A Spot of Contrast !

No way were we going to have a "festive season" without an Amaryllis !

And when this beauty is finished, the one on the left will take its place !

Maybe this year I'll follow the instructions and see if I can get it to come back for next Xmas.

Some time towards the end of the month there'll be daffodils and tulips available that can help hasten the arrival of spring, which according to my optimistic calendar should only be two months away. Dream on. With a bit of luck it will have arrived by mid February when I venture to the West Coast to visit our Pacific family members.

This morning the cold has let-up. It is only -9C so we can enjoy the snowfall. More snowblowing in store for later on today.

Have a great day.

Where do put 50+ years of........ ?

Boxes and boxes...and more in the barn ! Before Xmas, work in the library cleared away about 15 boxes so that there would be space for Vicky, Christopher, Ben, Ollie and Leo to bed down. Actually that was a jolly good excuse for getting down and doing a long overdue tidy up. With all the celebrations over, and the Xmas tree out, it was time to start work on the pile of boxes scatttered about downstairs.

To the left of the door to Gabriel's room. Along with creating storage space it was also a way to incorporate Dad's favorite Window mirror, that had been displaced when the organ got moved, into a new unit.

Gabriel is most understanding as I lug in wood and supplies from the barn, leaving an icy blast to follow me, and not at all phased by the smell of varnish, not to mention the hamming, drilling and sawing. Aside from the two vertical side panels and some trimming everything else is recycled. The shelves in the top half come from the basement at 259, and the shelves in the bottom half from the laundry cupboard at 259.

It is most satisfying to trudge off up to the Main Barn ( I have kept a path cleared) and bring down useful lumber. The two windows in the bottom half, with pebbled, frosted glasss, made perfect doors. Come better weather I'll remove them and refinish them outdoors. Too cold to do in the barn, and not a good idea to do in the basement .

Earlier on this afternoon Gabriel decided she would take a picture of "work in progress".

Well,this isn't working at all the way I wanted it ! I'm going to have to read up on formatting, placing pictures and all those other things, which are normally enough to dissuade me from ever trying anything like this again.

Well, here is the "finished" product....actually it will end up being the first picture in the sequence, but we'll see. If anyone can help don't hesitate to set me straight.

So...one more project to add to the "done list " . I'll just have to wander about a ways, until I happen into another idea...

Oh, this might raise a chuckle ! Understairs storage for Xmas stuff in the basement....along the way I bumped into these two rather ancient wine racks which should have been chucked out ages ago... but, in my effort to embrace the spirit of the 100 mile/100 kilometer "diet" I am happy to let you know that these wine bottles come from Pont Pelee, and are quite quaffable !

My own cellar at last !!

If there are any glaring errors or omissions just put it down to the fact that I lost the left lens from my glasses and am currently operating with a Heath Robinson arrangement 'til my new ones arrive. Hopefully tomorrow !

And, if perchance you notice that all my lines are not perfectly level---I didn't notice that the magnetic surface on the bottom of the level had picked up a dime 'til it was too late !

And on January 21st I can optimistically believe that there are only two more months of winter ! Maybe a bit too early to set out the seed trays, but never too soon to start lingering over all those gardening catalogues.

Into the New Year.

A beautiful sunny, clear morning, but the temperature (outside) is a frigid -28C. Inside it is very comfortable.

Xmas Tree gone, and the front entrance area is now a cozy reading area. These two chairs came with us to Canada in 1958 and having been moved all around now have a new location. The small three cornered table looks as if it was made for there.



I can't believe how organised I am ! I remembered that the van's lease was due at the end of January, and instead of waiting to the last minute, did a load of research, visited three dealers and finally this past Monday found a super deal on a Pontiac Montana minivan. Choices are somewhat limited since we need a van to accomodate the wheelchair. Well, this new vehicule is just perfect for our needs. The middle row of seats is two bucket seats, instead of a bench, so it was fairly easy to just lift out one seat instead of a bench. Easier to store too ! Gabriel chose the colour. It is CRANBERRY RED with a grey interior. She says that there are too many blue cars and that this one will be easier to find in a parking lot, and for her to see when I have to fetch her. I can't believe all the features that are now standard on new cars. It will be nice having a switch to open/close the rear windows. Just a matter of convenience but handy. This car has "OnStar" an Orwellian touch to modern motoring. It is some sort of satellite connection. Press a button on the dash and someone answers, calling you by name. Amazing. I couldn't believe that they know ehere I am, and can direct me to where I want to go. Built in GPS. It also has a built in handsfree telephone that I haven't used yet. I need all my concentration to drive. The on-board info centre tells me how far I can drive on the amount of fuel in the tank, notifies me of the tire pressure in each wheel, the life expectancy of the oil and a whole host of other features. Yesterday I received an e-mail giving me an update on the status of the car, and recommends that I have the tire pressure verified. One tire is a bit low.
Here it is !

This will have to do for now. Being spoiled by the technology with the XM Radio and now with a hi- tech car, I'll have to do some serious work on a high speed computer link. It has taken about fifteen minutes to get these pictures loaded. Too much like hard work !

Have a great week.