Month: May 2016

Now that all the colourful tulips are gone, MY Jane decided that it would be a good time to plant some colourful annuals, so we chose Impatiens.

Last year I built some “steps” around a little buffet that lead up to one of the Family Room windows. We call it Minnie’s window. They were to make it easier for Minñie to get in and out of the house on her own. It works very well.

Since building the deck, though, the outside of the window was covered so I deliberately left a sort of tunnel under the deck through which Minnie can still access her window.

Today Minnie introduced me to a new activity. 

It’s called Make the Staff busy. She will meow at the kitchen door to be let out, which I do promptly. She then comes back in through the tunnel and her window and comes back up to the kitchen where I am having my morning coffee. Then she meows again to be let out. Again, I let her out. Repeat this three times, then take a break.

It’s a pretty hot morning with temperature already at 32C. 

There were two little jobs I wanted to get done in spite of the heat. The first was to remove the little apple tree which unfortunately died. Too bad because it looked really nice when full of Apple blossoms.

That was done in short order with MY Janes help.

The second job was to remove a bunch of screws from the deck which missed the mark. Jane wanted to do this job.

The video below will explain why:

https://youtu.be/QPe1g0RRyZI

Well, MY Jane and I don’t have any imminent projects on the horizon. Instead, we will be thinking about Chris and Tonya’s upcoming wedding on June 4th. 

We are continuing with our idea of trying to plant things that will help cover up the fence. It’s more appealing to the eye, in my view, to look at plants than to look at the fence.

We are getting there. And some of the new stuff we planted, like the lilac bushes, are doing extremely well.

And we have a garden fan. Jane’s Mom, Ted, loves to look at all the flowers when she comes to visit from time to time.

Last weekend, when Steven was up visiting, one of the things we did was try out my remote controlled boat up at Bay Port Yachting Centre in Midland, Ontario.

We noticed that, after a short time in the water, it began to be very sluggish. Very quickly, we learned that it was taking on water somehow. 

So yesterday, I had a look and it became obvious what the problem was. The little cooling hose that draws water from the lake had somehow become dislodged and, instead of discharging back into the lake, it was emptying into the bilge.

It was an easy fix.

Today, MY Jane and I went over to pick up Ted and to bring her back to our place for supper. It was an opportune time to surprise her with the cabinet.

Here’s her look of surprise when she opened her apartment door and first saw it.

Yesterday, after doing some gardening, MY Jane and I decided to spend a little time near the water. We went to Tyndale Park, a mere five minute drive from our home.

So, too, did a hungry gull.

We stayed there for about an hour, watching the boats on the water and children playing on the beach.

Jane couldn’t resist and had to get her feet wet. She believes the water in Georgian Bay is much warmer than here in Kempenfelt Bay. That’s not surprising though, when you consider that Kempenfelt Bay is the deepest part of Lake Simcoe with depths as much as approximately 150 feet.

It’s a very worthwhile goal. Now, I bet you’re asking yourself what the happiness echo is.

Yesterday, MY Jane, Steven and I went up to Bay Port Yachting Centre in Midland to take our dinghy, Shenanigans, out for the first time in 2016. Steven did not get out on the dinghy at all last year, so he was anxious to try it out this time.

Our plan was to go to Tonch East on Beausoleil Island and have a picnic on the site that Jane and I were married 3 years ago. Here’s a little video of part of our trip.

https://youtu.be/MlqrloXsbIU

When we arrived at Tonch East, the dock was still closed but we tied up anyway and set up our chairs and stuff near one of the picnic tables.

Jane had put together a selection of sandwich making things and we had a great afternoon enjoying the sunshine and each other’s company.

At one point, I discovered a robins nest in one of the he privies there. There were five eggs which is unusual because usually there are only four. 

When we got back to Bay Port, we decided to try out my RC boat in the channel. Here’s a video.

https://youtu.be/ELNMbvfy57E

Steven arrived last night just before 7PM. It’s always a delight when the guys come for a visit with us. Chris is busy with wedding preparations, so he and Tonya couldn’t make it.

On my first try with it, I managed to crash it into the birch tree. Fortunately there was no damage and no one was injured.

We had great fun flying this thing around. It’s not a sophisticated item; you simply throw it as you would a paper plane. But Steven managed to fly it right through the arbour.

Here’s a little video:

https://youtu.be/I1Ecoy-iuSw

Today, after breakfast, we’ll head up to Bay Port in Midland to take our dinghy out for a spin and maybe go for a picnic up on Beausoleil Island, the place that Jane and I got married and the spot that Chris proposed to Tonya two years ago.

Yesterday, MY Jane and I went out to Bradford Greenhouses on highway 90 to check out some climbing plants to put in beside the arbour. 

The garden is coming along very well. Jane has done a great job at planning and planting.

This morning, MY Jane and I are heading down to the Tanger Outlet Mall, formerly the Cookstown Mall, to look for a Spring jacket for me. 

Just an observation…..all the items on this list, except for the last one, were added by Jane.

There’s a bit of frost evident on nearby rooftops this morning, but it looks like all the flowers have survived.

And from the looks of the most recent weather forecast, it appears that the temperature will be on an upward trend for the next little bit.

Soon it will be time to get our dinghy, Shenanigans, into the water and start thinking about camping up on Beausoleil Island.

Yesterday I finished the lattice panels for the sides of the arbour which was the final step in the construction of the project. I assembled it for a final check in the garage and to show MY Jane what it looked like.

I am pleased with the result and the overall look. I must admit, when I saw it together in the garage, I thought it would be way to big.

But now that it’s there, it looks right. I have to shift the steps over a bit to centre them and then permanently fasten the arbour in place.

Today, I will put some bricks under the outer posts to keep it elevated off the ground and then I’ll dig up the soil to ready for planting of some kind of climbing flower that Jane wants to have.

We are getting a bit of snow here in Barrie. It’s not enough to stay on the ground, but it’s snow nonetheless. Mother Nature can be such a tease at times, can’t she?

Hopefully the flowers will survive.

In the meantime, Minnie is somewhat confused. She likes going outdoors, but only if the weather is favourable.

It’s a good day to continue working on my arbour project. I should be ready to install it tomorrow.

Last week, Ted, MY Jane’s Mom, gave me a set of cuff links that belonged to Jane’s Dad, Bill.

This morning we had an appointment at Vin Bon to bottle the wine we ordered awhile ago. MY Jane wanted me to think of a label name, something that reflected the season. 

I’ll move the steps to the left so they’ll be centred. Next, I’ll make the to side pieces  and, once they’re done, I’ll give it a final sanding before final assembly and installation.

Should be done soon!

Today I began working on the arbour project. I decided to tackle the more difficult part which was making the two arches. I am using the same cedar as was used in the deck. 

I replaced the cardboard with wood and drew the two arcs on those pieces, then cut them with my new band saw.

I had never done arches before except for a rocking horse that I made many years ago. This was a challenge for sure and took me a lot of time. But in the end, I got them made. All I need to do is sand them a bit with the belt sander then I can finish them off and start on the sides tomorrow.

This morning my cousin, George, is coming with his truck to help me bring back the unused lumber and joist hangers from the deck project. For some reason the Lowes deck designer program called for far too many 2 x 10’s. All told, I figure there’s about $300 worth of material to be returned.

By the way, the tulips in the back flower bed have opened up and look quite nice….finally!

In yesterday’s blog, I mentioned that the deck is finished. Not so fast! I forgot that MY Jane had alluded to having an arbour over the steps. So, this morning, I checked out the Internet for some arbour examples. I was primarily interested in designs, but was astonished to learn that they sell these things anywhere from a few hundred dollars to $1129! 

So any arbour that we have is going to be made by me.

Here are the ones I looked at. Can you guess which one is the most expensive?

If you guessed that the second one is the most expensive, you would be correct.

This morning MY Jane and I finished off the deck project. All skirting and trim was put on and Jane fastened down the deck boards that had not yet been done.

Steps were put in and secured.

Early yesterday evening Steven arrived for a weekend visit. Earlier, MY Jane had picked up Ted and brought her back to our place, the plan being for all of us to have dinner together. Chris and Tonya couldn’t make it because they have a meeting with their wedding planner today.

After a great dinner, we just sat around chatting and sharing some laughs. Another great time together.

Today, Steven is going to help Jane and I with some work on the deck. We have some trim to put on as well as deck lights to install.

MY Jane and I started working on the deck this morning with the idea of finishing the second half by 4PM. Things went very smoothly and we ended up done by 1 PM . That gave us a chance to actually sit outside and enjoy a different perspective of the garden.

There are still a few things to do like making steps that will be located at the the angled part at the very right. I want to dress up the front and sides with more decking material and, at some point, we want to put an arbour over the steps.

It’s 99% done.

Yesterday, I finished the framing for the deck and MY Jane helped me begin to install the cedar deck boards.

We chose to go with a herring bone pattern to give it a more visual effect. To the left of the centre board, the decking will run in the opposite direction. The BBQ will be located between the windows so I made sure to get the BBQ hose and electrical cord pulled through from the outlet to the right of the door before everything us covered in.

Today, I will be showing Jane how to use the drill to put in deck screws. She volunteered to help do this part and I’m glad she did because there’s a lot.

On Saturday, with Steven’s help, I’ll be putting in steps and installing deck lights around the perimeter.

Yesterday was a great day to get going on deck construction. My cousin George came over to help and we made great progress. Here’s a picture at the beginning of the day.

We rapidly progressed from there.

By day’s end, we had most of the joists in place and secured. 

Today, my goal is to complete the framing including the two angled sections so we’re ready to begin laying the deck boards tomorrow.

Yesterday, Lowes delivered our deck. Well, not exactly. They dropped off all the material in our driveway is a more accurate statement. With the help of MY Jane,  and Allan, our across the street neighbour, we moved all of it to the back yard, which now looks like a construction zone.

I couldn’t resist getting a start on the construction, so I got the main beam made with 2 x 10 pressure treated lumber. It simply rests on the existing patio stones although I did raise it a bit with four supports so that the decking will be level with the back door threshold.

My cousin, George, is coming over this morning to help me get the rest of the beams in place so the joists can then be installed.

Yesterday, MY Jane and I delivered the finished Tansu cabinet to our friends, Annemarie & Jim. On the way there, we stopped at Lee Valley to pick up the remaining two door handles which were back ordered.

I put a little inscription on the underside of one of the base modules:

We set it up in their house in no time and both Annemarie and Jim were quite pleased with the result.

We were treated to lunch at a very nice restaurant in Georgetown called The Symposium.

A great day with great friends.

Yesterday MY Jane worked on getting the inside of all the windows on the main floor cleaned and then we lifted enough patio stones to make a sidewlk beside the house where the hose bib is located.

Once we got that done, I started on the stairs. This was a lot more challenging because the bricks were secured together with some kind of construction adhesive. Whatever brand it was bonded so well that I could not get some of the bricks apart. Consequently, I had to lift several very heavy chunks of brick instead of more manageable single bricks. 

But eventually I got it done!

We are now awaiting delivery of the deck material tomorrow with construction of the new deck to begin Tuesday.

On another note, Jane and I are today delivering the Tansu cabinet that I made for our good friends Annemarie & Jim.