This morning it was so warm and cozy at Tiny House Ontario, but it was a little cold outside. The perfect day for a post coffee nap. The Bad Little Wolf, in his grumpy old man sweater, thinks that a nap is the perfect invitation for a game of King of the Castle.
He always wins!
With the fall settling in, a walk along the ridge seemed like a great idea.
I have been thinking a lot about space at Tiny House Ontario and thought, if I could get rid of the table and two chairs I would have a lot more space to move around. I looked all over for a table that is the right height for eating and playing cards at the sofa as well as for writing and painting. I could not find any small tables with drop leaves that are sturdy enough to take daily use.
As you all know, I have a very talented cousin, Vernie, who can build anything. So I drew up some plans, and he gave it some thought (since I had no idea how it had to be built) and he just finished building a perfectly sublime, sturdy, functional, little drop leaf butternut table for me.
I picked it up today. I can’t tell you how gorgeous it is, so I took photos. I makes me really happy to have the opportunity to have Vernie and his family close by, but it is wonderful to have the opportunity to have him build me these custom pieces for my Tiny House. Having his art around me, makes me feel so totally at home.
My husband arrived in the night with four very happy Tiny dogs who made sure I was totally wide awake before they settled in to nap themselves. This morning we enjoyed a nice bit of cuddling together and tummy rubs before getting up for the day. I miss the fuzzy babies when they are not with me. We took a quick jaunt over to visit my sister and niece Violet and then went for a little drive around to see how pretty the world looks in colour. I love the fall!
Of the images I share below, there is only one photo which is Tiny House related. The photo of the plane with corn with the hill of trees behind, is actually the escarpment where THO is built. You can’t see the house of course. It is about a half a kilometre back into the tree line.
We don’t have any plans for the weekend and this year I am finding it difficult to plan any sort of special meal for Thanksgiving due to a recent diagnosis of gluten and dairy intolerance. I am, I guess, now more vegan than I am vegetarian, but I can’t totally commit to the new title because I won’t throw out my leather footwear or protective jacket for bike driving.
I am not sure how we will spend our day today, or our weekend either. Hopefully we will find something holiday terrific to eat and to do.
Happy Thanksgiving to all my Canadian readers! xo L
This year I turned 50 in a Gypsy Caravan.
Written By: Lois Morgan
The Caravan is perched on top of a mountain, roughly 2.5 hours from Montreal. The pictures on the website are stunning, and my birthday weekend was the only one available on the site calendar. It was synchronicity.
We left very early to make the 9 hour drive to the Caravan. We took with us food, towels and of course, wine. Once across the Saint Lawrence River, the vistas changed as we drove South-East. The last leg of our journey had us winding in and out of valleys, into and around quaint towns and beautiful farmland.
After leaving the main road, we went up a long driveway and turned onto a hilly trail through deep forest. Steep grades made us gasp, but finally we reached a clearing and then the Caravan came into sight. Just as beautiful as the photos, it shone brightly against the backdrop of thick forest in one direction and blue sky across the valley. We were alone on a mountain-top.
The caravan was immaculate. It was like the best hotel you have ever been to, without the stark neutral décor. There was no neutral. The duvet was purple velvet, the sheets blue, the coverlet a Quebec weave, the bed curtains sheer mix of blues, purples, reds and rust. All the light fixtures were pretty, with glass dangles and jewel coloured shades.
The bathroom was small but equipped with regular sized fixtures and a gorgeous multi-coloured porcelain sink. Walls were a deep periwinkle blue, with the cabinet painted red.
There was nothing cluttering the surface areas. All the kitchen equipment had a place, and the cupboards were full of whatever it was you could possibly need for two people. Toaster, pots, frying pans, kettles were in one. White dishes, wine glasses, mugs and glasses in another. There was plenty of space for us to store our supplies as well, to tuck them away. The cooktop was a two burner ceramic surface, and the sink was round and deep. There was a flat-screened television mounted to the wall, for viewing DVDs, and a small radio and toaster oven.
I am a sucker for kitchen utensils and the ones supplied did not disappoint. There is nothing worse than using an unfamiliar paring knife that is dull, but the knives were all good quality and sharp, I loved the nesting ceramic mixing bowls and the enamel strainers.
Everything in the Caravan was chosen with loving intent. This was a fantasy of a Gypsy Caravan, and it worked. The beautiful light fixtures, the fancy hooks on the wall, the jewel-toned colours, they all melded together to meet that ideal.
Outside the caravan was the Pavilion. The Pavilion was on the edge of a slope and had a cast iron fireplace, two wicker chairs, a bistro table and chairs, and a counter with another small fridge, small Weber barbecue and microwave tucked inside the cabinet. The pavilion acted as the living space for the Caravan, which had no sofa or easy chairs.
It was open to the view on 3 sides, with the fireplace on one end of the solid back wall and the counter on the other. There was not a bug, leaf, spider web or speck of dirt inside it. Even the woodpile was tidy. We spent a lot of time out in the Pavilion as the weather turned chilly and we took advantage of fires and cosy chairs.
In front of the Pavilion, down a small slope was the look-out deck. Very high up, when standing on the edge you are at eye level with the trees.
I realize that you can live well in a small space, if you keep your belongings minimal and set aside everything that has no function. The shelf above the bed held books; the shelf above the coat hooks had the binoculars and a lantern. Everything else had a place, away.
There was certainly room for personal items, but after my husband emptied his pockets onto the table and I saw the pile of change, wallet, keys, cell-phone, I knew that unless I found somewhere to put all that stuff, that it would drive me crazy. It all went into a bowl, and up on the shelf.
As an artist, it would be challenging for me to fit into a small place. I would have to adapt my craft to work, but I’m sure it could be done. I don’t see us moving to a tiny house any time soon, but could see us downsizing into an urban apartment with land and my own Gypsy Caravan waiting magically for us in the woods somewhere.
It would be my own piece of jewelled heaven on wheels.
If this holiday interests you, this is where it was booked http://www.cottagesquebec.com/FicheChalet.aspx?IdChalet=7768
Tiny House Ontario 