West Side Story

Last week our local medical clinic was moved to it's new location. It will be renovated and upgraded. The land for the clinic was donated, as was much of the labour and other efforts including the fund-raising.

Watched a great video (sorry, could not embed) but check out this LINK to watch "Home"... available in HD (fullscreen) if you have a good connection

Straw bale house update: More straw baling, screening, sewing, flashing, plaster stops and electrical. The shingling is about two-thirds complete and that in itself deserves a picture of the "west side". There's plans to plaster on the horizon. (Maybe those feature windows could use some framing and glass... materials on site for frames).

Can you spot the upstairs bath fan vent disguised as a shingle?

A Martha Stewart moment. It's fruit fly season, don't ya know. The little buggers drive me nuts. Lee Valley has fruit fly traps... really expensive. So with a little Google assistance I found this helpful hint... A small glass jar with a little apple cider vinegar and a couple of drops of dish soap. Cover with some stretch wrap and poke a couple of holes in it with a pencil. By the next morning your flies are gone.... totally guaranteed or twice your flies back!

Everyone Loves A Parade

It was a gorgeous weekend (last week). We planned a "play-date" with some friends and went to our local golf course. The girls had never golfed before.... it worked out perfectly as we had the course to ourselves. As with all golf courses, there is a certain golf etiquette that must be observed; on the Denman Island course, it is as follows...

- No dress code is in effect. (in fact clothes are optional)
- Tee shots must not intentionally be aimed at sheep.

- Free drop with every shot
- Club rentals are free.
- Drinking on the course is encouraged.
- Green fees are covered by your empties.

We also went to a "Gymkhana" on the island, which is a sort of sports-day for horses. Ash and Kari have been bitten by the horse bug. We've talked for years about buying or leasing a horse... it has reared it's head again, (pun intended). So we're on the lookout for a good all-round trail horse (or two).

Straw Bale House Update: Yay, I got my electrical inspection done last week and it passed with flying colours. We've hired a guy to do the shingle work on the gable ends. He'll start next week. It's work that I like doing, but time is important now that the rains are here. (besides I saved a whack by doing my own electrical). Our goal is to have the house completely buttoned up before it gets too cold to plaster.

This weekend (labour Day) was a different story. The annual Blackberry Festival was eventually rained out, but not before the parade. People showed up by the tens and there was the usual food and games for all to enjoy. Here's some shots of the parade.