Unusual weather – several days of rain, then 40cm of snow and a week of below -10 temperatures (dropping down to -23 once), and then 10 days of well above 0 weather and more rain. Managed only one day of skiing in January but saw a couple of movies and two concerts and a dinner in a dome just before the cold weather hit. At the end of the month, almost no snow on the ground and the parsley and grass is green and growing.

Busy in the shop this month. Finally redid the kitchen sink doors after 8 years – Mizuho did not like the solid cherry doors – and made doors for the downstairs bathroom.

Also started on a cabinet / closet for the guest bedroom that will have six drawers and a hanging closet behind three shoji doors. Used the wood we had bought when I thought we were going to build the kitchen cabinets out of cherry. Built the cabinet and milled the rail, made the top and cabinet side, built six drawers and 3 posts. Next step is to install the top and side and the 6 drawers and then build fronts for the drawers. I will then need to figure out how to install a top rail for the shoji screens and install the shoji paper.

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A very warm December – no snow in the valley, golfing right through the end of year at one course, green grass in the yard, above zero every day – allowed some progress on outside projects, mostly trimming branches, felling spindly or dead trees, and doing some prep for projects next spring.

In retrospect, I could have poured concrete bases in December for the posts for the equipment shelter. But at least the posts are all ready for installation in the spring.

After 8 years I finally installed a door and trim for the basement storage room and finished the trim for the garage and shop doors and the three garage windows. Next up will be doors for the downstairs bathroom vanity, building new doors for under the kitchen sink, and building a Japanese-style closet in the guest bedroom, complete with shoji doors.

Also on the to-do list will be some yard art. I will use the aluminum frames I bought at an auction a few years ago and have started getting some of them powder coated – black, red, yellow and fluorescent lime yellow. These will provide a bit of “pop” in the green forest and snowy hillside.

As we progress deeper and deeper into retirement, progress on the house project continues but at a slower pace – bedroom door, forestry and firewood, gardening and irrigation expansion, two more patios and a 100′ long retaining wall, finishing trim work – as we focus increasingly on life beyond – sausage making, skiing, trips to Japan and Scotland, golfing and road trips with friends, sailing lessons and wine appreciation. The massive forest fire across the lake that burned out of control for days and which started fires on our side of the lake was our most intense experience of the year. Here’s hoping next year is just as much fun but a bit less intense.

Mizuho arrived back from Japan after a great visit with her mom, sister and nephew, some immersive Japanese experiences, and a suitcase full of treats. As I write this at the end of the month we have no snow and the ski areas are not open yet but snow is forecast for the next several days.

I finished 50′ of the wall (starting at the top) in October. I began the 2nd half (starting at the bottom) at the beginning of the month. This unusual approach was a consequence of knowing where I wanted the wall to start and stop but not knowing if I had enough blocks for the full length. If I was short, I was going to use natural rock to fill the gap in the middle. As it turned out, I had just enough blocks. The wall building was rather arduous as I had to hand dig a trench for the 4″ drain pipe, and then set the blocks into the slope, ensuring each was level with the previous and level back to front. Thankfully, and apart for several melon-sized stones, the slope was mostly gravel and sand. Each block’s void had to be filled and the wall backfilled. I learned it is easier to work up the hill rather than down. I still need to cut a few cap stones and run some irrigation but otherwise the wall is done!

Spent the rest of the month cutting and collecting branches, using my new battery-powered chain saw, and working on a new road that will run down from beside the house around to the back outside of the fence. Spread more river rock and mulch and dug out the turf around the cocktail rock that will be replaced with mulch in the spring. Got 4 free truck loads of silty gravelly clean fill with a bit of clay – two near the sea container I will use to level the area and two along the drive I will use to widen. Had 4 concerts this month – a brass quintet, a chamber music octet, a very good word and song theatre piece on WWI and Vimy, and a fun concert by Quartetto Gelato. Also had a camping night with Coop in the backyard (fire and BBQ outside, sleeping and facilities inside)

The heat pump stopped working just before Mizuho got back from Japan (glad to have had a propane fireplace and wood stove) – some maintenance last fall had caused a slow leak in a pipe and the loss of refrigerant. Will be covered under their warranty and should be fixed (hopefully) tomorrow.

Busy preparing for winter – washing windows, blowing needles out of eaves, cutting firewood to dry for a year, draining the irrigation. Mizuho was busy cleaning up the garden and making sauces from hundreds of tomatoes and tomatillos. She is now in Japan for 3 weeks (and is having a great time visiting with her Mom and sister) and enjoying all things Japanese.

I spent several days dragging down and up the ditch branches and trees cut down in the summer. The thinner branches will eventually be mulched and the thicker pieces were cut up and are drying. Moved several loads of dirt to backfill behind new retaining wall. Power washed to uncover granite near garden. In the spring, I hope to expose the rest of the rock and cover the dirt with fir mulch. Getting quotes to have the driveway paved next year. We shall see. Hope to get more done outside before moving inside to work on painting and installing the door for the storage room, and prepping the posts for the equipment shed.

Started the month with a few golf games, 4 person trombone concert on the lawn of our community center (there are reasons few pieces are written for trombone ensembles) and then left for the coast and 5 days of on-board sailing lessons in Desolation Sound on a 40′ Beneteau with sister and Bro in Law. Beautiful area. We saw whales blowing, orcas breaching and seals frolicking. Slept 3 nights anchored in sheltered coves and 1 night at the Toba Wilderness Marina – very remote, serviced by their own hydro electricity generator with an enormous post and beam gazebo. Great experience overall but one that confirmed our preference for powerboats.

After the sailing, we spent a few nights at a spa on the Island celebrating our 36th anniversary and a few nights in Vancouver at the historic Sylvia Hotel beside Stanley Park. During our absence a young Australian couple took care of the house and Taisho and all thoroughly enjoyed. Taisho had his first teeth cleaning and all 42 were in good shape, thanks to Mizuho’s nightly brushings.

Managed to finish (99%) of the first part of the retaining wall on the driveway. Still need to backfill a bit, top up with dirt and mulch, plant my 3-year old spruce seedlings and cut a few top plates. Shall turn to the second half in the spring. In between with be about 4 meters of natural rock wall.

In October, I will be cutting up some trees that were cut down in the summer, cleaning the eaves and windows, changing the hot tub water and attending to a host of other small projects. Hope also to complete some exterior stairs month and start on the equipment shelter.

We had a marvelous 3 weeks in Scotland – Edinburgh and Glasgow, driving around the Highlands and Isle of Skye, royal yachts and castles, distilleries and haggis, meeting up with a former colleague, and enjoying the Tattoo and several days at the Edinburgh Fringe.

Booked tickets in March for the Tattoo – it runs every night for 2 weeks each year with seating for 8,000 in a temporary grandstand and sells out every year. Stirring.

And we finished with 3 days at the Fringe Festival, managing to see 12 shows out of the 3,500 playing in 275 venues over 3 weeks. Streets are filled with festival goers, handbillers and street performers. Hope to go back to it again.

While we were away the incomparable Samina took care of the house and Taisho. They got along famously and she managed whatever arose with aplomb – power failures, potato bug infestations, irrigation issues and Taisho getting sprayed with a skunk.

Shortly after we returned a huge fire broke out on the west side of the lake, 20 years to the month after the great Kelowna fire of 2003. Over 12,000 hectares have burned and high winds carried embers to our side of the lake and started several more fires. 30,000 people were evacuated and the night sky was red with flames. 500 firefighters, planes and helicopters managed to get the blaze somewhat under control after a few days with some 200 houses destroyed. Thankfully we were far enough from the conflagration that we only had falling ashes and not embers. 7 days after it started we had a good rain, only the second in 2 months. It is still burning largely out of control 14 days after it started but is burning well into the forest and not near any houses. Several friends who had been evacuated are now back in their houses. Rain is falling as I write this.

https://www.castanet.net/news/West-Kelowna/442447/Dramatic-photos-of-the-McDougall-Creek-wildfire-including-the-Lake-Country-and-Clifton-area#442447

Finished two patios with paver blocks. I will soon power wash the area in between the two to expose the granite and fill in the rest with mulch. Also built a knee wall and installed a shoji frame to provide support for the sun blind when the wind blows.

Spent the long weekend spreading 3/4″ minus road base and tamping it with a compactor, followed by a few m3 of stone dust 2 cm deep. Three pallets of paver stones were delivered a few days later and I began to lay them, a few dozen a day.

Had a visit of sister and Bro in Law and cut down (and up) two firs and a dozen dead poplars. B in Law is very good at this. Moved the cut up fir logs to the drying rack and the branches to the chipping pile. The poplars are across the ditch from the road in a thick forest so I shall likely not get them all out until the fall and the logs/branches from the 2nd fir will need to be hauled up the hill. Also got 1 of the 2 power washers (from an auction) running.

Visited the new aircraft museum (built by the founder of Kelowna Aerospace) – impressive CLT and gluelam timber beams and trusses and glass walls. Worth a visit. M got her first birdy and nearly three more. And by mid-July we had enjoyed various types of lettuce, asparagus, raspberries, apricots, peas, snap peas, carrots, onions, peppers, edamame, and herbs from the garden. Off later today to Scotland while our house/dog sitter minds the fort (and waters the garden)

On the house front, some progress. Pulled lots of weeds and spread some mulch. Removed more bushes. Split and stacked 2 years of firewood but need to cut up some logs and trees for the future. Completed low wall around firepit patio. Started retaining wall along driveway – bought 200 plus used blocks and caps from a friend that will take much time to install. Hung up two more shoji screen frames. And the marmots have been especially numerous and active this year. I was able to dispatch one and Taisho got another (his second)! Spent many hours plugging the holes in the rock walls to dissuade them from building dens. Also bought 1/2 of a pig raised on acorns (sort of an Iberico pork) that we shared with some friends. Delicious!

On the social side, I was asked to become a board member for the Kelowna Chamber Music Society. We subscribe to the symphony, chamber music, ballet and theatre but the chamber music is the best, in our opinion. And we took a couple of golf lessons that were of immense value before we set off to the Kootenays with some friends for a 4 day road trip to Christina Lake, Rossland, St Eugenie and Nelson. Broke 90 for the first time!

Next month’s edition will be late as we will be in Scotland at the end of the month.

On the cultural side, we enjoyed a ballet, a week-long chamber music festival in a church, and an excellent jazz concert in Vernon for my birthday – the Nick Maclean Quartet with Brownman Ali on trumpet.

Had a vertical tasting of 8 years of Riesling at our favorite Spearhead Winery. Drove to Alberta via Jasper and Banff to meet with 3 of my former university classmates, two of whom I had not seen in 45 years.

With a week of hot weather, 15 degrees above normal, the garden got an early start and we have been eating greens from it for the past 2 weeks.

Made some progress on the short garden wall but ran into hard surface rock that I shall need to work around/over. Upper area will become a fire pit and seating area. Cut down a lot of shrubs and bushes as you approach the house and am hopeful grasses and low ground cover will fill in. Finished running irrigation to the lower garden area where we have planted 2 maple trees, several shrubs, lavender and some onions (all of which we hope the deer are adverse to).

June shall see us spreading about 10 yards of fir mulch (ordering 15), finishing the garden rock wall, more pruning and shrub removal, firewood splitting, prepping site for equipment shelter and hopefully starting a mortared rock wall. Also have a road trip planned with some friends to the Kootenays toward the end of the month.

Very little accomplished around the house in March as we were busy with foreign films, concerts, dinners with friends and skiing (14 trips to BW this season). At the end of March, M and B (friends from Niagara Falls) came to stay at the house and take care of Taisho during our Japan sojurn. A good time was had by all.

Lots of developments in the neighborhood in our absence. Our neighbors spent 2 years and loads of $ building a very unique house and huge shop and have now decided to sell – not sure why. 500 acres of ranch land nearby will be subdivided into 9 large lots (15 to 40 acres) and the remaining 300 or so acres will be planted to cherries. Another 15 acres lower down is being prepped for grapes. And our road will no longer be a dead end as it will later this year be connected to another road higher up the hill. Progress. Bah.

In Japan for the 1st time in 4 years, my longest absence in 40 years (Mizuho was back last year). Loved it. With our rail pass we toured Kurashiki, Izumo, Kyoto and Kanazawa and saw friends and family in Tokyo. Sakura were a week early but we saw lots of blossoms. Struck again by Japan’s organization and civilized people and the best food in the world. Also by how inexpensive Japan now is (prices have barely changed in 30 years) and how popular it is with foreign tourists. Ancient and modern architecture and interesting design, like the atria of the Kyoto and Kanazawa (town of 400,000) train stations.

Most of the bars, restaurants and buildings I knew and loved while living there are long gone. Below is the lobby of Mid-Town – a 60 story collection of offices, restaurants, bars and galleries – which replaced a warren of small bars and Boeicho, a military base near my apartment in the 1980s where Japanese novelist Yukio Mishima committed seppuku in 1970.

One of the highlights was touring a water catchment facility just north of Tokyo. During typhoons, water is diverted to 5 concrete silos 30m wide and 70m deep. When full, they empty into the “pressure chamber” (pictured below and the size of Toronto’s Sky Dome). When half full, enormous pumps shift the water out to a river and into the sea. It cost $2 billion and suggests Japan will be better able than most to adapt to climate change.

Below is the magnificent Suntory Hall where we enjoyed the Viennese Phil playing Bach and Beethoven. Amazing acoustics – you can hear each instrument clearly, as well as a cough in the far corner of the hall. At the entrance, you are given a folder with 100 promo sheets for classical music concerts in Tokyo over the next 5 months. There are, of course, thousands of blues, jazz, pop and rock concerts as well.

There should be some progress on the house front in May.