Later in April, I managed to get a Workaway volunteer. He was from Hungary, and had spent the winter with sled dogs in Ontario. Since covid, volunteers have been sparse. I went into town to pick him up, catching the sunrise about an hour from home.

The snow had mostly gone but all the ponds were frozen solid.

The main project I had for Andrew was constructing a roof over part of the deck. I have rarely been able to use the deck because the dominant southwest wind often makes it too uncomfortable, even if the wind is not strong. I planned to put a wall on the western end.

Every time we put up a new log, the hairy woodpeckers came and thoroughly checked it out.

I find it quite difficult to climb ladders these days. I can do it, but I have to move slowly so having an able young man to climb onto the structure was wonderful. Andrew happened to have some experience with tools and was an excellent worker.

And finally the polycarbonate greenhouse roof. I did not want to block the light from my house.

The weather was often squally and bitterly cold.

My pond was still reluctant to break up.

The May moon’s display was not too different from the April one.

When the roof was done, I put Andrew to work on some firewood. Several beetle-kill trees had blown down behind the guest cabin, many still hung up in their neighbours. Andrew had not had a great deal of experience with a chain saw, but he embraced the work well and brought in two large truckloads.

And I also got him to do the first heavy digging of the garden. (The trenches are to accommodate the irrigation pipes. I have to haul water to irrigate the garden and want to make best possible use of every drop.)

While he was doing this, I was constructing a door out of scrap wood and 2 old windows. Andrew’s last task was to help build a door frame…

… and to hang the door.

After Andrew left, I concentrated on putting up the wall. It was constructed with 4 more recycled windows and a whole bunch of scrounged lumber. I put aside so many of the other things I had to do – including blogging – because I just wanted to get the wall done. Some chores could not be ignored – like putting the garden in – but finally the structure was up. All the window painting, rebuilt steps etc will have to wait, but this is what it looks like now, a month after Andrew left.

And, after a trip to town to pick up petunias…

Throughout the whole project I have been very careful to maximize my view of the pond seen from both inside the house and outside. And everything works perfectly. One afternoon when the wind blustered from the south west and made the roof thrum, visitors arrived and we all sat quite comfortably within the shelter. Of course it won’t block an east wind, but we rarely get strong gusts from that direction, and the wall will stop a through draft and moderate that weather, too.