Brick Delivery

After spending all day last Saturday moving the bricks to new pallets they were delivered to the house on Monday. Now all that remains is chipping the faces off and attaching to the house - a few more months/years to go :)

They don't look like much now but will be fabulous once they've had the treatment.

Frodo and Flowers

Little Frodo has taken a turn for the worse. She's spending a lot of time in the basement now. We moved her there because it's the only place in the house that's cool in this blistering heat wave. I hope she makes it but it's back to force feeding again.


Bean Harvest!!



The mason bees have filled in a few spaces in the new bee house.



Xeranthemum and Lemon Gems


Persian Carpet Zinnias




Benary's zinnia's next to the sweet peas.

The flowers have finally filled in in the garden. Benary's zinnias, Persian carpets, Lemon gems and Xeranthemums. The sweet peas have bloomed early and are filling the air with their sweet scent.

Frodo Cat

It wasn't very long ago that Frodo was lying under the Christmas tree sleeping off a 'fish flake' high. Lets hope she is still around for another Christmas like the last one.
Today she ate her entire caloric requirement voluntarily and was quite bright and happy; she sat in my lap after dinner and purred up a storm.
She seems to have some ventral edema and I hope that it is not indicative of right heart failure.
I'm still hoping that she'll be around for a few more years, believe it or not the picture of her under the Christmas tree is at the ripe old age of 17. She has been with me since August of 1991 when she was about 4 months old.

July Progress

Tower dormer from the front, completed July 12, 2009.
HK's careful work at precarious heights is complete for now.

Side view shows the view all the way through to the trees on the other side.

Basement painting is almost complete also.
Just the white paint in the centre stripe to be put in place once the yellow and dark grey set completely. It's very dramatic!!

Stairs have been attached to the stringers in the addition.

Little Frodo cat has started to eat on her own and is in a better mood (though still not back to normal).

Convalescent Frodo

It has been a difficult few days for Frodo (and us too). She went off food in the summer heat and has developed hepatic lipidosis. She was tortured at the clinic with blood and urine taken and 250 mls of subcutaneous fluids administered.

I have been force feeding her every few hours and if she doesn't return to normal consumption today, she will have to have subcutaneous fluids administered here at home. Oh she is going to hate me if that happens.

She threw up her first dose of cyproheptadine (antihistamine appetite stimulant) but half an hour later started eating food. She has consumed about 2/3 of a tin of food as well as some of the usual dry food. Another session like that and I won't be threatening her with force feeding again today.

Tower Room Progress July 2009

Henrik is hanging out on the outside!

View from the bed.

Bed is back in service.
There is still a fair bit of work to be done to complete the room (window trim and baseboards, the Kachelofen pipe needs to be completely removed from the floor below, and the carpet needs to go down) but it's once again available for sleepers!

Garden developments

Progression of beans

Progression of lettuces

Ripening loganberries

Cleaned up area next to Hostas - mass weeding and columbine sacrifices :)