer ! Unfortunately there is no picture of that succesful harvest. It fell through the cracks in the box as I was bringing it back for supper, never to be seen again ! I'm learning. Next year I won't cut off the greens.

Catching up.

Late September, early October. Mowing/leaf pick-up at the Walnut trees (3) near the bus, I espied hundreds of fallen walnuts. Further investigation revealed stashes under the bus, in the engine compartment and even in the branches of a pine tree. A veritable treasure trove and surely of some use ! But it seemed, mainly being consumed by the squirrels. Surely something that I could handle.

Five large eco-shopping bags filled.. needed the trailer to transport them ! "temporarily" stored near the kitchen. There was something rather gratifying about removing the still hard green outer shell. There was something odder about the way my hands started turning black ! and even blacker when I started to scrape the last traces of pulp from the familiar walnut shells.
Yesterday I put the last bucket of walnuts, in their black syrupy pulp mess out on the back stoop. Defeated. Oh yes, I have about thirty nice looking walnuts for consumption, there is a permanent walnut stain on the solarium floor and the staircase to the basement has large stains ! All of the shopping bags are permanently marked !
But I am not defeated ! Anyone needing walnut stain, just call ! And next year I will be prepared. The walnuts will go into the concrete mixer for shelling. The residual liquid,stain will be drained into the large containers left over from the summer pool chemicals. The remaining unused fuel oil drum will be converted into a boiling vat, suspended over Joe's new stonehenge like fire pit, and the accumulated brush and scrap wood will be used to boil up the whole mess ! I'll set up a roadside stand on the Stata Road and peddle my wares.

Hartfield Walnuts, walnut stain, walnut liqueur will be my answer to the slumping economy. And in further preparation for this new venture I am committed to consuming a half litre of scotch every three days through the winter to provide the bottles for the walnut liqueur. A winning formula !

Winter Prep.

Nothing too startling to report on. Of course there is the mini saga of the Three Goats...two nannies and a Billy, but I missed the opportunity to take pictures. They showed up the other afternoon and were snacking in front of Gabriel's window, on the seed from the bird feeder and some remnants of greenery on the Wygelia bush. They circled the house a couple of times and then went into the work barn. I thought they might have escaped from the neighbour to the West and went to let him know. He was very pleasant and came right over in his truck only to announce that they weren't his ! He kindly offered to take them into his care and promptly left, returning ten minutes later with a transport box on the back of his truck, into which we loaded the goats and off he went. Certainly justifies the title of my blog ! When did you last have goats in your backyard ?

Well, we had snow overnight on Monday so I had a chance to try out the snow blower. It worked well, and I only got slightly sprayed !

Transition !

Most of the outside work is now completed and with the temperature below freezing none too soon.

Got a nice lighting fixture installed in G's room to illuminate her main book case. In progress is a big clean-out in the basement and the set-up of a mini workshop.

Put out the Xmas lights on the hedge and G's pine tree. Working well to check the timer. Far to early to have come on...but ready for mid-December.

Got a snow blower. Never had one before. They are in short supply. Dug out my old snow-mobile winter outerware so should be warm enough ! I figure two passes down, and two up the driveway will be satisfactory. I'll see soon enough. Passed up on the electric handwarmers, but not unhappy to have an electric start.

Fresh garden tomatoes still going strong.. Parsley fading fast !

Wednesday, November 12th.

A beautiful day... too good to not try to do some finishing work...

Porch/Ramp Project: Construction completed.

Trimming, finishing touches, painting, siding, electrical will be on-going, governed by weather and will !
Plenty of light ! That is a plexiglass strip below the windows, and in the transom above the windows. The windows actually work !

It was too dark to take a picture to show the railings and the counter at the top, against the white wall. Tomorrow, Gabriel will try out the ramp and see how she handles getting into and out of the car.

Lots of paint needed, and matching siding on the outside walls/door. Something to look forward to doing when Joe returns next Spring.

A Last Minute Project

Somehow I have really scrambled this post up. I tried to be smart, and prepare the blog and then paste it in. So, I will have to leave most to your imaginations.
This picture was taken at the end of work on Wednesday, November 5th, showing the new roof, ramp and entrance area. Using the tractor and loader to bring in railway ties for the foundation and to pull out the old posts at the bottom of the previous ramp.

On October 24th this is what the ramp/entrance looked like.

This picture,taken in January 2008, creates the justification for a covered entrance way.

A LAST MINUTE PROJECT:

Our last trip to Montreal was in the rain, and it was both unpleasant and difficult for Gabriel on the Ramp from the solarium.

Actually this was taken in January, 2008. Somewhat awkward to get up the ramp to the solarium.
October 24th, 2008. The original ramp. Functional, but unsheltered and tricky to got onto directly from car. Wide car door- Narrow throated ramp !
So, time for a design and specs ! - 1) Must be sheltered and closed off from elements- Remember the prevailing wind- from West and the piling up of snow- Against a door ! So a barn style sliding door.. just like the new one at the bus.. but should not be solid, since it will be open through the Spring ‘til early winter, and would effectively cut off the view ! The new door at the bus is designed so that when it is open it is almost invisible. Painted red, and with a window aligned with the first window on the bus ! 2) Needs a wide opening at the entrance so that the car is right against the ramp. 3) Lots of natural light, and 4) must fit the general lines of the front of the farmhouse.

So: Setting a foundation to support the roof and walls:


Bringing in the second railway tie. The tractor was also used to pull out the original posts at the bottom of the ramp. November 2nd, 2008.

Well, here we are on November 5th, 2008 and the framing is all but complete, the roofing (corrugated clear plastic) is on, and the ramp and landing are finished.

The weather has been great and promises to stay so ‘til the weekend so with a bit of luck I’ll get the walls and windows and the door done by Saturday. First job tomorrow will be to put in a couple of railings so then Gabriel can try it out.

Don't expect another post with pictures 'til we go to town and have access to hi-speed. It took forever to load these pics, and then got them in the wrong order, and I'm too lazy, scared to try and manipulate the,

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A New Venture

W elcome to my new "project". This is a bit of a departure for me because some time ago I decided that I would only have a "Done list". To be done lists proliferated at an alarming rate and it almost became a full time job keeping track of them, so I only recorded what I had done. Saved on paper, ink and was a truly "green" approach! So, having a blogspot may become my new "done" site. I don't think that I will be doing a lot of posting, since this will reduce my "done" time.

Recently I have been doing the never ending rounds of ground maintenance and upkeep.

At this point I was going to post a recent picture; however, there will be some delay. I'll have to go back and rename all my pictures so that I can actually use the ones I want ! In the meantime, I'll look for a picture that has a name/description and then I'll see how this works.

OK. so it took ages to upload the picture...which is quite out of date...there is a new entrance arrangement...BUT, it works. Maybe if I get high speed here in the country it will be faster. Bell & Rogers don't operate h/s internet connections in the rural areas, so one needs a satellite. I guess I'll have to rely on the steady but sure speed of a London Transport Bus.