With a little help from my friends

It has been a mixed week.  Progress on the cabin was steady for the first three days but then we had our first real taste of winter. Temperatures plummeted to -10c to -20c and we had our first proper dump of snow. Better than slush and rain granted, but nevertheless it had a big impact. The freezing temperatures have stopped us using the sealant and combined with the snow it has slowed every process and task down. Even clearing the snow off the main floor takes a good half an hour and sometimes it has to be done two or three times a day. It has also increased the risk of injury and I almost became a casualty when a crowbar fell off the scaffolding and hit me.  Luckily it hit me on the head or it could have done serious damage!  But seriously, I was lucky, my hat softened the blow (a bit) but I had a headache for two days and the bump on my head has still not completely gone.

The forecast for the coming week is for more snow but, temperatures are due to rise and so I am hopeful that we will be able to resume using the sealant. If this becomes impossible we will have the choice of switching to using a gasket to seal the logs. I would prefer not to have to do this but the only other alternative is to suspend log laying until the temperatures rise and that could be weeks if not months and I don't want to do that.

I have put the snow plough on the quad and tested it out although, with only six inches of snow, it wasn't really necessary. However, I anticipate that it is going to become quite important over the coming weeks and I am glad that I bought the quad and plough when I did. My clothing is holding out quite well and I am suspending buying any expensive winter construction clothing for as long as possible. The exception has been that I have invested in a pair of proper winter construction boots. Keeping fingers and toes warm is critical to being able to work in these temperatures and I am hopeful that these boots will do the job. I already have good gloves but they don't last with the heavy work and have to be replaced about once every 4 - 6 weeks even with due care and diligence.

The quad complete with snow plough. The blade is raised and lowered using the winch and it can be manually turned and fixed to face to the right or left if required. Its old and slow but a good workhorse that I am beginning to really appreciate. I took it for a ride this afternoon (Sunday) to visit friends and it performed really well on the track up to the ridge above me which has now been closed to normal traffic due to the snow.

Snow clearing is a priority to preserve the integrity of the sub-floor; to reduce the risk of injury, and; to prevent the loss of tools and construction items such as screws, nails, etc. 

Anticipating that falling temperatures would freeze the ground and make it difficult to dig by the end of the week, on Monday we decided to dig the foundation holes for the decking that will surround the house.

We placed the foundation bases and tubing, down which the concrete will be poured.  More of this later when we pour the concrete.

We even managed to back-fill and cap off the tubes. Here you can see the foundations for the deck for the room above the garage.

If the weather had held, we would have finished the ground floor level of logs. As it was, we fell short by a couple of layers around about 3/4 of the perimeter.

Even so, we made good progress and virtually all the logs are now cut, ready to lay, to finish this level.

For those that are interested in the detail, I thought I would show the process for preparing the logs to be cut.

The tools required are generally these. For the uninitiated the second from the left is a draw knife. Like most tools one starts off using far too much brute force and energy but one quickly learns to let the blade do the work. It doesn't take long to become quite skilled in its use and consequently a big fan of it as a tool for lots of jobs one used to do with other tools.

The first task is to brush off and clean the log of all the dirt, chips, scrapings and ice. This applies to all four surfaces.

I then generally remove the strip of wood on the edge left over from the machining.  I leave a slight bevel on the edge to encourage any rain to run off rather than into the joint.

Then any remaining bark that some of the logs still have must be removed. The bark harbours disease and parasites and must be removed to prevent rotting etc.

The last task is normally to remove a lip from the underside of the log that prevents it from lying flat on the log below when it is placed on the wall. Failure to do this will cause the wall to lean. The lip is generally only 1- 2mm high but, multiply that over 18 layers and you can see the problem - a bowed wall.

Some will be interested to see that I also took possession of my 'sporterised' .303 this week. It is light, well balanced and the action is surprisingly smooth and quick. You may also be interested to know that the world record for a bolt action rifle was set in 1914 by a musketry instructor in the British Army—Sergeant Instructor Snoxall—who, using a .303 placed 38 rounds into a 12-inch-wide target at 300 yards in one minute. I am not surprised that his record has lasted this long.

Happiness is a warm gun

Some have inquired after John the homeless man. Finding him work with my builders hasn't worked out, not yet at any rate. Unfortunately, he doesn't have any building skills and that is what is needed at the moment. I, along with 2 or 3 others, keep a close eye on him and make sure he has what he needs to survive. I have discussed with him living in my trailer over the winter but he has declined the offer partly because it is 8 km from the Highway where he is at the moment. He has chosen his campsite well because it affords him easy passage into Cranbrook each day, where he has to go in search of work, charity and essentials (toilet, warmth, food, water, company etc). There is also the option for him to go into the mens' shelter accommodation in Cranbrook but he has declined that option as well. He is determined to prove to himself that he can survive the winter in his camp, with a little help from his friends. I saw him yesterday, helped him with his laundry, bought him some food and water and brought him back to his camp. I will continue to watch over him.

Now, as they say, we come to the tragic bit. The step-daughter of my master-builder and friend, Kevin, was killed last Friday, in a car crash in Utah in the USA. She was 18 years old. This brings to ten the number of teenagers belonging to the small communities with which I am associated, who have been killed in car accidents since my arrival here. This incident over-shadowed the fact that Kyle, Kevin's son, wrote off his truck last weekend but thankfully he and Matt were both miraculously uninjured. I can't help but think there is something wrong here. Our thoughts, prayers and hearts go out to Kevin and his family. But nothing can really soften the pain and sorrow that this bereavement brings and that will remain with them forever.


I have found few words that express better the sentiment of what we all want to say than those chosen by Edward III when he wrote to the King of Spain to inform him of the death of his daughter, the Princess Joan of England, who died of the plague in 1348 on route to Spain to marry the heir to the Spanish thrown. 

"No fellow human being could be surprised if we were inwardly desolated by the sting of this bitter grief, for we are humans too. But we, who have placed our trust in God and our Life between his hands, where he has held it closely through many great dangers, we give thanks to him that one of our own family, free of all stain, whom we have loved with our life, has been sent ahead to Heaven to reign among the choirs of virgins, where she can gladly intercede for our offenses before God Himself."

So, there is little new, it seems, when it comes to the human condition. As a generation we have been luckier than many that have gone before us, but that doesn't soften the blow of personal grief, loss and bereavement that, sooner or later, comes to us all.