70th Birthday Gathering

Last weekend, as you know, I packed myself off to Hereford for my stepfather's 70th Birthday gathering.

It was actually quite a small gathering of 12 consisting of my parents, brothers and sisters (full, halves and steps), some of whom brought their partners, plus one cousin and my nephew.

You know, it went well, as family events go - I am not sure whether this can be attributed to the fact that we are all grown up now or the fact that my mother phoned everyone ahead of time and promised to dispatch us forcibly to the moon (via the end of her foot) if there was any bad behaviour.

We almost all managed it too. Phew.








So here is my stepfather - a portrait of the artist on his 70th birthday - as he is the oldest student of his local art college where he is doing an Art Foundation course.

Interestingly, he has some of his new work up around the house and they are very different to the style of work that he used to produce - I think that the course he is doing has really given him the chance to explore new things.

He is holding the watch that we all clubbed together to give him. It is an English case, swiss action, half hunter, key wound pocket watch and the case is hall marked Birmingham 1886 - he loves it. Phew.

I will edit this to post the link to the photos when I have finished uploading them all to Flickr. Some faces you will recognise, others you have yet to meet (no doubt you will in due course)!

Valentine's Week at Camp

We have established a new camp tradition! There are clues on the table...

Valentine's Week!

Campers decided that romance should be given higher priority. After all, doesn't the thought of Valentine's Day remind one of trying to eat a single kernel of popcorn?

We didn't manage to use all of the firewood, but gave it a good try. However, we did consume all of the Prosecco, Champagne, and all but polished off the Chardonnay.

G brought sunshine to Vancouver! We could actually see the water and mountains at the same time during the drive back from Whistler. We could walk on the beach.

Together, we diligently foraged the surrounds for food and managed to come up with a nice Halibut recipe, and 'Oysters Gabrielle', which will we would be delighted to serve if you want to visit camp. It wasn't just a holiday you know. G noted a few 50% off signs here and there and did a little shopping. We picked up a few things to make camp cozier, and yes, there was yarn too... We spent time with friends. G even heard a good bear sighting story. Scrabble can be a bloodsport.

Valentine's week was very successful. The only downside to it was that it prompted many tears at the airport. We didn't need cleaning staff to assist, but dehydration was a concern. Could we try a Valentine's Year?

The Black Art of Furniture Toning

Or - how do you turn a Birch Ikea Chair into a Cherry Ikea Chair?

I remember when late night television used to be interesting. One of the shows I watched was 'Furniture on the Mend'. Two wacky New York second hand furniture dealers revealed the dark secrets of their trade. They would buy new pine furniture, assemble it, beat it with rusty chains, rub 'special' dirt on it, then show how it could possibly be passed off as an original antique. Their favourite tool was an old piece of iron pipe. They knew every trick. They even put saw and burn marks in some of their pieces.

One secret of the trade was 'toning'. This technique could be used to hide repairs in valuable furniture. A couple of trips to Mohawk in Vancouver eventually yielded Cherry Toner in an aerosol can. Two cans are needed to 'treat' six Ikea Chairs. Professionals of multiple hues to spray on many colours at once to match an existing finish. Hold the can far, far away from the piece as you spay, and let the mist 'fall' on the wood. Use multiple thin coats. Toner is acetone based so drying time is about a minute and a half. I don't know about long term durability, but hey, I can always apply a bit more.

Please note the scarf G. knitted for me. I keep it close by at all times. That way, I don't miss her quite as badly.

The List - Time to Admit Defeat (For Now)

Sport Admin

• Create entry form for Easter meeting, have it proofed by commitee
• Complete committee edits, and send off to Karen for printing.

Most Urgent Knitting Projects

Hat

• proof pattern again
  
  However, I have found that I need to unpick top of crown just to check that I have the last 5-6 rows documented correctly. This has stalled progress as work has thrown extra, unscheduled things at me this week and I have been working late.
  
  So the above and everything below will have to be done when I get back from Canada. It is Thursday night, I am packing and it is time to admit defeat on this list.
  
• take pictures of the finishing technique I used (not sure how to do that on my own!)
• send all to R with other general photos, for proofing, editing and publishing.

Wrap

• complete wrap template
• work nothing else, except wrap
• finalise pattern (good grief, writing it down, makes it sound so easy)
• package and send to R.

Cozy Bedroom

The blinds were delivered from the factory today! I could not wait to install them in the bedroom so I left the office early under the cover of heavy snowfall. I explained to my department that they should leave early because I did not want to take responsibility for what would happen to them on their commute in a heavy Vancouver snowfall.

The blinds are up! The temperature in the room went up 2 dregrees as soon as the last one was hung. Two weeks ago, G & I had a quick discussion via SMS, 8 time zones apart, on the different alternatives for this window. In the end we decided on a combination of blinds, and fabric drapes.

I had the option of purchasing vinyl and saving $150 or so. I opted for the real wood, and G went with me on it. The basis of my decision was that for the extra few dollars, I could eliminate some plastic in my life, and add real warmth to the room. If we get a few extra hours of sleep I think it's worth the money.

G, please note the copy of 'History of the Anglo-Saxons'. If you can't sleep, I would recommend thumbing through this book. I defy any human to read more than 6 consecutive pages without passing out. On a more practical note, we have a 1/2 cord of dry firewood set to be delivered on Friday morning. If the weather in Vancouver remains in it's current state, we will use every sliver.

So which is it to be?!

Jacket A: ancient, blue man's jacket - size Large. My first ever ski jacket, bought in a sale, marked down as inner padding was missing. Columbia Sport Company jacket, made in Bangladesh. Has been used as a range jacket for years now as it is proven to be waterproof during complete deluges. Therefore a bit smelly? But hey, we are only skiing for 3 days!

Jacket B: also bought in a sale, my second ever ski jacket. Lightly padded. 5 Seasons jacket. It looks like it is more reputable but unfortunately, it is not waterproof as I discovered to my utter dismay the last time I went skiing and it rained on the pistes (yup)! That's skiing in Europe for you.

I got soaked to the skin, froze and was off the mountain before I died of cold. I had to wear a granny rain mac over the top of it for the rest of the week. Despite trying to wash it in that re-waterproofing stuff. Not sexy. It is clean though - I must have washed it before I stored it away.

Neither are perfect, eh? I will try to get my sister's from her sometime this week...ho hum.

03/02/08 - The London List Update

This is where I am on what I need to do before I head towards camp. Just don't ask me anything about washing, packing or ski kit. My head will implode.

2008 Easter Meeting:

         do cost model for Easter meeting: competitions, prizes, hospitality, etc. and send off for review and approval by Committee

         confirm that Club's IT programme will cope with Easter programme and ask person who created it if they would run the Easter meeting stats - answer is yes it can and yes he will

         confirm that Club has a correctly qualified person to run competitions over Easter weekend

         create entry form for Easter meeting, have it proofed by commitee  (in progress)

• Complete committee edits, and send off to Karen for printing (must be done before Canada)
  
  

2008 Start of Season Match & Availability Administration:

         chase all opposition captains to finalise dates for fixtures when match space is available

         book match space with relevant authority

         confirm finalised dates, match details, including hospitality back to opposition captains

         book appropriate hospitality at the Club to support fixtures – booked in draft, with promise of follow up , once opposition captains have confirmed

         create 2008 fixture list availability form, plus Captain's letter with match administration and eligibility details, send off for proofing, on return, edit and send off for print and issue to all Club Members.  Also to Club Secretary for issue to members via email.

         Set up docs needed to receive and proces all availability returns.

        update Club Blog with last year's match results, this year's fixture list etc

set up documents needed for the administration of each match fixture - I have decided to leave this until I am back from Canada, the Club has had its pound of flesh for now?        

Most Urgent Knitting Projects - highlighted in yellow, what I need to do before Canada trip:

Hat

         proof pattern again

         take pictures of the finishing technique I used (not sure how to do that on my own!)

         send all to R with other general photos, for proofing, editing and publishing.

Wrap:

         complete wrap template

         start wrap

This will have to be done during/after my trip:

         in February - work nothing else, except wrap

         finalise pattern (good grief, writing it down, makes it sound so easy)

         package and send to R.

Hello Campers...

It's time to open the curtain of silence around the most recent Camp Project. G has successfully coached me through the bedroom 'enlightenment' phase of Camp transformation. Managing a project 8 time zones away is not for the feint at heart. Not everyone can do it. Say goodbye to your sleep paterns. You also have to be one of those rare people that can play chess blindfolded, because everything purely abstract due to it's distance. You can't just look something. You have to imagine it.

We discovered that there is a paint manufacturers use a seasonal marketing theme, and run their programs differently across multiple global markets. For instance, the first thing G & I discovered was that in Canada, 'Wedding White' is marketed in the UK not as a white at all. It's a grey! With overtones of the Moores. Much less virginal. This became problematic for us. Canadian paint distributors not cross-reference to UK colours as they lacked the information and the interest to do so. There were technical issues as well. No two computer monitors render the same colour the same way. Even the same brand and model will render colours differently when different drivers are used in different computers. Then there is the seasonal aspect to the marketing program. I returned to the same Paint Retailer attempting to obtain a colour that I applied successfully in October, only to find it did not exist any longer.
Before

This is the bedroom before 'enlightenment'. This photo was taken with flash, and enhanced.

This is the bedroom after 'enlightenment'. The photo was taken at the same time of day with the same camera settings, except with no after the fact enhancement.
After

Colours by General Paint (Canada)

Walls and ceiling: 1042W Mistaya
Trim: 1041W Mosquito Pass

Ceiling & ceiling cove!: General Ceiling Dead Flat

Walls: Eggshell Trim: Semi-Gloss

Quite the transformation. This project got 'bumped' on the priority list. I suffer a bit from S.A.D. and G was worried about me. We both agreed that this project needed to be completed straight away.

Special thanks to G for her everlasting and enduring patience through this one.

Next Project in the Pipeline

This is a preview of the next Camp Project. Leo has requested that an insect screen be installed on the bathroom window. I know its January, and there are no insects around, except the ones frozen to the ground, but the purpose of this project is to build campers moral, and re-inforce the concept that a camper can actually request a change in camp and see it eventually accomplished. Besides, why wait till May when you can do it in January.

I measured up the window, and of course it's not a standard measurement, and yes, it was not designed to take a screen, but you know what? I took a couple of years of Engineering at UBC at great personal expence, and now it's time to get my moneys worth out of my education. The builder in me just wants to tear out the existing window and replace it with a modern one with a screen and an electric ventilation fan. Outside, it's 2 degrees below zero, and we have light snow falling, so instead I have decided to build a simple screen out of raw components that will fit the window frame. I have devised a hinge mechanism that will allow easy access to 'pop' the screen and open or close the window with just two fingers. I can easily attach the screen to the hinge using pop rivets (take less room than screws and I am working with aluminum here campers). The weather stripping is going to be used to make up the clearance for the Burglar Alarm wires I have to work with as a constraint in this project.

Child's play.

The Honey Please Don't Implode List!

Edited 26/01/08: Updated and reprioritised!

Okay, the immediate list in London can be broken down into three task types:

• Sport Administration (highest urgency)
• Urgent Knitting Projects (next highest urgency)
• House Maintenance/Repairs/Organisation (lowest urgency).

Sport Admin

As you know, it is vital that I get this all sorted as quickly as possible. Actually, it's been my primary personal time focus since you headed home. I've been drowning in it, actually. The immediate tasks break down into two types:

2008 Start of Season Match & Availability Administration:

• chase all opposition captains to finalise dates for fixtures when match space is available
• book match space with relevant authority
• confirm finalised dates back to opposition captains (with exception of 1 Club I cannot get hold of at all) and agree match hospitality
• book appropriate hospitality at the Club to support fixtures
• create 2008 fixture list availability form, plus Captain's letter with match administration and eligibility details, send off for proofing , on return edit and then send off for printing and distribution to all Club Members
• set up documents needed to receive and process all availability returns
• set up documents needed for the administration of each match fixture
• update Club Blog with last year's match results, this year's fixture list etc.

2008 Easter Meeting:

• do cost model for Easter meeting: competitions, prizes, hospitality, etc. and send off for review and approval by Committee
• confirm that Club's IT programme will cope with Easter programme and ask person who created it if they would run the Easter meeting stats (yes it can and yes he will)
• create entry form for Easter meeting, have it proofed by committee and send off for printing
• confirm that Club has approached correctly qualified people to run competitions over Easter weekend

Most Urgent Knitting Projects

Hat:

• proof pattern
• take pictures of the finishing technique I used (not sure how to do that on my own!)
• send both to R with other general photos, for proofing, editing and publishing.

Wrap:

• complete wrap template
• in February - work nothing else, except wrap
• finalise pattern (good grief, writing it down, makes it sound so easy)
• package and send to R.

House Maintenance/Repairs/Organisation

• move chest of drawers and set up desk and PC in spare room
• replace, or at least repair, the front door and its frame
• fix the chest of drawers so that I can use it to store yarn (not kidding!)
• fill holes created by fallen down curtainpole and then put curtain pole back up
• put up my picures?
• garden garden garden (back and front)
• store decs, portable tv etc. in loft?!

Some Context

Before I start on my next project at camp, I would like to supply loyal camp followers with a little background so that they can better understand why the camp upgrade is so important to me and G's role in the process.

I have lived on my own at camp for quite a while. My son Leo stays with me for a couple of weekends every month and on holidays. I work full time, and my sport keeps me quite busy over the spring and summer months. When Leo is here, I try really hard to keep it fun and lively for him. This leaves me with only small windows to affect any physical changes to my home environment, and like G, I really am on my own when the tools come out. In August 2007, I returned tired, from a long road trip, dropped my suitcases in the front hall, looked round, and said 'I can't live like this any more'. At that point I identified a few things that I could do to make my house a little more like a home. I realised that on my own, there was only a finite amount of work that I could accomplish and came up with a plan and set realistic goals that could be attained by the end of 2007.

When the possibility of G coming for a visit arose, I modified my timetable a little so that we could enjoy a little more camp comfort together. Upon arrival, G walked in to tacky walls and quite a bit of dust, but quickly embraced the essence of what I was trying to do and why it had to be done.

G is an amazing woman you know. She has done a remarkable job in renovating her lovely London home, and has obviously learned through practical experience what works in home projects. She is a skilled designer, who understands space, colour, and light. She is an extraordinary cook and therefore understands how a working kitchen should be planned, and how food should be served and enjoyed. As part of her responsibilities at work, G manages what could be described as projects that border on the monolithic scale, so she can basically create a project plan for a home renovation project in her sleep. If you said to her, 'G, I want to go to Mars next year', she would go 'hmmm, let's see. Well, you would need to get organized and you would start by....'.

On my own I can do many things, but with a proper vision and plan, I can accomplish miracles. I have never had the benefit of someone to help me before, and what may look like a 'honey do' list to some, represents a path for me to improve the quality of life for my son, G, and I. With our approach to project documentation on the blog, I feel like G is right there with me whether I am in the shop or on the couch thinking about what I am going to tackle tomorrow.