May 1, Tuesday 8:30 PM
Working outside today, getting more exercise. I've been replenishing the woodpile.There's a lot of wood under tarps out in the yard that has to be brought beside the house for storage. At the end of the day, I'm pretty tired, but only halfway through the project. To be continued tomorrow.
Our garden landscape plan arrived in the mail this afternoon. It's really interesting, and I think we'll be following the basic design. There will be some modification because not all dimensions and placements correspond exactly to our existing physical layout. Some modifications to the first plan are expected. And besides, it's close enough to work with already. We're quite pleased.
The ferry situation continues; vehicle traffic only on high tides. I've looked at the schedules and decided that I can try and catch the first 6:40 AM sailing on Thursday for a shopping trip to the supermarket for fresh vegetables, and to Home depot for the tiles. The next sailing back starts at 1:00 PM. I'll have to do this solo. Marit is too smart to get up at that hour of the morning.
May 2, Wednesday 7:30 PM
A little cooler last night. The neighbour said she had a little frost on the rhubarb. I didn't quite get up early enough to see.
Marit had some paint left over from painting the front door, and she decided to paint the fascia the same colour; just to see how it would look. We're a little surprised that the colour looks a little different on the fascia than it does on the door. It seems a bit brighter, more red.
But give us your opinion. Send a note. What do you think of this colour. Should we get more paint and continue painting up the sides of the roof and all around the house? Marit needs reassurance.
I continued moving wood. I foolishly wasted a lot of time splitting up all the large gnarly logs that I had left last year; too hard at the time. So I'm moving a bit slowly again this evening.
I had planned on taking the car off the island tomorrow to do some major shopping. But I've just heard some horror stories from the neighbours about the chaos boarding with the damaged ramp; and the large lineups and long waits. So I'll stay home for now.
I think I can manage to stay busy until the ferry gets repaired.
May 3, Thursday 9:45 PM
There's not too much to report today. I can't believe it has taken so long to move the mass of wood. What I was thinking last year when I left nails in so many boards? They all had to be removed now.
Here's what the supply looks like at the side of the house so far. And there's still a large quantity of longer planks in the field that have to be brought over and cut up.
I must have been moving too slowly. I noticed two turkey vultures were circling overhead, quite low.
Tomorrow I'm going to make the marathon effort and take the 6:30 AM ferry of the island. Apparently the problem is the use of the ramp on the far side, at Buckley Bay. I'll find out the details first hand. The repair is now not expected to be completed until May 12, a week this Saturday. Anyone thinking of coming over to visit should check first.
It's surprising to realize, but this diary has now been posted for a full year. May 4,Friday 6:30 PM
Here's the view outside the dining nook window. The rain is blowing against the window, (more obvious on the larger picture). The ferry is shown in the centre of the photo. It's still taking vehicles off the island for a couple more hours while the tide is high.
This morning I left before 6:00 AM to get in the lineup to drive off the island. The ferry left at 6:40 with a full load. (I was on it.) The unloading (and subsequent loading) in Buckley Bay is very slow due to the damaged dock. The loading ramp is jammed in place and can't be lowered. Only the end flap can be adjusted. And a special "step" has been temporarily built on the back of the ferry to help bridge the height. All this can only work on the higher tides. So access to and from the island is a problem.
Actually, many of us think it's quite nice. No logging truck traffic. No logging! And minimal car traffic around the either. We're almost back to the old days of island life.
Tomorrow, back to the projects. Probably tiling.
May 5, Saturday 7:30 PM
I know; I've shown enough of this corner of the house. But my comfort next winter depends upon these boards. The field is almost clean. Now I'll have to cut these up, pile them neatly, and find some way to keep them dry for six months.
This morning I finished laying the tiles around the upstairs bathtub. I'll probably apply the grout tomorrow. Completing that room will be a very satisfying experience.
After the tiling, Marit had me install a couple venetian blinds and curtains in the master bedroom. I'm always amazed; how can the manufacturers supply such tiny screws for installation? Half inch screws won't even get through the thinnest drywall.
It's always interesting to watch the birds outside. There have been some active house finches here for the past few days. Not a pair; a trio. A menage a trois? I'll have to keep my eye on that group.
May 6, Sunday 8:00 PM
Have I mentioned that Marit is addicted to painting? Here she is today continuing her task of changing the colour of the trim.
Marit wants you all to know that this colour was my choice. My idea. She was content to leave the trim grey. When she asked my opinion I said "Burgandy"! Fortunately she is coming around to agree it isn't too bad a choice.
The weather was so good today that I got permission to work outside and leave the tile grouting until the next wet day. I've started preparation in the garden; measured exactly where I want my first raised bed and started digging.
My intention is to have raised beds for the vegetable areas; each bed to be 4' x 8'. About 10 to 12 of them. Each bed is initially going to be "double dug" to correct the compaction and loosen the subsoil.
That's the theory. In practice I've found that there appears to be a gravel pit is the area that I intend to have the vegetable garden. At the end of the day I'm about 2/3's finished the first one. I've taken out 5 wheelbarrows full of rocks (only those larger than a walnut). And I doubt that there will be enough soil left to fill the hole. At this rate I'll be digging all of May just for the vegetable garden. And I'll have enough rock to build a 20 foot mountain over in the corner; maybe for a unique alpine garden.
May 7, Monday 8:00 PM
The weather is still holding dry enough for Marit to continue painting outside. She has been up on the roof, leaning over the edge to paint the trim all around. All of the fascia now has at least one coat of the burgandy red. I think it's looking really good. In addition to being a nice colour, it accentuated the angles and dimensions of the roof structure.
Me, I've been continuing with the joy of digging. I've put potatoes in the first bed I dug; blue potatoes that I picked up at the local plant sale earlier. I haven't built sides for it yet because I have nothing at the moment to fill the raised bed with. I needed a place to put all the rocks, so I dug all the sand out from in front of the garage. The stones are being dumped there as a base for the new driveway. I think the neighbours are amused by my rock grubbing.
I'm also part way through the second bed. Then only 10 more to go. Incidentally, the beds are being dug in the area that the wood piles used to be. The sod had been smothered out by the boards.
This afternoon I talked with an acquaintance who works on the local ferry and took the opportunity to ask if the repairs would be finished by Saturday, as forecast. "I really don't think so" as the reply. So we may be isolated a bit longer.
No problem. We're not in danger of cabin fever now that we can work outside.
May 8, Tuesday 8:00 PM
Coffee break time. This is one of the few moments we've had to sit and enjoy a restful moment today. Marit is sitting in the dining nook looking out at the water.
Earlier today she painted the second coat on most of the roof trim. There's only one long stretch of fascia on the north side that's left to do. She does a great job in difficult positions.
This morning I finished double digging the second garden bed. When I started building some raised sides for this bed, I realized what a slope there was; over half a foot in the 8 foot length. I'll have to give some second thoughts to positioning. Meanwhile I've cut the boards and painted them all with copper napthalate. I think that's the least toxic of the wood preservatives. (I've actually had a can of it for over thirty years and am finally using it up.)
After lunch, I psyched myself up and finally applied the grout to the tiles around the bathtub. It was not a fun experience; not at all the trivial job that the floors had been. I finally had to work the grout between the tiles using my hands; a long slow process. The cleanup was a major project in itself. And my hands are now a disaster area.
I've assured Marit the colour of the grout will be lots lighter when it dries. (If it isn't. I'm in trouble.)
May 9, Wednesday 8:30 PM
Just outside the doors of our dining nook is this delightful Daphne. It gives a great perfumed odour when we sit outside for coffee break. It was a gift two years ago. Thanks Eva and Kaare.
Today Marit finished painting the last trim around the roof; second coat. I think she feels a bit lost now with nothing to paint. Maybe I should buy enough for the main body of the house.
I've had to re-think the raised beds; there was too great a slope. I re-did the last one, changing its orientation. It worked better, but with 6 inch walls, it resulted in more of a terraced bed, not a raised bed. Hey, I can live with that. The third bed has been started already.
Its been a great day for bird watching. A chipping sparrow showed up today. And the house finches were really feasting on the dandelion seeds just outside the window. And at lunch time, an eagle flew into the tall fir tree toward the water, and proceeded to have his lunch too; tearing apart and eating a fish.
Maybe I'd get more digging done if I stopped watching all the entertainment.
May 10, Thursday 9:30 PM
Here's a view of our place from the beach at low tide. No, I wasn't wading in the water. You may have to click on the larger picture to be able to see our house on the top.
Today Marit had the day off. She and Laurie went over to Hornby Island and went for a walk around Helliwell Park. Apparently they were lucky in their timing; the spring wildflowers were blooming and the area was especially beautiful. Laurie incidentally, has the property next door and comes out seasonally.
I stayed home and worked in the yard. Actually, I wasn't invited on their outing. The major task still continues to be digging garden beds. The last two beds have been liberally covered with wood ash from my stove, and then raked in. Obviously I won't be planting potatoes in those beds. I'm surprised how dry the soil is already. It seems to drain quite well.
On Monday the garden designer is returning to discuss the design she sent us. After we clarify some details, maybe I can start digging for more than just vegetable beds.
And the ferry repairs seem to be proceeding well. Saturday is supposed to be the date that repairs are completed, or at least completed enough to allow normal sailing. Then we're open for visitation again.
May 11, Friday 9:30 PM
Here's another picture of the beach at low tide. The boat belongs to a group of clam diggers. They come when the tide is going out, and leave the boat. They work until the tide comes back in and re-floats the boat.
This morning a friend on Vancouver Island phoned and offered a ride into Courtenay. He was driving by the ferry dock and would pick me up if I came across as a foot passenger. So I spent the morning doing the errands that couldn't be done all week.
Good news, the ferry today started resuming carrying vehicles on all its regularly scheduled runs. All vehicles except the really heavy logging trucks. And all repairs will be fully completed by Sunday.
Marit found more items that needed painting. The exterior door framed needed holes filled and sanded, and the frames painted. She did it all.
I'm still digging in the fourth garden bed. I seem to have found the mother-lode of rock piles. I've made very little progress in clearing the garden bed, but I've made great strides in providing a rock base for my driveway.
Progress is so slow, so tedious, so exhausting that Marit's urges are starting to make sense; "forget this nonsense, go back and put doors in the storage room, and organize the garage neatly". Too many more rocks and I might start listening to her.
May 12, Saturday 7:30 PM
One more look at the house from the beach. All the new leaves on the shrubs makes it look very lush.
Since ferry traffic is back to normal, I took the truck and went shopping for fence material. I'll need a six foot deer fence, and I'm intending on using metal T-bar posts. I don't want to replace rotten wood posts. Ever. The best prices were up at Black Creek, north of Courtenay; $5.80 for 8 foot posts. I bought 30.
Also picked up the framing material needed for the storage room accesses.
Marit got her wish. I didn't do any digging today. Instead I did more grouting in the bathroom, (fixing some areas where I did a poor job earlier this week). Then did some arranging in the storage room.
Somehow it seems like a wasted day, with no significant development in the landscape. And I realize that a daily chronology of these non-events is also rather boring. I think it's best that I update this site on a weekly basis, giving a synopsis of the development that has occured in the past seven days.
I'll think about this change and advise you tomorrow how I'll proceed.
May 13, Sunday 7:30 PM
Once again I seem to be having camera problems. I suspect my serial port again, and I just had it fixed a couple weeks ago.
I'll update the picture later throughout the week. As for the diary, I've decided the most appropriate direction will be to change to a weekly update.
Every weekend, probably Sunday, I'll relate the developments of the week and keep you informed of our progress. After all, not every day is a gem of activity.
Today was not bad though. This morning I planted one bed full of leeks. And in another bed I planted a package of burgandy bush beans. It only filled half the bed. I may sow another package in three weeks to provide a succession harvest.
Now the challenge is to keep the deer from trampling the beds at night. Their footprints were all over the bed this morning when I raked and sowed the seeds. After lunch I humoured Marit and hung venetian blinds, curtain rods, and bathroom fixtures. Then back out to mine the gravel pit that I'm trying to dig into another garden bed. Still not finished but I'm making progress.
According to the weather forecast I won't be out digging for a few days. If it's not raining too hard I'll be out working on the deer fence.
Okay. I'll change the pictures when I get the chance. And I'll update the site again next Sunday. So long until then
And please send me any comments. After over a year of publishing, I'd like to hear from all of you.
May 14 -20, 2001
This is the long weekend that traditionally starts the summer season here in Canada. My son came over on Friday evening. That's him resting for a few minutes on Saturday in front of the house.
Erik and I have been working this weekend installing fence posts for the deer fence around our property. All the fence posts and all the gate posts are now in place. Only the two sturdy posts for the driveway gate remain to be put in place. We'll dig the holes tomorrow, and I'll get the posts early next week. The next challenge will be to install the wire fencing on the posts.
Why the emphasis on the fence? Well we can't proceed with much landscaping until the deer are kept out. Last night they even walked through my planted bed of beans. If anything is growing, they'll sample it.
But they don't touch many of the herbs. And Marit has developed a greater interest in herbs. So I've started digging an additional garden bed for a herb garden. So far the deer haven't touched it.
Just before supper today, (Sunday) Lise drove up on her motorcycle. Surprise. So it's a full house this weekend.
Earlier this week, I discovered I had a very sick spruce tree. It has a disease on some branch tips, and two species of aphids attacking it. On closed examination I found its trunk had been buried over an inch deep by the clay from the foundation excavation. And it was very stressed. So I've cleaned off the extra clay, amputated the diseased branches, and drenched tree with insecticidal soap. We'll see if it survives.
Four garden beds and a short herb bed have been dug. And my harvest of rocks has been tremendous. I'm going to have to expand my driveway excavation to accommodate a bigger rock base before I prepare any more garden beds.
On the back slope, the winter rye I sowed last year has finally grown; tall and lush. I can hardly find the other plants I dug into the slope last month. I wonder what will happen by the end of summer?
May 21 - 27, 2001
Back to the grind. Erik and Lise left on Monday. Lise left on her motorcycle and apparently shared the ferry from Nanaimo with 40 Hells Angels. She felt very safe disembarking; no one was going to give those bikers any trouble. Erik's trip was less adventurous; I drove him to the terminal, just in time to miss the 5:00 sailing.
Here's a picture of my rock quarry area. I've now dug and planted 4 terraced beds; 4 feet by 8 feet. And we're developing a 1 meter wide herb bed along the fence. Marit has taken a greater interest in herbs this year.
The bed in the foreground is an experimental patch I've had for a few years. The garlic was planted last October. The little plants in front of the garlic are Marit's strawberries, which the deer have already munched twice in the past few weeks.
The major project this week has been the deer fence around the property. Progress has been dismayingly slow. Especially where there are abrupt changes of ground level. Trees along the property line, blackberry bushes, and wild rose thickets don't help either. But I'm halfway down the final side and should finish the wiring if I get a full day at it tomorrow.
A full day; that's often hard to achieve. Twice it was necessary to travel to Courtenay, and that's half a day shot each time. And then there's those other urgent projects, like installing towel racks and venetian blinds.
But after the fencing; back to carpentry. Gates on each side of the house have to be built. And I'll have to buy or build a gate for the driveway. Deer are experts at finding any opening. And they're already getting annoyed at me. They've fertilized the yard quite frequently the past few nights.
Summer weather finally arrived. But clouds are coming back for a few days now. Hope we get some rain out of it. It's needed.
And we're looking forward to a visitor from Norway next week. Greta is arriving on May 30. I hope she likes shoveling.
May 28 - June 3, 2001
Finally. The picture. Here's our guest, Grete, settling in my computer room and communicating to her friends back in Norway.
Earlier this week I finished the deer fence; complete with the two gates along the sides of the house. I thought they were marvelous structures. But Marit thinks the wire mesh on 2x4 frames is ugly. (We reached a truce; the gates will stay for now.)
To keep the deer out while we were away, I put 15 feet of stucco wire across the driveway; hooks on nails. It worked, but I'll have to get some lumber tomorrow and build a proper gate that wings open. (I'd better let Marit approve the design first).
The potatoes are growing now. On Wednesday I spent some time hauling up buckets of seaweed from the beach and spread it around the plants. Unfortunately there doesn't seem to have been the heavy rain here that we experienced in Vancouver.
Naturally, since we were expecting a guest, we spent some time cleaning up. Cutting up branches, cleaning away debris, weeding the garden, etc. It's still messy outside, but not as extreme as it used to be.
On Thursday we went to Vancouver for two major reasons; to see the Van Deusen Garden Show, and to get Grete, our visitor from Norway. The three of us, Marit Grete, and I trouped around the garden Show on Friday, through the heaviest of rain all morning. We thoroughly enjoyed it, but thought the exhibitions were not up to the standards of previous years.
And after about 7 hours of traveling today, we have all arrived back on the island. So we'll be interspersing development in the yard, with sightseeing trips around countryside. Good, I need these diversions.
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