Friday 17 June 2011

Electrical Storms and Plaster Disasters

We are still plugging away and slowly but surely making progress. Other than a dislocated shoulder we've been staying fit and keeping our backs to the cold winds and pelting rain. I apologize for not being diligent with my blog. I have been having trouble keeping my eyes open at night to update it.

Where did I last leave off. I think we had finished the deck and were starting the electrical. We're happy to say that the electrical is basically done. We will have the power switched on some time next week. Our electrician was excellent. Under his expertise we were able to do all the roughing in. Basically, all the labour except the panel hook up and splices.




It felt like we had wires coming out our ears. Barry, our electrician laughed saying that this is how much scrap he usually has in most jobs. Enough for us that's for sure. He was happy with our work..even though he always joked about there being so many short comings. He says everything he says is a joke unless he says he's serious. Sounds like some Lewis boys I know....I still fall for the sarcasm...I should be a pro at censoring this sort of behavior. I guess my reaction is always good for a laugh.



It wasn't long before all this spaghetti was hidden behind sheets of drywall and nice pink insulation. I don't know what it is but the insulation smells like cotton candy. It was all I had in me not to sneak a taste.




















In only a couple days, the inside started to take shape. It was so much easier to visualize the space. The drywall was heavy and dusty. Not as dusty as the sanding of the mud will be tomorrow. Take note of the clothing difference from day to day. We had a few days of just above freezing, wet and windy and then the next day sunny and 12 degrees





















The lead up to plastering was discouraging. Its hard to get anyone to help with it because its not a fun job. I had never done it before and I have to say, its not as bad as it was made out to be. We both had the same sentiment. Now to be fair, we haven't done the sanding or finish coat so we may have a different opinion in the next blog post.



It has been so damp that we bought a heater and borrowed a dehumidifier to try and make the plaster dry faster.

The fun part about plastering is being able to get dirty. Or making your fellow plasterer dirty.. Ted keeps laughing at how dirty my tools are, he is much cleaner an individual than me.

























Today we have picked the colour of paint that we will use in the cafe. We also picked up lumber to make our cupboards. We will soon be at the rewarding stage where things will start to look "pretty" and we can put our own signature on the place inside.





Crosbie and Iris have been trying to dodge raindrops. They are so much more content when it is warm and they can snooze in the sun. They stick it out together though.


Sunday 5 June 2011

Back on "The Rock"

We arrived back safely in Newfoundland. We kind of had a whirlwind tour while in Ontario although we were able to get lots of things taken care of.
It felt like we were in the tropics when in Ontario. It was so warm and everything was so lush. It would have been nice to have had a longer visit (especially with my new precious nephew Reuben).
Well, we were welcomed back to Newfoundland with a little different temperatures than Ontario. I think it was 2 degrees. The weather hasn't improved much but according to the locals, spring is sure taking its time. We have learned not to let the weather get us down. It is rather freeing! We try to take what comes, work on projects that best suit and dress in layers. When the sun does come out it sure is intense. I'm constantly stripping off layers and putting them on again.

Traditional Newfoundland Grub??

The fire department stopped by for a fundraiser. They were very proud of the spread they put together that morning. Well, Umm, Ahh, it looks a little scary. I didn't know that mashed potatoes could come in so many different colours. We would have preferred just giving them the the money and passing on the lunch spread but we didn't have the heart to tell them this.





Ted was the adventurous one, I took a pass. He is still alive so thats a relief. We haven't been able to get used to some of the Newfoundland staples. Shopping has been a test. If you don't get in the store the day the specials start, they are out of stock for the rest of the week. Fresh veggies are almost double the price as in Ontario and milk only comes in cartons. Fresh Deli bread is non existent. Its not as bad if we can make a trip to Gander (one hour away) although, our work schedule does not make it easy to get away. Its good that we make our meals from scratch.


Our Progress Report



This past week we have been spending a lot of time finishing off projects that we had started and working on doing the electrical. Our neighbour is an electrician so he is giving us guidance and we are doing all the labour. We are now ready to pull wire on Monday. This past weekend we worked on the deck. We were both getting a bit discouraged with our progress and not having much to show for our work so we thought it would be good to work on something that gave us some results.





Ted had the window sills and stops all painted and he was putting windows in today. Sure makes working indoors a lot less windy. It will be nice when we have a stormy cold day and we can be "indoors" working....luxury.





Thats it..you're going to the doghouse!

Sometimes you just have to take the time to do things that are important. For us, this was making a dog house out of scrap material we had.




Its funny that Crosbie is in the house in this picture because now he won't go in it at all. Ted has been getting up each night to let Iris out because she is getting older and needing to pee. Now, she has a nice cozy house and she can go outside whenever she wants to. Ted is getting more sleep too. We are all happy with the arrangement.

The house is now painted the same colour as the store and when we have time (maybe the fall..haha) I'll put a few shingles on it.

Let me tell you, this house, went up in seconds compared with our new construction. Only a few hours work.


So, until next time, take care "der boy".. All the best "my love"..