Celebrating Swiss National Holiday - August 1

All decked out with Swiss flags. Judy on the sun deck.

Flowers and flags on the sundeck.

Judy picking flowers.

View from the moss garden in the glow of late afternoon light.

This Pacific Tree Frog likes to hang out at the padlock, or
the lockbox at the shipping container that serves as the
generator house.

It probably likes the cool steel structure.

It can climb the walls of the steel structure with its suction cup toes.

Not very shy.

It is only about an inch or 2.5cm long.

Off-Grid Solar Equipment

Received a shipment of solar power equipent, including a
palette with 15 270W solar panels, a palette with a whole
bunch of batteries, and another palette with all the electronics.

Five stacks of Aquion batteries. Each stack weighs 250 pounds
or 118 kilos.

Boxes of electronics, including the inverter
and solar charge controller.

The battery stacks were transported up to the house and placed
in the battery room with the help of Paul, Shane, and Jordan, as well
as our trusted VW Van.

The battery bank in the battery room.
Each stack is 48 V and has a capacity of 2.2 kWh

The GSLC, the box where all the wiring hook-ups
to the outside world are made (solar array, battery bank,
generator input, grid input (if used)).

A diagram showing the wiring.

This is the display unit for monitoring and programming the system,
and connecting to the internet for remote monitoring.

The fully assembled inverter (Outback Radian) and
charge controller. (Outback Flexmax)

The Garden in July

Judy, the proud gardener is showing off her
Scarlet Runner (beans). The deer would love to get
at this plant and graze off anything that sticks out
through the wire mesh.

Scarlet Runner

Scarlet Runner - close-up

Success with carrots and beets

This was meant to be an ornamental garden. But an opportunistic seed
of a squash and a tomato took over and pushed everything else aside.
We are looking forward to harvesting these volunteers, if the deer
don't get them first.

One of my favourites - Rose Campion

Rose Campion

Cotton Lavender

Cotton Lavender

Batchelor Buttons

Batchelor Buttons

Borage, a herb

White Batchelor Buttons

Beebalm

Gyprock Installation (gypsum board wall covering)

Matthew is working at installing gyprock
(gypsum board) on all of the interior walls.

Danny is working at installing the edge trim around all of the
interfaces between gyprock and wooden posts and beams. He
is careful to create a uniform 3mm shadow line all around.

The shadow line is clearly visible to keep the edge of the gyprock
away from the wooden Posts and beams.

A new look is emerging above the desk.

New look above desk and bed.

Urs is installing gyprock on the walls in the crawl space.

Gyprock in crawlspace, under the main floor.

A cleaner look. The wall insulation is covered and protected.

Insulation in the battery room - partly with
rockwool, vapour barrier and gyprock;
partly with solid foam board.

Integration of pre-existing Sundeck with new Veranda

Working on building the guard rail for the stair between
the old sundeck and the new veranda.

Both guard rails completed to my original design used at
the old sundeck when I built it six years ago.

Access to the sun deck.

A hand rail made from driftwood is mounted on the guard rail.

Another piece of driftwood on the other side.

View from the kitchen window.

The new guard rail is very solid. The glass guard rail
at the top of the veranda will soon be installed too.

In the Garden

American Gold Finches and Pine Siskins
are regular visitors at the feeder.

An unusual topping for a Foxglove. Apparently, a
recessive gene causes a mutation that turns the
terminal flower into a symmetrical dish.

The same flower  altered its colour from yellow
to more pink after several days.

He likes to hang out here.
In the background the more usual Foxglove

Looks like a bumper crop of Mirabelle Plums coming up.