Hustimmer: juli 2012

Ten days have passed since our last entry. How come?

There were some technical problems that made it hard to go on the internet. The biggest one was that our power converter didn’t work. We therefore couldn’t charge our laptop and cell phones as we had hoped. Another problem was that the wireless internet connection we had hoped to use wasn’t as effective as promised.

However: We got hold of another power converter and managed to find a point close to the hut with reasonable internet connection. This is by the lake, about 500 meters away from the hut.

What did we manage to fix in these ten days? Well … quite a bit. Nothing log cabin related though, but still …

- We started fixing the rain pipes and removing the moss from the roof.

- We made mosquito windows to keep out the bugs and air the rooms.

- We managed to get the wood stoves going – a gas mask could have come in handy though - mainly to air the rooms and to the get the damp out.

- We fitted the gas stoves with new tubes and fittings for security reasons.

- We took out the old rugs, blankets and pillows.

- We removed the mildew in the cupboards and on the walls.

- We salvaged two boxspring beds and installed a new bunk bed. We therefore have two spare beds , maybe to be used in the near future?

- We made a compost toilet and found a suitable way to dispose of the waste.

- We installed a hand operated pump in the well and are now using our own water for washing and the dishes. We will have the water tested after we pumped up a 1000 liters.

- We found a suitable – mosquito free – place to install the solar shower. Hot showers proved to be a much sought after luxury!

- We scouted the area and obtained a map with walking routes in the village. It appears this is real hiking community: there is 500 kilometers of paths!

- We befriended our lovely neighbours Mats & Lisbeth. We were even invited to join the local community of cabin owners by the lake. We went to a social occasion at the common hall by the lake: tacos and skogsblomma!

- We cleaned out the shed to obtain some room.

Yesterday we finally got a visit from Stig. Stig is the husband of the granddaughter of the man who built our house in the late forties. This was quite an accomplishment if you bear in mind that the road we currently use was only built in 1950. The house was meant to be used by foresters but was only used for one year. Thereafter it was only rarely used as a summer cabin.

Stig helped us quite a bit. He’s a carpenter by profession and will help us make the kitchen fire proof. It wasn’t necessary to change the beam in the attic that was supposedly too close to the chimney. He climbed on the roof in no time and assured us that the upper two layers of eternit was still ship shape. We can at least wait another year to find a solution for the roof. He assured us of this by pointing out that the inner roof was completely dry. He even helped us finding a roof worker to make an estimate.

Stig finally invited us to use his quay by the lake as often if we pleased! It’s really nicely situated and perfect for swimming.

The wood worm and big ants we discovered can be removed by a company as a part of our insurance policy.

What about the log cabin then? Well, yesterday we got hold of four really big boulders to use as our foundations. Today we made a clearing close to the house where the cabin will arise and put the first two logs in place.

Have we only been working our asses off then? Well yes, mostly but now and again we find time to relax. We enjoy the simple things like washing ourselves in the river, baking bread in a wood oven, canoeing on the lake, telling tall stories by a good shot of whisky or beer and last but not least: a game of bow and arrow.

Karel