for when the stars come out

This could be your anthem by Cam Penner from Kootenay



Finish Round by Data Romance from Vancouver

Better late than never

Like I mentioned three weeks ago, and update of my operating system made my iPhone + work computer not want to play anymore. I've only recently gotten around to uploading photos on the home computer (which is looking a bit worse for wear with sawdust jammed between the keys, a giant crack in the trackpad and a stickingspacebar). Spring came & went quickly. It was an AWESOME maple syrup season so the better half spent weeks in the bush helping family friends with their camp.

The dog was in her element (that is to say: mud)

 
 Eating french toast created with homemade bread + eggs from the coop, with maple syrup drizzled over of course!

 


 Then summer arrived - we've had brilliant weather for a few weeks. I'm biking to work instead of taking the scooter in an attempt to get healthier. Our strawberry patch has a dozen blooms already, our garden remains untilled because of a broken tiller, the ground cherries from last year appear to have self-seeded, the garlic is garbage but the chives and mint and raspberries are all verdant & lovely. Guests have been making good use the house...in the span of two weeks we will have three sets of guests stay (a visiting researcher, a friend from the coast + friends currently living in New Mexico.)

This is the view about 10 minute walk from the front door:

 This is the view about 30 seconds walk from the front door, unfortunately:

Looks like something is eating our trees. We are loosing them:

 

Behind the pile of downed trees is a pile of gravel, hanging out all winter killing the grass. We managed to move about half the pile to make a car parking pad/wood delivery area near the compost but the rest remains. Killing the grass softly.

The workshop is also getting improvements, although I don't have nicely lit pictures of the tool space. New plywood cabinets, new lighting and new roofing (yet to be installed) to make the space more useful. We've got to pour our concrete countertops soon, so this is the space we will use.

Eventually we will install the cedar shingles all stored in the barn currently. The recent trip to Cape Cod area just hardened my resolve for/increased my love for grey houses. Rows and rows of grey houses with white trim. Sigh. 

View from our rental car window:

And inside the house? Installed the fancy pocket doors finally:

 And decided to tear down a wall between door bedrooms upstairs to make a master bedroom with giant walk-in-closet. RRowwwwrrrrr...

 The plan:

 The reality:

Montreal Tunes

Dirty Beaches song Night Walk.


Dirty Beaches song Elli.

no photo update

My work computer, where I usually post photos from, has stopped recognizing my iPhone. That means a few more steps to uploading the pictures from the house I've been taking the last few weeks.

Tiding over with this apartment therapy post on rustic family farmhouse decor.

Science!

I have an affinity for astronaut Chris Hadfield

Lady Lamb the Bee Keeper

From Brunswick Maine, playing with Neko Case next month. "Crane your neck"

Boy

Song Boris by band Boy

WHY IS THIS SO HARD?

I WANT THIS THING AND I HAVE MONEY> PLEASE TAKE IT.

I am going to the US, but I cannot pay for anything on this website with my Canadian card. I called customer service, he suggested I sign up as an international customer for shipping to my billing address. I did, and IT STILL WON'T SHIP IT TO ME.

bathroom makeover

We had, of course, big plans for our upstairs renovations. Since we were eventually going to tear everything out, it wasn't a priority to pretty it up. Alas, as my house renovation energy wanes, we've decided the upstairs will have to do as it is for a few more years. So I put aside about $250 to make what we had look nicer.

We reused some period lighting we had around the house - adding a much needed second overhead light fixture to illuminate the tiny stand-up shower, removed ugly mirrored medicine cabinets, added cabinetry & shelving made of reclaimed barn board, new curtains from fabric I got at a yard sale years ago and a new mirror from a scrap we've had for ages. Also addressed the crumbling plaster, the holes in the wall from old stovepipe flues and the rusted white metal heater. Basically I tried to make it less like a horror movie location.



       

Of course you'll see I cheated by taking the "before" pictures at night..in fact the same night after I started the demo....and the "after" photos in bright spring sunshine. But trust, the new white paint does have a beautiful brightening effect on the nearly windowless space (yes that is a window that looks out onto the laundry room). I married someone who equates bright white = boring, but I think at least for this bathroom is was the right choice. 

In the end, I think I only spent about $200 on bead board wallpaper (which doesn't really translate to photo but it's under the chair rail), various primers & paints (to go over the almond coloured oil paint), a new bathroom fan (sorely needed), some fancy baskets and new waste bucket. Desperately needs some green plants though.

Since taking these pictures I've rearranged the shelving baskets so they seem a bit more uniform than the rag-tag pile of items in these pics. I may or may not update the photos :) The old ladder came with the house and is temporarily acting like a towel rack until I can get my hands on a nice hook. 

Also new: upstairs laundry! Check it! No more going to the cold porch to do the laundry! Room to put two drying racks! Future planned clothesline right out the second story porch! Hollah!

big house fatigue

There are lovely changes occurring at the big house, but the long to-do list is manifesting itself in small house envy. We are keeping busy with live music, games nights, chemistry talks, gym visits and of course more renovations. I'll post pictures soon of the renovated bathroom and laundry areas :)

This $3 vase became a DIY pendant but we would never suggest putting such a thing up (not CSA approved you see...)

Double pocket door "before" and "after" dark walnut stain

Doggie playmate in the frozen marsh across the road. Those painted floors never had a chance.

strange heart radio

Crazy making: listen to them at the same time. (weird fact: both bands started in Ottawa)

Farmhouse pictures

WINTER WOES

Wicked snowstorm 

Nothing else to do but play boardgames

KITCHEN UPDATE

View from the front door

temporary kitchen cabinets

shiny new granite composite kitchen sink

OTHEROTHER

Fancy carpet on the shitty stairs

Self-leveler over in-floor heat

limestone layout (grout today!)

temporarily evicted farm equipment

permanently evicted dead vehicle (-20 hick points!)

snow day picture

Source

snow day movie

winter hibernation

Weird Lovely

Lillies in the Valley - Jun Miyake



Miss you Remix - Trentemoller & Massive attack

Christmas 3 (2012)

Might get around to putting up the trim in the Christmas tree room before I leave for California on Wednesday. Happy New Year.

The High Road

Broken Bells

add jazz

Santa, pfft, please.

I got some elves helping me at home.

This second hand, country-honey coloured table top got a walnut-flavoured update:

morning sunlight on new finish, my mom did most of the hard work

Our drawers handles were going to be reclaimed wood but turns out they were too fat. Last minute options using copper that was laying about:

took us about 30 minutes to make a few style

settled on the hefty looking "crunched pipe" option

opened this package of silicon rubber

taped off the drawer fronts, let the sugru set

We've been using the sugru-handles for our pots & pan drawers for a week now.

And although I didn't take any pictures of our progress, we got the casings from two more windows stripped over the weekend. We did it while listening to the whole Hobbit audiobook, currently available on youtube and well worth the re-read (movie we saw on Saturday, hee).