Make do and mend....

Etymology

From the title of a booklet issued by the Ministry of Information

Verb

make do and mend

(UK) A philosophy, during World War II, of repairing clothes etc that would normally be discarded due to shortages and rationing  (Wiktionary).



Yesterday - Friday - was another checking day.  All day.

Today - or rather last night - it thundered and rained and generally tipped down, and has more or less done so all day.

So, what do you do when it's raining in he Laurentians?  Well, go shopping of course, and then be busy!  A  Canadian breakfast at Giselle's in the village and then to l'Annonciation in the torrential rain for petrol, Yacht enamel (STILL not oil based!); various bits from Rona - the hardware store - and instant meals, I'm afraid, from IGA - the Sainsbury's of Quebec.

Lunch was a bit eaten on the hoof, as "Them ooop Noarth" Skyped for a chat.  GREAT!  And then A found - at last - a US channel that provided ball by ball commentary of Mr Murray's semi-final at the US open - tennis I think.  I am lead to believe that he won.

So - those of you who have visited 107 will remember the desperate little signs on the loo tops, beseeching the user to stay with their hand on the flush lever until all the water has descended from the tank.  This harks back to the day when someone didn't and the flapper valve stayed open and the subsequent run of water drained the well.  This has further consequences in  that no water from the well means no water into the water heater / hot tank and the elements burn out - again! 

Well, the downstairs loo has been running, gently, for some time.  You can particularly hear it when you're in the basement doing stuff.  It takes / took real dedication to ignore it and do nothing about it.  "Save it for a rainy day" was the watch-word.  And today certainly was rainy!  So now we have new ball-cock valve, and even an inline stop tap on the inlet pipe!  And no need for any more piece of paper on THAT cistern.  It won't be the same without it.....


Users of  the Blue room (and it IS blue!) may remember the rather jolly way in which the two North-side windows ice up - as in freeze! - in the winter.  And the fact that the wood gets soggy and pappy?  Well, they're not rotten; they're cedar,and cedar doesn't rot apparently.  But they are badly painted and so on, so now they are in the basement, fully dry and stripped.  Only not completely because the detail of the beads makes that  ridiculously complicated.
I shall apply some epoxy resin to them on their lower edges and then probably overpaint them before re-fitting them - I hope in time for us to leave.


Visitors from the dark side...



Big excitement here - especially amongst the chipmunk community - a Black Squirrel.  They really do exist, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_squirrel !  This particular character was to be seen on the bird feeder, tucking in, whilst the chipmunk gratefully tidied up underneath.


 
Ali has been busy, too.  We've moved the washing machine - another tale, another time - so that it no longer threatens to wash away the foundations as it empties.  However, it is now 16" off the floor and wobbles, so that whoever is working in the basement has to restrain it physically from falling off its perch.  Hmm - drawing board stuff I fear!

Anyway, that's provided a simply huge pile of ironing......

And, on top of that ( not literally of course!  That would be silly!) she began some upholstery repairs.

 

So, you see, not much rest, but definitely a change.

We think of many of you every day, do drop us an email, ring us, try Skyping us when it suits.

Love to you all.