Whirling!

 Saturday, 29^th July.

There was a floorboard in the screen room that had lifted.  So, I took a jigsaw to it and lifted it out.  And found that one of the supporting posts was -  for some reason - about 2cm proud and thus distorting the plank.  Sorted.

More boat work, it took quite a long time (stuff gets in the way sometimes) to fill all the stitch holes with three differently sized dowels!  But that's done

A rather fractured day but this and that and thunder.  Holiday weather!

Sunday, 30^th July.

Up early and away to Grace where Peter led, and I preached.  Early on, I really worried that I had “lost” them, but Ali tells me that they were all just following closely!  The first part of the sermon dealt with that unpleasant story of Laban’s daughters and the treating of women as chattels.  The second part of the sermon was about the parables of the mustard seed , the yeast in flour and others.  Here’s a taster.

“The Illustrations – the mustard seed and the yeast (more likely sourdough culture) speak of the certainty of the Kingdom, although it is growing in secret. 

We’ve just had a new septic tank and weeping field installed at the cottage.  No, I’m not going to talk about all those clever bacteria working away in secret, although, come to it……

No; 

We have now a large area of bare earth and I want to plant it up as wildflower meadow.  Of course, now is not a good time to sow wildflower seeds, some of them need the effect of winter’s chill to prompt them to germinate, but – as my daughter says – “we are where we are”. 

So the recommendation is that I should sow the wildflower seeds now along with a “cover crop” of oats.  The oats bind the soil, some of the wildflower seeds sprout now and the others overwinter, to sprout next spring.  They lie in secret, under the snow, the cold itself triggering their growth.

And the Kingdom is like that, some showing now, some lying under the snow, ready to come to new life.  As the information sheet from the nursery has it: “Patience is required when establishing a mix of native grasses and perennials as many flowers will not bloom until the second year of growth”.

But the prize, that flower-studded meadow, alive with the buzz and click of insects.  Isn’t that worth the waiting?  As Jesus has it, worth selling everything for?  That pearl of great price, that field of buried treasure,

And the oats, the weeds from last week’s lesson?  The oats don’t survive the winter.  In time, they will just be gone. 

In the middle of winter, it might be difficult to imagine those columbine seeds as doing anything at all.  Have I just wasted time and money and effort, only to be disappointed?  Well, as far as the garden is concerned – maybe.  But as far as the Kingdom?  St Paul has it this way:

"For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor rulers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.”"

Shattered; absolutely shattered!  Some very kind comments afterwards and then lunch at the café at the crossroads with Wanda and Rod, before stopping at the nursery for plants – hoping to beat the deer – and pressing in to Tremblant for Canadian Tire, IGA and Atmosphere!  Via the farm shop at la Conception, Labelle to leave a cheque for the surveyor’s bill and finally, after the Spring in the village, home!

Fell asleep in the chair after sweetcorn (Oh!  Transports of delight!  First sweetcorn of the season; Soooo good!), cauliflower cheese and LaFleur Pork Sausages.  If you have to eat a mild, commercial banger, that takes a lot of beating!

Monday, 31^st July.

A beautiful day, 19 degrees (it has been hotter but very humid with thunderstorms on and off for days!) and sunny.

Started cutting the gores – and a scarf joint for one of the gunwales – for Pollux.  Then went up and out to sand Castor’s outside and all those tatty gores.  I shall try to sheath the outside and then tackle the inside so that I can remedy some of the bad gore patches internally.

I stood the boat on its ends in turn to fill the bow and stern with (flour) filled resin.  Sanding the outside reminded me of Peter R's comment about oil-canning.  So I placed a 2 1/2" x 1" oak beam in the floor temporarily and used a bar clamp in reverse to pump the canning out.  

Ali has spent most of the day on her knees on the deck, scrubbing the planks which had become very green.  They look beautiful now.  Some Waterseal tomorrow I think.

 

 

 

 Then I have laid on a first, supplementary layer of glass, well cleared but not filled so that the weave is available for grip. Hopefully this double layer will deal with the buckling.   Onwards and upwards.

Phone call from the welder at 16.00 – the trailer is too short for the boats.

So to BMR as they were closing, to the nursery likewise and then to Mme Brigitte Laramée the welder where we agreed a rapid re-design!

Home for an impromptu Pork Chops in BBQ baste!  Followed by a video chat with Wanda about the music for next Sunday’s service.  Nothing like being prepared…..

Splash!

 Thursday, 27^th July

Same old same old – with a twist.

Lovely scrambled eggs for breakfast – they, and two slices of toast, last me to about 16.00!  Pollux begins, much more refined technique this time.  I stood Castor on its end and part filled the join internally with flour-thickened resin, and some of the stitch holes with toothpicks.

We joined in with a PCC meeting by Zoom; feel a bit alien really, both in distance and in terms of ambition, although James made a good explanation of where we are trying to go as a worshipping Community.

And then, humidity notwithstanding, we carried the new boat – in just two carries – down to the water.  Really light!  Steers well, tracks well, accelerates well, stable.  What’s not to like?  Just the internal colour – we’re working on that!

Showers, supper, sleep!

Friday 28^th July.

Up promptly to write the sermon for Sunday – or try to.  Strange readings. Gen 29:15-28; Ps 128; Rom 8:26-39; Mt 13:31-33, 44-52.  A familiar, but perhaps rather disturbing tale of not one, but two arranged marriages; a rather cosy little psalm; perhaps Paul’s most profound yet explicit writing about what it is to be a part of the family of Christ; and not one but five parables in which Jesus tries to show his disciples something of the nature of the coming Kingdom.

Where on earth to begin?

Well, begin I did and then a family conflab about all the things that need to be done before Bryony and the boys come.  So, some grass cutting, moving Burlesque out of the screen room, cutting the porcupine spikes off the outside of Castor, back to the sermon, a bit more Pollux (The CNC did not provide all the 3mm off-cuts that I need for the bow and stern upsweeps so I’m having to thin 4mm down to 3mm.  Not easy!), back to the sermon again…..  Supper of pasta (Ali’s favourite) with diced fillet pork in a jar of Marinara sauce with extra basil and the rest of the multibean salad from earlier in the week.  Yummeee!

Ali raked the worst of the stones out of the front lawn area and seeded it with rapid grow shady grass mixture.  We shall see!

 

Journeys, old friends, playing with the big boys

Tuesday, 25^th July.

To Laval – right next to the railway station – to the only chandlers here abouts.  Very nice people; another time I’ll wax philosophical about the demise of specialist business in the presence of the internet – and corporate accountants!

They had neither resin nor glass cloth ☹

To Lee Valley Tools (where the beautiful tools are displayed in counter cabinets like fine cigars, or watches - or weapons in a dystopian film.  (One of these, perhaps, sir?  No?  Then I know what would suit you…..”)

Loads of resin – and head nets – but no cloth.  I shall have to order that – on the internet?  (No – from the Boathouse in Laval.  They promised to get it for me.  Service begets loyalty.).

To St Jerome to check on the booking for the minibus – which isn’t.  I have a clear email saying “booked”, but they have no minibuses – never have!  He can do me a 7 seater SUV but that has no luggage space.  So we shall have to take both vehicles down to meet B&M and boys after all.  No biggee.

Then to K & D for a good long chat and off to supper at a Greek restaurant – that sort of was and sort of wasn’t.  But the food was good, the company excellent and hours slipped away.

Home in the gloaming 😊

 

Wednesday, 26^th July.

Two eggs and toast for breakfast – comme toujours! – fried sunny side this morning with just a suggestion of oil in the non-stick pan!

Then to the barn to awaken the trailer (remorque) – the tyres seem fine….  And off to the Welder.  A very nice lady at lac Alphonse – the other side of the village.  I’m having a canoe rack built for it!

Now - Playing with the big boys!

We are very, very fortunate to live where we do.  I know that.  In the last two days we have had raccoon (pests - but cute), chipmunk, squirrel, turkey, deer (a doe with two dapple fawns and two bucks; one "four pointer" - who will be nominally safe come the hunting season since the lower limit around here is six points.  Doesn't stop some folks, mind :-(.  And we have this handsome fellow who is presently set to be 8 points (there are two, single prongs forward and level with his ears) at least.  As you can see, they don't bother me, and I  don't bother them.  We absolutely do not feed them, but they scavenge beneath the bird feeders and blue jays are very messy feeders .......  Perhaps I should scare him off to make him wary?

All of which is to say just how matter of fact the ply-torturing for Castor was.  Two kettles of boiling water inside, a large mop (is that called dwyle flonking?) to spread it around.  Progessive tension, two more saucepans of boiling, more mop.  The foam wedge (brilliant idea that, thank you.  It works vertically to start the turn in the ply and then horizontally to confirm it!) sorted the bow flares out.  And there is was; done

HUGE thanks to all of the on-line community who have contributed thus far.  I'm whacked, it's very humid, thunder threatens and gin promises (after another couple of pints of water - honest!)

A new created world..... (Or - hard task masters!).

 

Monday, 24^th July.

No such luck (the boat that is!).

Benoit and friend arrived on the dot of 8.00, the lorry with the brown earth last load only 10 minutes later.  The contours are set; later in the day a big load of black earth arrived – complete with small toad - and then into finishing.  Outlines for the new path, explanation of the placement of rocks (we don’t want access by car to the house but do want the snow clearance to get through).  And then everyone waited for the man to arrive to pump out the old septic tank, to use the filtered contents to start the new tank.  That meant that Benoit could fill in the old tank with any rubble that would fit and begin the levelling of that side of the grounds.


 

They will come back later or even late in the year to build the retaining wall and level the side lawn.

They have been such good company and, weather permitting, have worked consistently.  Nothing but compliments for them.


We like it. 

 

 Meanwhile, in the basement, replies had come in overnight to my request for help.  Nothing for it, got to cut longer scarf joints and use resin and flour to glue them.

Did that, and took the opportunity to fasten the gores with tape and resin patches.


 

Just ready to fix the gunwales…..

 

Five boats in and I finally have enough clamps  (and a builder's mate :-) )

 

Surprising Sunday

 

Sunday, 23^rd July

Awoke early but then time slipped by and we arrived in Grace just as Peter T was welcoming folks to worship.  Still, we weren’t, strictly speaking, late.

A lovely service, Peter preached about the wheat and the tares and how Jesus teaches not always to root out the weeds but to leave them to grow up, thereby not damaging the growing wheat, and to let them be sorted at harvest.  But, more than that, to conquer the weeds not by attacking them but by nourishing the good grain, thereby overwhelming the poor.

Reminded me of the fable of the two wolves.  It was beautifully told in ”Death in Paradise”, at the end of this clip here.

And then Ann-Marie invited us – and a couple who are on University sabbatical from the USA – to lunch.  As you do.  A wonderful meal and a wonderful French-English conversation (David has no French, Rebecca is fluent., having studied at Uni and in Tours for 6 months).

 

Then to Canadian Tire for (more than I thought) essentials and IGA – of course – for comestibles, including a little ice cream …..  And home.  Where both of my scarf joints broke on use.  Hmm.  Pleas out on Song of of the Paddle (SotP) and wait to see.

 

Meanwhile: “What sets a canoeing expedition apart is that it purifies you more rapidly and inescapably than any other. Travel a thousand miles by train and you are a brute; pedal 500 on a bicycle and you remain basically a bourgeois; paddle a hundred in a canoe and you are already a child of nature.” – Pierre Trudeau

Time to get a boat on the water I think….