In The Beginning

One of life's sad realities is that funerals (like weddings before them) provide us with an unparalleled opportunity to catch up with old friends with whom one should have kept in touch but hasn't. So it was at Michael Scot-Hopkins' funeral, (God rest his soul), a few weeks ago. On hearing of my plans to emigrate to Canada and to build a log cabin beside a lake in the Rockies, Mike O'Donoghue (and one or two others) suggested that I follow Matthew Sample's example and create a blog charting my progress, so that people could follow the saga. I thought it sounded like a good idea until that is, I saw Matt's masterpiece. If you haven't seen it, visit it at http://www.matthewsample.blogspot.com/ - you will be endlessly amused and charmed by his sardonic wit and wonderful, frank and occasionally distinctly non PC descriptions (often accompanied by photographs –sometimes also not so PC) of the places he is visiting and the people he has met on his unusual world trip.


Despite the daunting prospect of comparisons with Matt's, I have nevertheless bowed to pressure and summoned up the courage at last to put pen to blog. But be warned, if you are expecting anything half as entertaining here you might as well resign yourself now to accepting that all you will get on my blog is a periodic SITREP on how I am getting on building my little cabin in the forests of British Columbia. On the other hand, it will help us to keep in touch in an open forum kind of way and hey, who knows what might come of it. So feel free to post comments, criticisms, tips, advice or ask questions – just don’t expect an answer if you are rude.


Many of you will know the background to all of this, but as I write I can hear some distant voices with whom I have not kept in good contact crying ‘What the f… is happening here, why, when and how. All I’ll say is, what does a man do when his wife walks out on him the day he demobs from the Army leaving him with three teenage kids after being married for 25 years? Don’t worry, this isn’t going to turn into a rant against Sarah, whom I love dearly, women or life. The answer is, if you haven’t already guessed, he follows a well-established tradition, long trodden by men broken by love and war. He packs up his belongings into a suitcase (a container in my case), crosses the Atlantic to the New World where he hopes to re-invent himself and start over. Well, something like that. It’s the truth, if not the whole truth.


I have liked this part of the world since I was 14 years old (1967) and attended a Boy Scout Jamboree just over the border in Idaho. Two years serving with BATUS in the 90’s relit the fire but Sarah was reluctant to leave Blighty permanently and so that seemed to be the end of that. When our marriage started to break down, I thought of ways that I could turn the crisis into an opportunity and came up with immigrating over here. That’s the short version – trust me - you don’t want to hear the long one.

View over the lake in Winter

Anyway, here I am, on my todd, out in the wilderness with the deer, bears and cougars, a few pennies in the bank, getting started on Phase 1 – Build a Log Cabin.  Actually, before that, one needs a piece of land (bought this 1.5 acres lot on Lake Koocanusa in SE BC in February) .....

Almost the same view in Summer

...... and one needs a car – Jeep Wrangler – camouflage green, just in case (really, I didn’t have a choice of colours with the money I had but I have already grown quite attached to it). It goes almost anywhere, which is just as well because there was no road onto my property until yesterday – more later – and I have had to negotiate a steep slope to get in and out.

The Beast

Next up was to sort out temporary accommodation to live in while I build the log cabin. After four nights sleeping in the Jeep, I needed little incentivisation to get on with that and with three realistic options to choose from I went for a 17 year old caravan (trailer). Hence, I have now transformed myself from respectable middle class man about town (actually I was never that) to wilderness trailer trash. So you can see. I have already reinvented myself, only I hope this is a new beginning not a new end.

Some may recognise the black overalls - over 30 years old

The trailer is quite large – could sleep seven at a push – so there is plenty of room for willing helpers (unpaid of course but free board and lodging).  Most things work on it but not all at the same time. The lights work, so does the plumbing and the fridge/freezer and that is about all I really need at the moment. The air con/heater, microwave and hotwater heater would work, I think, if there was enough power, which there isn’t. I have hooked it up to running water with 100 feet of black piping, which by the end of the day is warm enough for a hot shower – not bad hey.

I share the property - apparently you don't need a rifle, just a club - sorry girls.

I do have the internet though, for two months at least while I have unlimited internet access on my new Canadian cell phone contract. I am connecting through my iPhone, which is using the G3 network and I can connect it to my computer and/or iPad. This really has made a difference because I now have communications with the world from the trailer, which I need for comms with family, architects, builders etc. Otherwise it is an half an hour drive into the nearest town (Cranbrook) and a visit to MacDonalds to use their WiFi. While I was living in the Jeep I camped in the MacDonald’s car park for the same reason. Sometimes you just have to grin and bear it!

The slope onto the property before .........

....the driveway was put in.

I’ve been on the property for just over a week now and have started clearing trees and preparing the land for the groundwork. I have tested my little chain saw to the limit and I am not sure how much longer the chain or the motor will last. I have cleared about 200 trees already, mostly small deadwood already on the ground. I’ve started cutting the live stuff but it is hard work clearing it single handed by hand and I have to cut them into small logs that I can carry away.  Between shifts I have been running a competition for letting various contracts including work for the log frame. I have decided on a company for the latter and have settled on a D shaped log that will be flat on the inside. This will make it easier for fittings and any dry walling I want to put into the kitchen and bathrooms etc. I will be a full member of the team putting it all together.  I have had the driveway put in, which will need extending once the house and garage are built. At least it gives easy access now to the property for me and the other contractors.

All my own work

I think that is about enough for the first blog. I’ll post again soon with some more news. I’m on Skype if anyone wants to chat, just search for me using my email address. Feel free to comment.

PS.  If you are looking for new posts and can't find them, go to the top of this page and on the right hand side under BLOG ARCHIVE you will see the chronological list of postings so far, listed by month published, just click on each in turn to view.  There are four in August and one in September.