Flow soft . . .

The Crick is still flowing, thanks to a week of drizzle. We haven't had the time this summer to clear up the woodlot properly, and the little Crick is quite overgrown. I couldn't find the bank on Monday when I hopped across to put out the trash and almost splashed into the middle. I haven't lugged the the chainsaw into the woods once, apart from a single foray with Pat on the downed boundary trees. Still, there's a certain charm in the unshaped lushness. I'm still hoping to put another culvert in, but I can feel the summer drawing to a close and there is much to be done with the house before winter. The summer, in the end, is all too short, and the dark days are coming.


On the other hand, it won't be so bloody hot! It was 30 degrees in the sunporch when we got home yesterday. I closed up the house
completely this morning--a high of 29 is forecast. We'll see how close it comes. Lovely bluebells below.

By Design?

We encountered this in our April travels. This is a high-end designer furniture store, but really--that sign--surely they must realize? Or has someone vandalized them? They do spell "nazi" oddly in  Kitchener, Ontario.

Notes from Underground

I wondered what caused the long gap in posting this summer. It was this sort of thing--the job that began with a Bosch jackhammer and eventually involved dragging the concrete mixer into the basement. To pour this, I had first to support the floor without having any posts on the centre line. This meant using jackposts under built-up carry beams placed under the joists--a technique I tested on the workshop. I ran draintile under the footing, and put in lots of rebar. I used readymix, to ensure a consistent blend (and speed everything up--plus, the good folks at Wilkins gave me an excellent price). I suspended the rebar from the centre beam itself with lashing wire.

For much of the summer, a slide was screwed to the (broken) cellar steps, so I could load in bag after bag of ready-mix. It takes a lot to make up a 12-foot by 16 inch sill! As soon as it had set up, I poured a 12 inch footing on top.