End of a soggy spring in Calgary!

Summer arrived officially at 5.28 am this morning. Spring has been soggy by any standards; lots of snow at the start of spring and plenty of rainfall at the end. Farmers in the Prairies were calling for more precipitation but didn't expect the very large amounts we had - be careful what you wish for!

Wet snow allowed the 'greening' of the grass and trees to begin to leaf, the rainfall has enabled plants to thrive and grow. The grass is green, the trees in bloom and flowers are making their best efforts to provide colour. Nosehill Park was awash with spring flowers the vibrant yellows andpurples mixing with the fresh green grasses whilst overhead Prairie Raptors look for thermals to glide in. The rainfall last week has meant that the Bow and Little Elbow Rivers are in full spate and people are requested not to venture out into the fast flowing water as there has already been one fatality this past Saturday. The town of Medicine Hat has seen flooding as never seen before and over 200 homes have been evacuated due to the water levels and the build up of sewage in the pipes. Highway 1, the Trans Canada Highway, is closed between Alberta and Saskatchewan as 75 metres pf road have been washed away. One driver told reporters that she had never seen so much water all around the Highway and so little actual Prairie. Climate change ?

The views of the 'big sky' from our deck can be spectacular. We have watched storms develop; typical geographers watching the clouds build and develop - nothing like the North West of England and those endless cumulus clouds. Even on a grey day it is still bright. The colours and the effects of the changing light can only be described as stunning.

We have taken to strolling around the area where we now reside; we have seen several deer, a female coyote, very well fed we might add, and yesterday evening we heard, and saw for the very first time the coyote cubs. We have heard their howls in the evening and yesterday we were very fortunate to watch five cubs at play a short distance from where we were standing. Even the hare stopped and listened to the cubs at play, as usual the camera was left behind.

The temperatures are warming nicely although we are still below average for this time of year. Today, Monday June 21st. a very warm 21C, it was a tad too warm to sit comfortably on the deck at 5.30 pm with cup of tea after work!

House building part 2

Towards the end of January the furnace was working; the builders ran it to ensure that all the ducts were functioning and then of course for heat. Internal framing was quite an art form especially around the heating ducts! and the fireplace in the 'great room' - posh lounge really. February saw the sidings going onto the house hiding the wooden structure. Between the wood and the aluminum (Canadian spelling) siding was a waterproof layer commonly called Tyvak. Our builder ensured that this waterproof mambrane didn't suffer from the elements and applied it prior to the sidings being attached, other builders attached the waterproof layer quite early on and left it exposed to the wind, rain and snow for quite a long time. Our membrane is black other son the estate are blue or yellow. Another builder nearby uses bright yellow and green!.

We also had the wiring put in for the speaker systems for the televisions and also for the house alarm, that way everything is hidden and nothing is an after thought. The plastic hats hanging down are for the speakers once the ceiling as been added and above that insulation and lots of it.

Once all the framing is complete, the first fix of wiring completed then the plaster boards are added and 'mud' applied to seal the joins and to create the corners for the walls. The deck received its first coat of paint although the stairs leading down to the garden are missing but will be added later.

When the paint and lacquer is being applied we are not allowed to visit the house, but when we do the floors are down; hardwood and carpet and tiles.

The final walk round and inspection took place on May 12th. 2010. We spent the next two days ferrying our few possessions to the house. The guest bed arrived on the Thursday and we spent our first night in our new home - sheer bliss.

May 28th. saw the arrival of the container at our house; we had expected a wagon with all chattels in but the crew broke the seals in front of Bill and started unloading. I had been awake since 5 am. It was quite emotional as we hadn't seen our things since late June 2009 after the sale of the house. All our things and a few surprises - things we had forgotten we had packed or owned! Now where do put it all ?!

The drive is being prepared for the arrival of concrete, yippee. We are then waiting for the final grading of the back garden, a certificate and then we can start seriously planning the garden. What's that Bill we need to rake out all of those stones we can see from the deck ...........................