and a brown bird sang in an apple tree

Working on the house has been slow going! Husband-guy put up the little deck that faces the big trees out back. It’s really beautiful but is currently jammed up with scaffolding. Which means the building wrap will go on soon. Also the last windows went in which you can see in that photo. It’s lovely because there’s no wind inside but oddly, they get fogged up on the outside?!

We had a ’slow’ Christmas. It was lovely. Simple and heart felt. We made popcorn and rosehip garlands, lanterns and branch stars for ornaments. We made butter tarts, shortbread, gingerbread and birdseed cookies for giving and eating. We made nutloaf, stuffing and cranberry sauce, mmmm! I made rabbit stuffies, scarves, a needle book, a bread quilt, penguin slippers, felt pockets, and play blocks from our own maple branches. Out of all this making there was only one re-do. I adore the branch wall hooks that my husband-guy made me - they are so precious to me!

It was just the four of us on Christmas day. We really needed that with all the hubbub of Advent and Christmas eve. Then the day after boxing day we packed up for four days in the ‘big smoke’ to visit and it was such sweet visiting! Though as soon as we docked in Tsawwassen, we knew that we were not ‘home’… that where our house is is home… Gabe is truly home now. That was a such a good, sweet feeling.

Life may speed up a bit now that the days are getting longer plus I’m hoping to train for the Sun Run again… but it is / was a lovely slow, hibernating and rich time. Not every day feels lovely and slow but the sense of it is there and I’m cherishing it.

Cheers.

Eight days of framing and Tim is moving up to the second floor joists!

The roof beam will be lifted into place by a crane arm on a truck, then the second half of the last wall can be lifted into place.

Meanwhile, Liam and Rory are going diaperless in preparation for learning to use the toilet - it’s not always pretty but we’re getting there!

The excitement builds (pardon the pun) with each and every step. Tim is really confident with framing so here we go!!

I should make a note here that I have the lovely job of child-minder / spectator in this whole building project not feeling particularly confident in any building work but am happy and strong enough to assist where needed:)

We just had to pull in the table, so exciting:)

My baby, Aurora, turned three. She’s a sweet, compassionate, loving, and eager little lovely:)

Happy birthday my little girl!

Tim finished all the little details with the foundation (form removal, exterior plumbing and electrical, drain rock, septic hook up, etc) in July in preparation for his ‘vacation’ time in August. The house materials arrived in late July and Tim started building full time on August 1st.

Liam and Aurora watching the action from our giant pile of dirt… excavated for the foundation.

Thanks for the great shots Rocky - so crisp, and finally photos of me.

My foundation!!

Checking out the cement truck… I got to check out the cab, in Liam’s shy absence.

We’ve been here one year, exactly. Husband guy said that we’ll live in the motorhome for ~3 months while we build. I had my doubts and multiplied his estimate and said that I’m willing to live in the motorhome for 1 year. I was over-shooting so that the house would come in plenty of time, ha ha! Anyway, I’m so excited to have our foundation and the prefab ordered for August. Tim has August off… and we have the second weekend in August set for a ‘barn raising’ to bang up the walls. Then the third weekend is for banging up the siding. All welcome, wink wink:)

It’s so tiny and Tim is so handy that he thinks everything but the plumbing will be easy! I don’t have a head for all the details but Tim has probably built and re-built this house a hundred times over, in his head.

Tomorrow we get to pull the plywood off the foundation walls, my Mom comes next week, Rory’s birthday and then mine - so many reasons to celebrate. Cheers!

Actually I won’t post a photo of the biggest news in my life (too boring), I have started working… good, honest work at the grocery store - yay it’s on island and it’s easy:) Husband guy is half time as well so we trade off, it’s such a good deal!

We just love the giro… possibly addicted. On the home front, we may have work starting on our new septic next week! Fingers, toes and knees crossed:)

The wall with the two windows and a glass door faces south into big fir trees. And the upstairs has four foot walls and vaulted ceilings with windows at the south and north ends. Most of them face south, away from the road. It’s one big open room, for sleeping and gazing.

The main floor is a nice big kitchen… but no living room so we might manage a couch there by the coat closet. It’s so wee but it’s bigger than the motorhome and we’ve chosen / designed it to easily add on. I say chosen because it’s a prefab. The walls will be trucked in from Vancouver, all stacked on top of each other with the trusses.

I’m trying to dream this into reality. I suppose it’s not the specific things in these images that I like. I think it’s that they fit into what we’re able to build. And that they’re light filled. And practical and multifunctional. I hope it’s not all vanity. It’s more about finding what brings light and peace and joy and home. It’s small so we need to get creative about how to fit what we need, comfortably.

Recently, Tim added a window and exchanged the french doors with a single glass door so that we could have this breakfast nook. We’ll be able to see the whole yard, the gate, the maple tree, the garden, the future labyrinth and the great trees out the back. Yeah!!

As soon as the septic is done, we can choose a spot for the compost bins and the labyrinth… can’t wait! Oh yeah, we can get seed for the lawn… camomile or clover?? definately not grass. There will be no mowing!

Richard Le Gallienne

Isn’t that perfect?

What better way to begin our homeschooling adventures.  Last week we joined our first field trip with our friendly neighbourhood homeschoolers.  We went to the firehall.  I had to carry them both in with their hands over their ears but we persevered and they relaxed about half way through.  We got to go on the rescue truck!  Then we went to a community park called the Commons, and had a winter picnic!   It was just so lovely and it marked our beginning perfectly.

On the home front, we received our plans last week!!  It was very exciting but anti-climatic since we still haven’t been able to get in touch with the Islands Trust planner, to see where we go from here.  But every little step counts and we’re on our way.  Plus husband-guy, Tim, built our garden, yay!   It had to be fenced because of the deer so up went poles and then netting.  Then an order of dirt and now spreading dirt, digging walkways between and sowing seeds!  It’s intensely satisfying to help and see it taking shape!

Then we finally came out of quarantine (Norovirus, yuck) so could visit with Rocky again.  Didn’t want to pass it on since he’s recovering from surgery, go Rocky!  So we went to Drumbeg, of course.  This photo is of a newly discovered trail leading us right down to the beach with grass, sand stone and beach wood…. so what could we do but laugh and go.