Doors, Decks and Deer....

Mr M got the last coat on the back doors and got them both fitted this week, they look grand....

 

The deck will be up to the top of the piece of wood, so it won't be a huge step up into the house ;)

The deck ledger also got fitted to the front of the house, an 8 foot deck will run around three sides of the house.  The deck sits level with the ledger and the ledger will support the joists under the deck.....

 

We had some lovely evening this last week, and this weekend, after the rain had passed, we pretty much got finished up with project "deer be gone".  We got the final posts installed and put up all the fencing, and Mr M whipped up some gates for me, still some "touching up" to do but it's looking good and I am sure the deer are already feeling defeated....

It's all hands on deck this time of year....

Some of us would like to be more involved than we are allowed and aren't that happy with the new installations (how will I pick the peas?).....

Got my potato bins planted up.....

The deer are quaking in their boots and have started to employ the help of other woodland creatures, this week a mouse ate most of my germinated courgette  and cucumber seeds and dug out all the rest of them, and also proceeded to route around my lettuce bowl *sigh*.  So Mr M to the rescue and whipped up a "mouse be gone" cage for me....

Damn wildlife, not sure cheese is what they are after....

I love having a Mr M, I am grateful for everything he does for me each week........

It's like watching paint dry....

Seriously, that is all this week has entailed, painting.... Mr M has had quite a production line going, 2 back doors and 2 door frames.  He has basically circled around putting coats of varnish on them one after the other.  Each piece has 4 costs of varnish.....

It makes me yawn thinking about it, but anyway no photos, apparently he thinks its boring too :)

So onto more exciting stuff, I thought it was time for a garden update.

Spring has sprung this last week, it's been sunny every day, my veggie seeds are starting to germinate, we'll eat like kings....

And YES the rat trap has been a successful addition to the greenhouse *snap* got the buggar!!

This seasons garlic is growing well......

This year I want a bed for cutting flowers, so I have planted up some dahlias and I scattered some seeds which will hopefully attract the pollinators...

My calla lilies are flowering... These were a great addition to my garden mostly because the deer don't eat them....

 

Likewise to the lavender, another NON favorite with the deer......



My fruit trees got a feed and some fresh mulch....

And I can't remember what this plant is called, I can't read the old guys writing on the label... but it's flowering, I thing it is a New Zealand Tea Tree.... Oh and unlike the spiraea next to it, the deer don't eat this either.....

In an effort to deter the deer from this bed I have planted lots of marigolds around the front, I feel bad for my spiraea and forsythia.....

So talking of deer, operation "deer be gone" is well underway, we have finished putting the posts in around the veggie beds....

Mr M is a good worker.....

We have started fitting the anti-deer fence... its eight foot tall....

Just let them try and jump this high.....

Where have you been?

We've been out amongst the people and having fun...... but now we are back...

So update on the house stuff, Mr M finished up the plumbing, looks all fancy pants with sticky labels....

Not quite so tidy in the crawl space.....

Then he added the ledger to the back of the house for the deck that will run the entire length....

Taped up the door sills...

And fitted the two back doors.....

Then he fitted the hardware (handles and locks etc.)....

And the first door is now all masked up and is in the garage getting painted......

So the reason for the season of missing blog posts.  We went skiing for a week, back up to Washington and we had a brilliant weeks être sur la piste de qn.

Thanks to friends for coming to ski with us......

I only got one photo of Tom.... him and Mr M are up there somewhere......

We had fresh snow and sunshine.....

And at the end of the week we got to catch up with more of the WA Chapter.....

Then after a week back to work my lovely friend Joni and her hubby and two doglets came for the weekend.  They got to experience a Port Orford storm, and then the sun came out, chilly though with the hills behind us covered in snow.....

It's been fantastic to see everyone, we will now return to normal hermit status!  In the meantime, exactly a year ago this happened.....

We've come a long way Mr M.... won't be much longer - right?

Plum, plum, plumbing......

It's been a full on week of plumbing, the manifold is starting to look like an alien....

Pipes going to the washing machine......'

The ice-maker......

And cracking on with the upstairs shower valves...

He lined the inside of the valve boxes so that if a leak occurs (WHAT a leak!) then it won't rot out the box....

We had a BIG storm blow through this week and it's been chilly, a lot chillier than you would expect for the Southern coast!  Friday was too cold to be plumbing, you can't bend the pex pipe if it isn't above about 40F, so Mr M had a full day on the computer working on his heating and cooling plan.  I expect it was all just an excuse to hang out with me, inside with the fire!!

Ohhh and the last two doors have been delivered, they will be varnished and fitted, not sure when.  Two back doors, both will go into the back porch, one from the dining room, and the other from the utility....

And finally the front door got fitted, it looks fab!

No blog for a couple of weeks, you'll survive......