Wednesday JUne 19th - It's all good!

Lots has happened since my last post almost 3 weeks ago.
We are finally pretty much moved in. I still have one small bedroom that's being used as a storage room but I'm grateful to have to space to do that.

There is still much to do outside but the inside has finally taken shape just as I had imagined. While we have a little less space than the last house I'm really impressed with the functionality of the layout and the roominess. It's also very easy to look after (aside from the sand that gets tracked in everyday by both us and the dog). Eventually that will lessen once we have a front deck and some grass as well as stone on the laneway.

I had the pleasure of spending a couple of days in Ontario. I went up to watch Meg's dance recital(s). It may well be the last one I'll see as I'll not likely go up next year. I'm more likely to arrive in Guelph for her highschool graduation next year instead. It was cool and rainy the day I arrived in Toront  but the rest of the time the weather was glorious.





 I didn't have time to connect with everyone but I did manage to
squeeze in a breakfast with Fran and Walt and a fast supper before a performance with Nancy and Stu, Marla, Jan and Robin.

Another unexpected treat (because Patti and I were running late) was a hot dog at Rocky's, an Guelph Institution since I was a kid.








When I got back to the island our weather began improving as well. Lots of BBQ suppers (even though I now have my stove back!) Lloyd's working two nights a week at the homeless shelter but on his days off he's busy getting everything underneath the house sorted before the final step of putting on the skirting. He needed to rent a hole digger to install the anchors (that hopefully keep it from blowing away in a hurricane) so while he had it he dug the holes for my clothesline. I've been wanting one for quite some time so I was ever so thrilled to arrive back to see the posts in place.

We had our friends Jens and Linda over for lunch on Sunday. They were our first official guests to eat in our dining room! I've always liked to have a seperate dining room and believe it or not, I have one now. My doll house is sitting in front of the picture window. It's not meant to be there permanently but it will have to stay until I clear out the storage room. It's meant to live in there with a single bed but for now the single beds are set up as bunk beds in the other spare room.

Last time I posted some photos of the house being moved. While there are still little areas that need attention, for the most part we're unpacked.

Finally have a dining room

The den is just the right size for a small living room. The other side of the room houses the TV, stereo and recliner. More than enough room for the two of us

My slightly messy kitchen, although it seems to be pretty easy to keep fairly tidy

My fridge didn't fit in the designated spot so found another place for it. The usual spot is jut the right size for my upright freezer.

The master bedroom. It's not huge but we can fit both night tables for the first time (even with a new king suze bed). The two dressers fit and we have a two piece ensuite and a small walk in closet.

All in all, it's starting to feel like home. It's pretty quiet where we are and we have a huge back yard that's bordered by trees. Photos of that next time.

Thursday, May 30th - I can see the light at the end of the tunnel....

...and it's not attached to the front of a train!

It's been a challenging few weeks but things have almost all fallen into place - finally.

There have been many times I was planning to post an update but then something else would happen and the last thing anyone needs is to hear me moan about yet another obstacle.

Now that all the obtacles have been removed, we are moved in (mostly) and as of today we now have all the essentials - plumbing, heating, running water, propane to cook with and electricity 😃

Moving a home from one location to another is quite a challenge. Unfortunately I wasn't here the day it was moved so I missed all the action. I was on my way to Halifax to visit James, but fortunately Lloyd took lots of pictures.

House on the move on Monaghan Road

Left turn onto Fort Augustus Road then a right onto Five Houses Road

Sharp left turn onto Patti Lane - backing up no less

Back...

,,,and back some more...

...and finally back far enough to drive into place

Left turn (forward this time) onto our lot

And finally onto the prepared pad

A day like this requires spectators!

Finally all in place

The storage trailer backed up to the front door so we could begin unloading.
I'm amazed that the whole process only took a little over 3 hours (from the time it made it to our area)

So it's not like just moving into a new house. Trenches need to be dug, pipes and wires need to be strung as well as run underground, and all the various trades people have their own special part in the dance.

But the dance is almost over and we can get on with things.  Fortunately our weather is finally warming up as well. Of course with that comes blackflies, which will soon be followed by mosquitoes. But that's summer here in Canada.

Just as we get everything up and running I'm heading to Ontario for a very quick visit to attend Meg's dance recital.  Then it will be back to help out with Brenda's son's wedding. I'm making their cake so the hook ups couldn't come at a more convenient time.  We've had very limited electricity for the past couple of weeks and no propane so all cooking had to be done on one induction burner on the counter. I'm so looking forward to finally being able to use my stove again.

Of course like any "construction" project, the grounds around the house are all dirt. Some major work needs to be done out there but at least the weather is now cooperating. Without any grass or gravel it becomes a bit of a mudpit pretty quickly.  So on to the next project. Then it will be time to start Lloyd's garage. With luck, it will be usable by fall at least for storage and tools.

Lots of work to do yet but at least we are no longer homeless. It's been a long haul since October but we absolutely could not have done it without the help and support of really great friends.

Update: since starting this post last Thursday, everything has finally been hooked up and is now functional. The little things we so take for granted: hot AND cold running water when you turn on the tap (many thanks to the Andersons for allowing us to keep filling our water jug at their place),  a furnace to keep us warm and propane to cook with, electricity so that you don't have to make sure two things aren't plugged in at the same time (but many thanks to our neighbour for allowing us to run an extension from his place). My fridge and 2 freezers are now home and have been loaded with their contents.(again thanks to Richard for housing our freezers and the VanGaals for housing our fridge). It's great not having to rely on a tiny fridge to hold all you might need. The only thing left to do is pick up the wine and various other adult beverages that have been gracefully aging over the winter in the VanGaals celler. I had hoped to retrieve those items this afternoon but it started raining so I'll maybe do that tomorrow.

Tuesday I'm off to Guelph for a really quick trip to watch Meg's dance recital.
She just learned that they've found a host family for her in Italy so she's pretty excited about that. They speak English and the 15 year old daughter will be going to the same school as Meg. The mother is a graphic artist and works from home and also has Celiac's so it's a wonderful fit for Meghan.

Tristen is busy with Air Cadets, although I guess they'll be shutting down for the summer soon. He will be going to Cadet camp in the summer and will likely continue with his drumming lessons. This past weekend he played with the band for the first time at a public performance at a basketball game. He's the one playing the big bass drum.  Well done, T !

James is away for his 8 weeks of basic training in Quebec. He was apparently at the Air Show near Montreal over the weekend. Lots of fun!  I'm sure he'll have lots to tell us when he gets back.

Well, I'd best get going. When I get back from Ontario I'll post some photos of the inside. It's actually turning out just as I had imagined and I'm pretty pleased.