What would I do without my men!

We finally got the roof started. The sun was shining! My husband built, I helped if I could. I couldn't help much and if I couln't, I made coffee or cooked food. Each time we only had a short time to build and after some good weather we often had to escape the rain covering the shed under a huge tarp again.

 

We also spent our first night under the unfinished roof which was fully covered with a tarp. The coldest night this summer we spent once, and only once, in the tent but this night in the shed was really cold, too, though it looks nice and romantic in the picture. We didn't want to stay overnight a third time this summer!

 

I painted the inside a bit and our son came to help with the roof when he got a day off. The strawberries, which I had moved earlier from a place where the excavator had worked, had ripened for my joy. Unfortunately, my long holiday was then over. I felt a lot of frustration because I hadn't achieved what I had dreamt of.

 

The men went a few times more to finish the roof. I sighed for relief. After so many little trips to our lot we finally had a roof on the shed! Then the men drove to attach the doors. Thank God, now we had doors! They also emptied the boat from the water, which had rained in while the boat had stayed fully useless on the shore.

Last weekend we moved more things from the town to be stored in the shed over the winter. The day was amazinly beautiful! Mushrooms had popped up from the ground and lingonberries seemed to be ripe. I didn't have time to check the cranberries for we had the last thing to be done before winter comes: we attached thin metal nets in the open spaces between the walls and ceiling to hinder birds flying in.

 

 

One day at a time has been too little. This summer didn't give us a possibility to stay in the area in a tent or in the shed, it didn't give us a possibility to build without rain. The image of a fully finished, painted and furnished shed vanished from my mind along with the summer gone and green leaves having turned yellow. It was already dark when we planted two trees to be memories of the year when the first building was erected on this site.

         

Rain rain go away, come again another day

 

We have proceeded. The lot has changed now with the huge shovel of the excavator having shaped the land roughly where we wanted. Stumps got moved and vegetation removed in a few hours. To me, an urban born high rise grown never built anything woman, it was again something to learn about what machines can do and with not that much cost.

The "shed puzzle" came, too. What I assumed to be easy with man power along appeared to be a bit harder. The instructions for installation of each factory manufactured (or hand made in the company) element were short and so simple we had to quess the actual meaning of the words used in some sentences. Ambiquity of some expressions or shortness of the sentences have perhaps not been revealed to the manufacturer, but in some phases we felt we really had to find a solution to a mystery. We went through trying and erring and finally ended up to enlightenment. Also, some measurements were not as accurate as I thought so we had to make adjustments afterwards.

   

                              

And the rain! It is 190 kilometres from our town to my land and each time we came to build the shed it rained. It was sunny, too, but there was always rain. And we covered the shed when the rain came and we covered the shed when we left from the area. The last time when we wanted to start with the roof and the rain came and I was cold under the cover I started to feel hopeless and terribly disappointed about the summer weather we had had. I simply started crying and spontaneously seeking flights to somewhere really south with hot sun!

We got the roof started just a little and we put the cover over the shed, hopefully for the last time! When we drove off my mind started to repeat the old English nursery rhyme: "Rain rain go away, come again another day." For us, at that point, it was too late for that miracle to happen.

Slowly, slowly

I haven't written in a looooong time. The winter WAS long. My piece of dream has gone to pieces and I have collected the pieces again, but all I do seems slow motioned. My husband has been on sick leave for the whole year and it continues. He is better now but I know I can't demand him to be my main builder and alone I need help. So, we only do what we can. This isn't so serious after all. Everything and each day is a great gift in itself. So is this piece of land!

In spring it took a while to set the timetables with the engineer who came to our lot to plan the area to be built i.e. where each building should be built. When we got the official site layout we had to send it to the building inspector for permission to start with the small shed, which is our main goal this summer.

Summer also, having been exceptionally cool, had started slowly. In June rhododendron tomentosum, known best as marsh Labrador tea, northern Labrador tea or wild rosemary, and vaccinium vitis-idaea, better known as lingonberry, partridgeberry or cowberry, were blooming in their beautiful, modest way.

     

   
We made the order of a shed which will be compiled of prefabricated elements. And we ordered an earthmoving contractor to come and do some earthworks on the site. He will come next  Monday, finally! The elements of the shed should also come soon. So far, we are still waiting. And meanwhile in the town, my husband has been making us a nice fire pit, which still waits for some trimmings!

A winter day

Winter holiday gave a possibility to make a trip to my piece of land. Finally back! We managed to get our son and daughter with her family to come there as well. The day was frosty and a bit windy. Luckily I had brought a lot of extra clothing with me to share anyone who felt too cold. The dog felt the cold the worst - old as he is! But we wrapped him in blankets as soon as he looked too cold. Poor dog!

 This was the first time I saw my land in winter. This winter hasn't been very snowy so we got to the site quite easily. But we, of course, had to park beside the narrow road and we had to begin our day with shovelling snow to make space for cars. Everything looked so barren and messy. Trees without leaves revealed how messy the place was with piles of cut branches all over. Since the land has been used and taken care of for small forestry it also looks like that. The fellings of trees from the few previous years and the thinnings in the recently planted forest last summer has left the area quite ugly. We will have a lot of work ahead if we want the place look neat as many lakeside paradises do. But we don't have to. 

 

My grandgrandfather bought this forest site for forestry. My grandfather sold sand from the ridges beside the lake. My father continued taking care of the forest with the local forest management association and I intend to do the same. In fact, I already have! What I want more is to build a cottage where to stay and give a reason for my children and grandchildren to be able to attach to the site. After all this is just a piece of very ordinary land with a modest muddy lake, but this piece of land has been passed on from one generation to another and then to another and then to me. I want this to go on in the family also in the future.

                                         








Well, the windy and cold as the day there now felt, we were on a good mood and enjoyed being together.






















Our little grandson had a glider and skis and a sled with him. The men made a football field on the lake ice and then the "men" played - women were not allowed, told our dear little player!

Of course, we had to fry sausages and delicious meat pies on the fire as well as make tea and coffee to keep warm. How can I wait the summer to come again and to be able to start working on the site again?!