Sigma's · Green · Wanderings

Earlier this week, Kingston and region was struck with violent autumn storms. The Storm affected many far and wide, most bemoaning the loss of summer, but one poor souls life sits in the balance as rescue workers contemplate ways to save them from underneath fallen trees.

During the Violent Storm of Devestation, one Oak Tree at the back of Caleneska Mithundol Luumyaara split near it's base and fell to it's death nearly crushing nearby trees. It is currently leaning percariously against the most important tree of the region. The narrow fork of the platform tree. Ian Moore, owner of Caleneska Mithundol Luumyarra has informed us that he is employing a Tree Platform Rescue Crew (ie, Tree Surgen) to attempt to save the most well constructed and important tree platform. He also told us that although the platform is very good, it was not designed to have a large oak tree land on it. He seemed very worried, but slightly relieved that he might have an excuse never to go up onto the platform again.

When we asked Lady Sigma, the owner of the magnificent future tree village to comment on the possible destruction of her platform, she had little to say. After she stopped sobbing uncontrollably on the ground she did say this: "The treeplatform and I spent many wonderful seconds together over the two years we knew each other. I just can't believe that our acquaintance might be ending! Lady Phi is never going to sleep in it even if it is rescued! *collapses into more uncontrollable sobs*" After she stopped crying... again... she added this "I am impressed that the platform withstood a storm that brought down trees though!"

When Lady Phi was questioned about agreeing to sleep 10 feet above the ground in a platform constructed by her wise and all knowing friend, she had this to say: "Well, Sigma can be a little bizarre sometimes. She just doesn't understand that 10 feet off the ground on a slope with no railings just isn't an acceptable place to sleep! I just don't know...."

We all hope that Lady Sigma's Future Tree Village doesn't die before it has a chance to really start it's life.

Devestation on Caleneska Mithundol Luumyarra ridge

Well, Regency Weekend was last weekend. It was great if only a little stressful. I did actually finally finish my dress (though it's a bit too big in the front...).

Here is a picture of my dress with Nanna's shawl and the bonnet I made. Also in the picture are 4 of my 'Moore' cousins:

So, I can tick off 'Make Regency Dress' from my list! I think we are having another weekend with more dresses before I leave Australia, so my Regency days arn't over yet!

Oh, I'm making a Regency Weekend Scrapbook. It can be found here: http://www.geocities.com/regencyweekend/

I think I have two projects that I haven't finished yet, and a few that I'll be starting soon.

In Progress
1. Treeplatform sadly is not getting anywhere as I have moved away from Canada for a year or so, it won't get anywhere till I get back. If I go back to visit in the next couple months, I'll try to work on it then.

2. Regency Dress. Outer bodice is done, Inner is cut out but not sewn. Must find out how to make a bonnet.

Future Projects
1. Fitted Shirts. I want to learn how to make fitted shirts. I can't buy them in the store, they are too short in the arms wherever I go.

2. Black Skirt. Who doesn't need a long black skirt!

3. Cursed Quilt. Don't ask. Not sure if this will happen, I'm not artistic enough. Thinking about it.

4. Sew Mr. Bunny a new face. This is waiting until Mr. Bunny is sent to Australia.

5. Maze. Secret Tunnels, Secret staircases, secret passages. Unlikely to ever happen, too poor.

I was informed a few weeks ago that my cousins here in Australia (where I have now moved for a year or so) are having a Regency Weekend in early June. For the Regency Weekend I must make myself a dress of appropriate proportions and a bonnet. Regency is like Pride and Prejudice time, so it'll be like the dresses on P&P. My cousin Karen is currently attending Fashion Design at a College here and is taking a History of Fashion course. This means that she has some very specific demands on how these dresses that we are making should be make, and even more specific demands on what fabric we used.

A week or two ago I saw Karen and she drew me up a pattern (she literally just did it free hand, it was quite impressive!). I then chose out a pink (yes, I said pink) fabric that I really hope Karen will find suitable. Last weekend I made the bodice of the dress. It was tricky because I didn't expect Karen's sketch to actually work, it did work amazingly, but I had cut it way too big, so there was a lot of adjusting to do. There is an outer bodice and an inner bodice lining. I've finished the outer (pink) bodice but have yet to start on the inner (white) lining. It's all very exciting and I'm looking forward to finishing it. I'm going to be working on the lining tommorrow or monday. I hope to take pictures soon.

First you may notice the time that I am writing this... (6:50 in the morning) suggests some sort of failure to sleep in treehouse perhaps?

Last night it was really warm, well like 12 degrees celcius warm. Didn't need to huddle under the blankets at all. I went up there earlier than on monday night and got to sleep earlier too.

At 2am, I woke up to feel a little bit of rain on my face. I figured it wouldn't last, so I propped a fleece blanket over my head to keep my head dry, and made sure that my wool blanket was covering the rest of me (in hopes that if it did get wet, it's so thick that it would take a while for the water to soak through).

4am: still raining, ends of mattress is getting wet, and the side that is elavated due to the mattress being too wide. Sigma still dry.

5am: still raining, pillows getting a bit wet, trickes of water have run the side of the mattress to rest in the middle. Sigma slightly wet, still not cold, bunny still dry.

6am: still raining, pillows wet, top blanket soaked, middle of mattress getting quite damp, warm space under blankets quickly decreasing. Sigma more wet, a little cold, bunny still dry.

6:30am: still raining, almost everything is wet, top blanket soaked, warm space still there, but decreasing even more rapidly. Sigma very damp, and more than a little bit cold, bunny is the only thing that`s dry. Sigma packs up and goes inside to the semiwarmth.

So I chickened out. I did stay out in the rain for four and a half hours though. I think I could have lasted another four and a half hours if I had a mattress that didn`t slope up on one side. That was my downfall, the water coming down off that part.

In conclusion I need a narrower mattress and some sort of protection from the rain. Using my thick wool blanket was alright this time, but it won`t be good enough everytime. I need some sort of tarp to keep the rain off.

Last night I decided to that the treeplatform needed an overnight test. So I got the spare mattress from my room, all my bedding, a light and a cd player and lugged it all up the hill. After a little bit of difficulty getting the stuff on the platform (I'd throw stuff up there, and the tree would throw it back down again, but I eventually managed to convince it that it wanted to accept my stuff) I got a bed set up with lots of blankets. The thermometer said it was 5 degrees... felt a little colder than that ;).

Once I was up there and had plugged in the light, I realised that the mattress was just a bit too wide, that the skirt is all very well and good in the daytime, but doesn't actually prevent you from falling off at night, and that it was kindof very cold. So, I got the old rope ladder to make a temporary railing, squeezed the mattress in and snuggled down under my many blankets.

It was alright, I didn't roll off and fall to my death, or become an icicle. I did huddle for most of the night, and got to watch the moon and the stars whenever I poked my head out of the covers. In the morning when it warmed up and I could sleep with my head out from under the covers which was good.

I woke up at some point this morning because I felt something poking my head. A bird or some sort (it was bluish) had decided that my hair looked good to steal. It got quite a fright when I sat up though. It flew a little bit away and looked at me as if to say 'are you going to stop moving again so I can take your hair?' Silly bird.

Was a fun experience :).

This is the third part of a three part series for Tree house progress April 24th.
Part 1: Progress.
Part 2: More Pictures..

Part three is about how far I've come. It's a comparison of similar pictures.

( The Comparison )

This is part one of a three part series of entries.
Part 2: More Pictures.
Part 3: Comparison.

I am very happy to say that I made great progress on the tree platform today.

When I woke up it looked like today would be another disaster due to the rain, but it stopped raining and dried up by noon. Dad came home soon after that, and we were able to do lots work for about 4 hours.

We straightened out the railing poles, and added a skirt to prevent diet coke cans from rolling off. Hopefully the skirt will add to Phi's feeling of security. The skirt makes the railing poles much more stable, so that should help too. I also finished up the flooring, which I have had almost finished for about 9 months.

( Picture time!! )

We had a few 'I can't believe I was that stupid' moments today. At one point I was leaning over the side of the platform trying to drill a hole to attatch the railing pole to, and no matter how I tried, I just couldn't get it to go through. I was like: I'm not strong enough! It won't go through!. Dad realised I'd put it in reverse when the wood started smoking. *hits head with tree platform floor board*

Another moment was when we realised that we had nailed something over the trap door preventing us from getting down. That was pretty funny.

I didn't get anything done (I blame it on the rain) but I did but an extension cord so I don't have to rely on the gutless cordless drill anymore!! *dreams of having light up on the tree platform so she can work on it at nighttime*

I have great plans for tommorrow with the treeplatform. I am really hoping that I can get a good start on the railings and gate to the future bridge. I'm also hoping to take some up to date pictures (something I'm in dire need of...).

So many things to do before Austraila... tree platform railing, black skirt, cleaning room, tree platform netting, and on and on....

I went home on tuesday and came back to Guelph today. On my way home while feeling depressed about my impending exams of doom, I came up with a PLAN! It still has a few kinks in it, but I hope I can figure out something to work them out.

( The PLAN )

Over Easter weekend, Dad and I spent some time up on the tree platform discussing possible plans for the trees in the backyard.

Previously, I had wanted to start off with 1 8ftx8ft platform (the current one) that had a bridge going to a 4ftx4ft platform that had a bridge going to the next and so on until the network reached the big tree by the fence which would have a spiral stair case. That's one big platform, 3 little ones, 3 cable/plank/rope bridges and a staircase.

( I've divided the plans into three sections: )

( 1. Plans dealing with the current platform )

( 2. Plans dealing with other platfoms and bridges )

( 3. Other plans. )

I have a dream, and in that dream I can walk (or climb) from one side of the yard to the other without ever touching the ground. I'm going to work on that dream, at least to the extent that I can get a small distance without touching the ground.

Last Summer I decided that I really wanted to build a Tree Platform. So I did with Dad's help. It's a hanging platform that is at the back of our property (about a 30 or 40 second walk from the house). It is approx. 8 feet by 8 feet. You can see it in a less complete from then now on the user picture. You can also find pictures of the path to the treehouse, the treeplatform and some old plans here.

In it's current state, it has a working trapdoor, the floor is complete and half of the posts for the railing are up, if not straight. Due to the quality of the wood we used (and lack of foresight), the whole thing slopes either up or down in each corner. Some would call that worrying, I just call it charm ;).

I really need to take some more recent pictures.

At some point in my temporarily food deprived existance I decided that it would be a good idea to make a journal that has plans stuff in it. Like tree plans and progress, sewing plans and progress, you know, that stuff. Stupid of me really, but that's ok.

The name. Calen = Green in... some elvish language (too tired to check) and mist = wanderings in the same elvish language. Go elvish!! :D So, green wanderings. I figured it was appropriate considering the content, though I probably mangled the elvish. I wanted something with scheme, but niether of my elvish dictionaries have scheme listed.