Water, water everywhere has been the main theme this week.
It has rained almost without interruption for most of the week and the low
clouds have dulled the light and our spirits. On Wednesday we had 2 ½ inches
and I had to drill eight, half inch, holes in the Annex floor to let the water
drain down into the garage below, where we were busy levelling the floor. The
temperature also dropped and on the hills and mountains around me the rain fell
as snow, much of which is still there. Many of the rivers have burst their
banks and the water meadows are now flooding, to be enriched with the minerals
and silt brought down from the mountains. The ducks and geese of course are as
happy as pigs in the proverbial, but the rest of us are pretty irritated. Even
the deer seem to have fled to higher ground.
Consequently, there was a big impact on what we could
achieve at the cabin and the biggest disappointment was that we didn’t get the
cement poured in the garage. The main reason for this was the unavailability of
the laying team who, because of the rain, have a backlog of jobs waiting to be
done and the latest forecast for my pouring is now the back end of next week.
At least this has given us more time to prepare and allowed us stay out of the
rain. Poor consolation.
Flooding in the Kootenay river valley was widespread but houses appear to have been wisely built above the flood plane. |
On Monday I helped the team put the roof on an extension to a cabin that they have been building at Rosen Lake in Jaffray. It was the only day when it didn't rain. |
We got the job done in a day and it looked good when we had finished. |
Having cleared the garage of all its occupants we continued the work of levelling the floor ready for pouring the concrete. |
Outside, we dug a shallow trough for the garage apron and ... |
The other great benefit of the rain this week is that it has allowed the
robins time and space to bring up their little family with the minimum of disturbance and I am
very pleased to report that the birds have now flown the nest. I can’t quite
believe how quickly it has all happened. The whole process seemed to take less
than six weeks. The humming birds are also noticeable by their absence now, as
they seem to have moved on. I am not sure if this is because of all the rain or
whether they were just passing through on their way to their summer breeding
grounds. I was told that some stay in this area and if so, I hope they will
appear again when the sun comes out again. If indeed it ever does.
There has been no word of John Sheppard, the homeless one, and this has left me with some very mixed feelings. One side of me suspects and
hopes that he has just moved on and, in the way of the homeless and the down
and out, one cannot expect any form of farewell. If this is indeed the case
then I am content but, there is also the gnawing doubt that something may have
happened to him. There was some considerable animosity towards him in his new
location and the only evidence that he left behind suggests that he did not
leave in a planned and organised way. Did I do enough for him? I suspect not,
and, shamefully, I suspect the feeling of guilt will wither faster than it should.
But while it lasts however, I might as well make the most of it. Save of course for the native peoples here, in living memory
this land has largely been spared the horrors of what much of the rest of the
world has experienced in the form of war, pestilence, famine or natural
disaster. Curious then why, despite all our good fortunes, it seems inevitable
that one day we should all invite tragedy to our doors and, almost always, by
the way we treat others. Is it that we can’t live without it? For some unfathomable reason is it that we need a
broken heart to fulfil our lives or make us feel alive? I used to think that tragedy was
the special preserve of the poor and unfortunate, the Russians and East
Europeans in particular (and maybe the Irish) who seem unable to escape the
cycle of inflated, irresponsible happiness and despondent, hopeless misery. Is it courted; is it driven by events beyond control, or; is it simply a lack of moderation that inevitably brings it to our doors? Many have asked the same question and none have provided the answer better than my favourite polymath Omar Khayyam:
Ah, my beloved, fill
the cup that clears
Today of past regrets
and future fears.
Tomorrow? Why,
tomorrow, I maybe
Myself with yesterday’s seven thousand
years.
And then, when that doesn't work, many turn to god (or whoever else or whatever form he now appears to us in).
Then to the rolling Heav'n itself I cried,
Asking, "What Lamp had Destiny to guide
Her little Children stumbling in the
Dark?"
And---"A blind Understanding!"
Heav'n replied.
And a fat lot of good that does when, what is really needed is a small drop of the milk of human kindness. And that, of course, is just exactly
what (for one reason or another) and all too often, we don't appear to be capable of giving, when it is most needed.
Wotcha Chris,
ReplyDeleteMany thanks for your kind comments. I look forward to reading and enjoying your blog too, as do many others. I also look forward to making it over for your house/hut/cabin/basha warming party whenever, hopefully after I have recouped some dosh. I would hate to arrive early and find heavy lifting still to be done, so don't rush it.
All the best,
Matt
Me again! Excuse my confusion; I have been replying to your comments on my own blogsite! Of course I should have been doing it here, so you may have missed some.
ReplyDeleteI never did discover; have you a name for your property yet?
Matt
Me again! Excuse my confusion; I have been replying to your comments on my own blogsite! Of course I should have been doing it here, so you may have missed some.
ReplyDeleteI never did discover; have you a name for your property yet?
Matt
PS I'm getting mighty confused by these google reply boxes. They seem to ask me to re-send, so you may get this twice....or not at all. Its NOT EASY for a computer dunderhead like me.
Matt,
DeleteI have the same trouble. I haven't decided on a name yet but one of my old 3RTR buddies has suggested Carn Brae, which I quite like. You'll recall that the Battle Cambrai is celebrated by the RTR and the date it started (20 Nov) is the Regimental Day. 3RTR was a West Country regiment and Carn Brae in Cornwall, where there is a famous 14th Century Castle (which some imagine is about the same size as my cabin) of course sounds much like Cambrai, would be a fitting name. I am still open to suggestions however.