Thursday, August 30th
The leaves are starting to change color. The blackberries are ripening. Summer is slowly turning into fall. Time is getting shorter, only 2 months left before it gets cold.

Personally, I can't wait to go back to sleeping indoors, that's why we drew the plans for the mezzanine on which the bed will be. As a matter of fact, Michel Cajolet was here with his portable sawmill to turn the logs we've collected since last year into boards. We selected the wood for the bed platform and also got some planks for the second floor's ceiling.
Alex came back to help us out and we mixed some more mud. The last base coat for the floor is almost done and we did some test patches for the finishing coat with some pigment for color. The cob outhouse is two-thirds up: a shelf wil be inserted into the next row of mud and a large roof will cover it all in the coming weeks.
While Alex was with us, we went to visit a friend that is also a serious mud lover... We baked pizza in his bread oven and sat on the cob bench of his new rocket stove to talk about Alex's upcoming trip to Aprovecho.
Back at the house, the third step of the staircase is done. We need only another layer of mud and the finishing coat before moving the electrical system into the stairwell. Then will come the 6 wooden steps that will be on hinges so we can get to the fuse panel and inverter underneath. The wiring to connect the batteries to the PV panels once they're moved to the second level rooftop have also been threaded up through the roofing.
About the roof, Stephan and Manon from Hottes GIMI just installed the ventilation they custom made for us. It's a really ingenious assembly of aluminium baffles to let the air out but keep rain snow and critters out. The last thing to do on the roof is the plumbing vent.
Finally, it's back to school time. ALain is preparing for the Tai Chi classes he'll give in Chertsey and Entrelacs. If you'd like to experience the benefits of this age old tradition, I invite you to attend a free workshop that Pierre Boogaerts is giving in Montreal on September 22nd.