March 2, Friday 6:15 PM
FINALLY!
No I didn't get sick or die. But my computer did! Saturday morning it failed to boot, and just emanated a wiff of smoke and the smell of burning. The mother board was fried!
I took the CPU in for warranty service in Richmond Monday morning. It was just couriered back a few hours ago. It's amazing how much we both missed this machine. We really felt isolated.
Erik was out visiting us last weekend. It was nice having him here. And he was helpful with a number of tasks the Marit and I were undertaking.
As you can see, I finished the railings on the stairway. We still have to do a few coats of sanding and varnish on the banister, but the project is pretty well completed.
We've even trained our blind cat to climb and go down the stairway. For months she never realized the stairs existed, and was always puzzled as to how we were so high above her.
Marit has been busy making the house much more of a home; with pictures and wall hangings, decoration and accessories. And she's been patching up all the dents and scrapes I've been accidentally inflicting on walls.
I've been outside starting to build a temporary fence around our small garden. We have to keep the deer out; they're the biggest pest on the island. I'll have to buy some wire netting this weekend.
The weather has been so great that it was actually a treat to have a brief storm yesterday; wind and rain.
And the fishing boat traffic has been getting more active in front. Herring season is getting very close. I've heard about the activity but never been here to watch it.
To all of you who have sent, or are expecting email, patience. We're responding as quickly as we can. Well, actually, a quickly as is convenient. We missed you.
March 3, Saturday 7:15 PM
It's great to have the computer back. I still haven't caught up on all the sites I monitor, and the replies I owe.
Today we attended two off-island events; the Spring Home Show in Comox, and "Seedy Saturday" in Courtenay. We found the home show did not have much of interest to us at this stage of our development. But "Seedy Saturday" was great.
This was originally a seed exchange forum for people who saved seeds from non-hybrid open pollinated plants. It has grown to include sales by smaller local seed companies, and offerings of other garden produce items. We left with quite a few seed packages and a bundle of everbearing strawberry plants. We're definitely going back next year when have garden beds prepared and have a better understanding of our needs.
I've already planted the strawberries in a tiny garden prepared two years ago. It was planted last fall with garlic cloves, a gift from a neighbour. I wonder; are garlic and strawberries known to be compatible plants?
For supper we had a hankering for oysters. The tide is low enough now in the daylight to for access to the oyster beds on the beach in front. The picture (you probably wondered what it was about) shows the oysters at low tide. Most of those bumps are oysters, not rocks. They were delicious in a pasta sauce.
It's really a tough life, isn't it.
March 4, Sunday 7:30 PM
The earthquake last week was not the only reminder for us of the geological activity in this area. This is a picture on the beach of a strata of rock that is perpendicular to the lay of the land. At one time it was a horizontal layer of material. It's about 20 cm. wide, and extends continuously. There are several of them on the beach. This entire area was apparently created by violent land movements.
Incidentally, I have earthquake insurance on my house. Do you?
The most interesting activity locally is the fishing fleet preparing for the local herring season. Yesterday the boats were milling around searching out all the areas looking for promising signs. This morning there was a steady parade of fishing boats heading north to Comox. I wish I knew exactly what was happening. They will not set their nets until the herring are just about to spawn. It's the ripe roe that they're after, not the herring themselves.
As far as house developments; the last door was hung today, on the entry to the laundry room (also known as the mud room).
And Marit is anxious for some window sills. So I've started cutting some from the left over pine boards used for the ceiling. It's slow, but it's a lot less expensive than buying kiln dried fir lumber. This should keep me busy for a couple days on the upstair windows.
March 5, Monday 7:30 PM
Yes, for those of you who saw the first posting after the computer was fixed, this picture is a re-run. I just had to show off my banisters and prove they were finished.
Actually I've had to put strips of cardboard along the lower part of the spindles to prevent the cat walking through them. She's blind and doesn't realize how steep the shortcut would be.
Another clear warm sunny day. Even the sea lions appeared to be sun basking. Four of them were laying on their backs in the water just off our beach, with their fins up in the air. Herring boats are still around. Last night we watched one drift slowly by us, all its lights on, trying to untangle its nets in the water. (They finally succeeded when a smaller boat came and pulled the nets back out in a straight line.)
With cloudless nights, the stars have been brilliantly clear. (We have no street lights here). And Venus has been quite a show for many evenings now.
Anyway, as to work, I've been busy making window sills out of scraps remaining from the construction. They're turning out reasonably well (After using a lot of wood filler in the cracks and defects. Wonderful invention.)
Marit has been energetic, doing touch up re-painting and salvaging some of our old stored belongings.
Sounds like tomorrow is going to be a very warm day. I'll have to find a project outside for the afternoon.
March 6, Tuesday 8:30 PM
This view of the house will not be available much longer. It's definitely spring and the foliage will soon be coming out on the slope and hiding much of this.
The temperature only rose to about 12 degrees but it felt much warmer in the sunlight. I decided to get the homes for my mason bees set up. They should be emerging around the end of the month. But just in case they're early I'd better be ready. None of their blossom are out yet though.
Apparently the herring seiners had their open season yesterday in an area up closer to Comox. So the seiner boats are now leaving. Next will be the gill net boats, probably further south on Denman. After the herring spawn, even the sea lions leave. Then the residents of Denman Island can get a good night sleep again without that incessant barking all night long.
In the house, a bit more work on window sills. But not too much accomplished. I suspect I have an early bout of spring fever (laziness). Marit is quite active; sanding, painting, and cleaning. It's not that she's so industrious, she's just fed up; tired of waiting for it to be finished.
I'm afraid she has a couple of months of frustration yet.
March 7, Wednesday 8:00 PM
This is the dining nook, all finished except for some molding and some curtains. That's Ozzy, our cat, gorging on some scraps from dinner (cooked fish).
Earlier today we had a visit from our good friend, Mel Brown. We were neighbours in Port Moody. And we're neighbours again; he lives across the water in Bowser. We spent the morning catching up on happenings.
This afternoon, back to window sills. I only have one left to do, in my computer room.
I also tried to set up some old book cases; pine shelves and racks from Ikea. But do you think I could remember where the pegs for the shelves were packed? If I can't find some replacement pegs in Courtenay I'll have to start cutting some very large nails into segments.
Marit continued sanding and painting. I don't understand how she can find so much that needs touching up and re-painting. She says she just follows me.
March 8, Thursday 9:30 PM
Today we went to Courtenay, so not much was done in the house. In fact, I have nothing new to show to feature in a picture. So I've left yesterday's.
We bought carpeting for the stairway. It will be installed next Tuesday. That'll make a big difference.
And we got samples of molding for various areas in the house. We'll decide on the specific styles, and then I'll have new projects to undertake.
After getting home in the afternoon, I decided to take a stab at doing my income tax. I should have done window sills instead. The results would have been more enjoyable.
March 9, Friday 10:00 PM
Another beautiful spring day. Marit finally let me out of the house for a day to do some projects in the yard.
One urgent activity has been to protect our collection of plants from the marauding deer. Last fall they ate all my hostas, and munched on many other species. I didn't want them to chew on any of the perennials that manage to come up this spring. I've used old 2x4's and 4 foot high chicken wire to fence in a 15 x 15 foot area. I'll have to string some more wires higher on the post to discourage the deer, who can easily jump well over 6 feet if they have incentive. I'm hoping this effort will at least deter them.
I also installed a manual valve on the water line so that I can turn off the water to the old cabin. Then I filled in some open ditches with a big pile of dirt that has been sitting here all winter. The property is still quite messy, but this helps clean it up a little bit. (Unfortunately it doesn't take too much shoveling to bring out the aches and pains).
I think Marit must have temporarily run out of areas to paint and touch up, so she's been refurnishing some furniture; stripping and painting.
Tomorrow, who knows. Depends on the weather.
March 10, Saturday 7:30 PM
Here's the current state of the property. The pile of dirt by the cabin is gone and the ditches filled in. There's still a lot of junk in the yard and I'm hoping to take the first load to the dump next week.
Comox Building Supplies called; the rest of my flooring arrived. So I went to town this morning and to get the shipment and some pick up some door molding. Back home I did the last window sill in the computer room; then discovered I'd forgotten all the windows in the guest room. So my career as a window sill installer is not yet over.
Part of my flooring delivery was some divider strips. And I've been installing them around the stove hearth in the living room. It looks good but I'll finish the final details of it tomorrow.
Marit; yes, touching up walls, stripping furniture, and painting (Varathane) on the banisters.
Tomorrow the weather forecast threatens to end our warm sunshine; clouds, and maybe a shower. I guess I'll finish the flooring. Maybe even start the last of the window sills. Almost time to get myself into trouble with some new type of project; maybe the door moldings.
March 11, Sunday 8:45 PM
Here's the hearth that I just finished off this morning. It's all at floor level, not raised, because of the necessity to walk on part of the surface. The pillow on the corner is one of the cat's favorite spots.
The flooring was finished in the last room today. I'm retiring my floor laying kit and the last few unfinished remnants of material. On to new opportunities to screw up.
Because of the great weather, I tried sowing a small row of lettuce seeds out in the area I fenced off from the deer. I used some of the seed we got last weekend at "Seedy Saturday". We'll see in a couple weeks how this develops.
And we've finished the week off in grand style; dinner across the street with a few of the neighbours. Delicious and enjoyable.
March 12, Monday 8:30 PM
Just to prove spring is here, I have to show my daffodils. I don't remember how or where I got them, but I'm enjoying them now. The wire mesh is an attempt to protect them from deer. Seems to work, because the grass (actually winter rye) just beside it has been cropped low.
The herring spawn is over, and the boats have gone. I suppose some schools of herring are still around, because the sea lions are still in the area. We'll sure be glad when they are gone; everyone on Denman can get a good night's sleep again.
More painting for Marit. And for a change of pace, floor washing.
I practiced making door moldings; choosing the inside of my computer room for the first trial. It's such a simple thing; how could I screw up? Well, by cutting the 45 degree angle the wrong direction for one. Twice actually. And a few other goofs I won't mention. But the one is now up.
Also, put up some book shelves and started sorting out my books that have been in boxes for almost two years. Exciting, but challenging to sort out.
Tomorrow the carpet layer is coming to do the stairs. That should improve the interior.
March 13, Tuesday 8:30 PM
Not much rain, but quite a wind today. It blew from the west and stirred up some impressive whitecaps in the one mile stretch of water between Denman and Vancouver Island. The larger picture conveys a more accurate impression of the wind storm.
The carpet installer came today and laid the carpet on the stairway. He used an electronic nail gun to attach the carpet. Unfortunately the high winds caused a power outage to the island shortly after he began. He had to finally leave and come back a few hours later after power was restored. I have to install some wood trim on the last two floors to tidy the edges.
Lots of small tasks done today, including unpacking boxes and boxes of books. I've stocked my book shelves, but have to put the overflow (books now less interesting) back into storage boxes.
Marit continued sanding the old furniture down to bare wood. We have some very interesting pieces of old furniture. Marit is annoyed that I can't identify the wood.
Tomorrow I hope to take a first load of accumulated scraps to the dump, across the water at "Pigeon Lake". This'll be my first environmental sin since moving here.
March 14, Wednesday 8:00 PM
Here's the carpeted stairway I described yesterday. Its a big improvement over the rough bare plywood that existed earlier.
Today was another of those days that seemed busy, but can't point at any specific accomplishments. This morning I loaded the old pickup truck as full as I dared; all the remnants of the construction piled outside. And I made my first trip to the "Pigeon Lake" dump. I still have at least one more load, including all the dry wall scraps that are now laying in the garage.
After the dump I drove down to a bottled water plant in Fanny Bay (the next bay down from the ferry landing). I picked up a water cooler and four bottles of water; glacier water from Toba Inlet. Marit doesn't like our well water for drinking; too much odour and mineral taste. And I must admit she's right.
Incidentally, in Fanny Bay there is a large anchored log boom. And hundreds of sea lions were lounging on it. That's where all the barking originates at night. Some of the sea lions have already left. The rest should be leaving soon, since the herring spawn is now over. Apparently the sea lions head down to California now to mate.
Tomorrow I'll get back on the door frame project; cutting molding around the frames. Maybe we'll finally get the rain that's forecast.
March 15, Thursday 6:30 PM
Door molding again today; the outside of the computer room, and the dining nook doors. Here's a picture of the French doors in the dining nook with their new frame.
I only have enough material left for the kitchen door tomorrow. So I'll have to do a count and get a big load of additional material.
Oh, there was a whole bunch of other tasks; I just can't remember what they were. I do know I have kindling and starter firewood for several days.
Maybe I spent too much time watching the sea lions. Do you call a group of them a herd, or a school, or a pod, or what? Anyway there were several dozen of them in the water out front all morning. I don't know if they were feeding or frolicing; there were a lot of flippers held up out of the water. They didn't seem to mind the steady rain that fell most of the morning.
Tomorrow is shopping day; a large grocery purchase. And Marit wants to do it, alone. I'm not invited on this trip to town.
March 16, Friday 9:30 PM
Well, used the last of the material for door frames on this kitchen door. These were just practice; now I have 17 more frames to do. I guess I need more material tomorrow.
And we hung the first of probably many curtain rods. There's a lot of windows that need adornment or covering.
Marit spent much of the day in Courtenay and did our major shopping. We have a full refrigerator again.
The sea lions were back in front again. But it was harder to see them in the waves. The wind from the south was quite biting and cold, but neither the sea lions nor the birds seemed to mind. A new bird was foraging outside today; a golden-crowned sparrow. The migration is probably underway.
And we had an opportunity to show off the house. The original builders brought some prospective clients to see an example of their work. It was good to see they were proud of this construction.
The Ides of March has passed. Now, happy Saint Patrick's Day.
March 17, Saturday 8:00 PM
Gradually the place is coming together. This is the state of the guest room today. It's still not complete, but suitable for occupation. Booking, anyone?
This morning was my turn to make a shopping trip to Comox; mainly for building supplies. I brought a large quantity of molding; enough to keep me occupied for a couple of week just trimming doors. Maybe I'll improve with experience.
I noticed that the large flock of trumpeter swans wintering in Courtenay haven't migrated to their inland lakes yet. I guess it's still really winter.
This afternoon I spent some time with the neighbours, and ended up pruning their plum trees. I don't think they were pruned correctly, but I did it the way they specified.
Despite the forecasts, the rain just doesn't want to fall. Clouds and cold winds, but no rain. I was reminded today that on Denman Island the heaviest snowfalls come in March. So the next two weeks might be interesting.
March 18, Sunday 7:00 PM
Reality check! The inside of the house is gradually getting the finishing touches applied. Slowly! But the outside property is still rough.
This is the sight outside our front door; bare dirt slopes being washed by rain waters. There's and immense amount of development to be completed. I hope to start soon so that the important parts can be completed this year.
Yes, the rains finally came. It's been pouring, with strong winds, all day. A great day, when we're inside looking out.
I've been working with door moldings, continuing with the doors on the main floor. And I've had to chisel new holes and move strike plates on the door to the garage. I don't understand why the hardware now seems to be a full centimeter skewed.
Marit has wisely painted the outside edges of the molding before I apply it around the door frame. She's painted all 42 pieces of trim. Two coats. But it makes it easier to do the final painting after they nailed on the wall.
I think we both need a break from this inside fiddley work. Two more days until winter is officially over.
March 19, Monday 7:30 PM
This was the sight after breakfast this morning; a brilliant rainbow ending in the water just out front. Unfortunately it faded somewhat before I could run and fetch my camera. Heavy rain earlier, which was a surprise since there were clear skies and brilliant stars most of the night.
Two doors, the front door and the inside bathroom need further preparation before the trim can be applied. All the other doors downstairs have now been done. The first door upstairs, to the balcony, has also been completed. (But the upstairs doors aren't very obvious to guests. And if they don't show, they don't matter so much).
Marit is right behind me; filling nail holes and painting. Sometimes too close behind me; we almost trip over each other occasionally.
For some reason the cat is very confused and disoriented today. I hope it's just a temporary condition. She's probably overwhelmed by the last day of winter. Tomorrow spring officially starts.
March 20, Tuesday 8:00 PM
The first day of spring. And our sign of spring is the first "Hvitveis" in bloom. For those not familiar with Hvitveis, it's a small woodland anemone native to northern Europe. In Marit's area of Norway, it's a common spring flower, particularly found under the birch trees.
This is the best picture I could get of our flowers emerging from under the sawdust mulch. I was almost touching them with the digital camera as I took this picture.
We had to go into Courtenay again today. Marit had run out of a very important supply. Paint! So we got another 4 liters of white semi-gloss for the trim. And right now she's back in her element again with paintbrush in hand.
I've built up the frame of the front door with wood strips so that it's flush with the drywall. Then I tailored the molding around it all to complete one more door. Slow work, but a little progress.
Tomorrow we're expecting visitors; my daughter Lise, and her friend Gary. It'll be nice to see them. And I'll have an excuse to slack off a bit.
March 21, Wednesday 9:30 PM
Another of my little dirty secrets; my garage. I'm supposed to have my car parked in the middle, and a small workbench built in the left hand side. Obviously serious drastic cleaning is required. A few things require temporary storage, but this situation is ridiculous.
We have visitors today. My daughter Lise and her boyfriend Gary have come for a few days. So before they arrived we spent much of this morning sprucing up and completing tasks that have been deferred. Yesterday Marit bought a new vacuum cleaner. And it did the job; the house looks great today. I guess I can retire my old shop-vac to the purpose for which it was intended.
One of my major tasks has been to re-install the clothes dryer into a more compact area. I've also loaded another pile of scrap from the yard into the pickup truck. I'll get the drywall scraps from the garage soon and take another trip to the dump.
Another meeting of the Denman Island Garden Club tonight, but this time I didn't come home with a door prize. Pity. But I got some new ideas for the yard. Hope I can start on it soon.
March 22, Thursday 10:45 PM
Here's Marit sitting in her favorite corner outside the house.It's just outside the french doors off the dining nook. If the sun is shining, this corner is warm.
This is a late update because we've been playing an exhausting game of Monopoly. Gary and I have bankrupted, but Marit and Lise are battling on.
Today we've been slacking off. Earlier I did load all the scrap gyproc into the truck and I'm ready for another trip to the dump. I've also started cleaning the garage, but there's another day of work there.
Oops, just heard that Marit won. Time to turn in.
March 23, Friday 9:45 PM
Lise and Gary left today after a very enjoyable visit. But here's a gift Gary left for us to remember them by. Winter flowering heathers; not just one, but two. They are extremely beautiful. I had to move them from beside the chair where Marit sat yesterday, because a large number of bees found them just as attractive as we did. Marit couldn't sit near them. These plants will have a prominent place on our slope, helping stabilize the erosion threat.
All you potential guests; remember that the fee for guest room privileges is one plant. It doesn't have to be so extravagant; a simple little seedling is fine. Whatever you wish to be remembered by.
I left on the same ferry as Lise and Gary; only I went the other direction; to the dump with another truckload of building scraps. The brakes faded due to leaking brake fluid and I experienced the ignominy of landing in the ditch. After being pulled out, and unloading my cargo at the dump, I almost made it back to Courtenay before experiencing a flat front tire. So I ended up at a local tire store on the back of a AAA flat deck tow truck.
That was a long dump trip. But I made it back intact. With the truck. And in time for dinner. No problems.
Thanks again for the plants Gary. They were spectacular.
March 24, Saturday 5:30 PM
Finally the clouds have settled in and the grey rains have started. Just the way it's supposed to be this time of year. It's great. I like it.
Today I was side tracked into some furniture chores; installing an indoor plant hanger, and fixing up an old desk. Actually, my dad made that old desk some 40 or more years ago, so I've been a little more tolerant of it's aging imperfections.
And we've re-arranged the front room furniture today. A few times. And we've ended up pretty much with the same arrangement as we started.
And this afternoon Marit has been, yes, painting; doors and desks.
For dinner we're having salmon steaks. She's preparing it under the watchful eye of the cat, who you can see encouraging her to hurry with the fish preparation. Ozzie the cat incidentally is very spoiled.
March 25, Sunday 8:50 PM
Windy and showers. Not a day for outside work.
So this morning I framed the last door downstairs, to give Marit something to paint. Then I began building a closet in the second upstairs bedroom; I'm carving it out of a split level next door storage room. By supper time it was framed with studs; cement encrusted 2x4's that were left over from the construction. Tomorrow I'll use surplus plywood to finish the walls. Hey, it's only a closet.
Here's the desk that Marit is refurnishing in the garage. Notice how much the garage has been cleaned up. Okay, so I've still got a little more cleaning to do.
March 26, Monday 8:15 PM
Well, a nice day here. Blue skies with big fluffy white clouds. None of the rain that was forecast.
Marit thought I should show the beach when the tide is out. So I took this shot from our deck during a cloudy period. But from this distance you can't even see the oysters.
Today I built the walls of the closet using left over plywood. Sheathing actually. I didn't have to scrape off any cement; just some mud. (I can't understand how the white boot treads originally got on.) Hey, with a can of wood filler and a coat of paint, it might not look too bad.
Marit continued stripping the paint from an old cabinet. We'll have some interesting furniture pieces when it's all done.
And to take advantage of the good weather, I started to move the wood from the area to be landscaped. Just a small pile today; driftwood that I'd cut up last fall.
Tomorrow if the rains really do come, I guess it'll be back in the garage to finish tidying up, and finish "wood filling" the closet walls.
March 27, Tuesday 7:00 PM
One of the subtle features of this house is the storage room that's been created above part of the garage. The floor level is raised (since the garage is at a higher level than the house), so the storage room is not full height. Access is from this bedroom. The door opening is on the right.
I've decided to create a "half height" closet by putting a second door (on the left) and walling off a section of the storage room. I described this process the last two days. Here's the results so far. Crude, yes. But wait until it's finished.
I had good intentions for today, but had forgotten we had to go to town; my chiropractor, and groceries. We left in a blowing rainstorm, and came back in snowstorm. Quite severe; we passed one car that had spun out into the median.
Here at sea level, we just have sleet. But a few hundred feet higher, we can see the snow staying. It's colder, and when we came in from the car I wished I could just turn up the thermostat instead of taking the time to start the wood fire. (Actually I could. But I'm stubborn.)
March is an interesting month.
March 28, Wednesday 8:30 PM
Slight panic here. After some minor movement of my computer peripherals, the mouse did not work. But everything is operational now.
Here's my splendid computer room; 6 feet wide. We've added the desk that Marit has refurnished. It's actually a very functional arrangement. Unfortunately Marit is nagging me to keep it neat and put away every piece of paper. This is going to be a very difficult environment for me to operate in.
The closet has had a coating of wood filler and is ready for a primer coat of paint.
And I'm now putting baseboards around the floor in the downstairs bathroom. Wow, does it ever highlight the uneven level of the tiles I installed. You know, you make one little imperfection in the process, and it gets magnified as the project proceeds. This will take some effort to make presentable.
I'm giving up planning my tasks and activities a day in advance. I keep steering off on tangents.
March 29, Thursday 9:30 PM
Mixed weather today, but no snow. This picture was taken during one of the sunny periods this afternoon.
This shows another view of the landscaping problems we face. The area between the sand pile and the dirt hill is our septic field area. Planting that with anything other than grass may be a problem.
The existing fruit tress will have to be removed. Only one is healthy, and that's now inside the septic field. So in a few weeks we intend to have plans drawn up for new landscape design and planting.
Maybe we should have a contest with all of you submitting ideas.
Anyway, today I finished the floor molding in the downstairs bathroom. And I put a coat of paint in the new closet. Yes me, painting.
Marit continued with the furniture restoration; stripping the last vestiges of paint from a dresser cabinet.
Oh yes, and for fun I sowed a couple small rows of radishes. Some lettuce I sowed earlier is sending up a row if tiny shivering seedlings. I am easily amused.
March 30, Friday 10:30 PM
Sorry for the same old picture from yesterday. I'm experiencing some system problems; the connection from the camera to the computer is not operational at the moment. I'll work on it more tomorrow.
It's been a strange day. The only productive work I've done has been some patching in the closet, and some development in the garage. Marit has been working on the furniture.
But my attention has been distracted over concern about the neighbour's cat's. The house has been vacant for a week, and we don't know if the cats have enough food and water. I've spent several hours today trying to find someone with a key, but to no avail. I've left a call with the owner in Vancouver, so we'll see. At least I've put water where they can get it.
And late this afternoon I drove to Nanaimo to pick up Erik. He and one of his old boyhood friends, Brenden, are up for the weekend. Actually it's not exactly a visit. I asked them up to help install some drain pipes. There's a lot of digging involved and I thought the easiest way was to ask for volunteers. Lets hope it isn't raining too much tomorrow.
March 31, Saturday 9:30 PM
Still no camera capability. I'm suspecting a broken serial cable. I'll try taking it in to a computer store in Nanaimo tomorrow.
Today's major project has been installing permanent drain pipes for the roof eaves troughs. Erik and Brenden have done the majority of digging, while I have been involved with installation of the pipes and joints. It's not a simple task to get all the linkages properly fitted. And at the worst possible time, the rains started in earnest. Ditches were filling with water. The clay material we dug up turned into extremely sticky mud. And we became completely soaked.
We managed to get the pipes connected before quitting for the day. But I'll have to get one more coupling for a clean fit at one junction; then fill the ditches and clean up when it's drier.
Meanwhile it's a muddy mess on three sides of the house, and a real challenge to step out for firewood.
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