May 30, 2008 – Does this happen to other people?

Sad to say no pictures.

We own the house on Queens Drive!!  But. We don’t have the keys:(

All my friends get keys when they buy a house. In the movies they get keys when they buy a house. But when we buy a house the vendors muck about with their own feuding until it’s so late in the afternoon that all the lawyers’ offices have closed. Which actually is not terribly late anyway. I can say that because of I am one of those. Excuse me..Excuse me…Does someone have MY KEY!! Apparently not.

 

Lunch bag letdown. No key. No pictures.

We could break in. I m assured we actually own it (minus the keys). But then we’d have to get a locksmith in and all that over the weekend.

Tomorrow will be better.

The wee house on Queens Drive is ours.

 

 

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All you ever wanted to know about bungalows….

I had no idea that so much had been written on the subject of the “bungalow” . The story and a half at Queen’s Drive notwithstanding – we are still a “bungalow” – or maybe a “cottage”.  

There are dozens of books. Dozens. Bungalow Interiors, Bungalow Exteriors (several versions of both) Bungalow Bathrooms, Bungalow Kitchens and Linoleum. Really. An entire book about linoleum. And if you look carefully at the picture of the kitchen lower down – I do believe this may be the original linoleum on the kitchen floor. However as this is no longer the kitchen this is a bit of a problem:)

My favorite thus far – is Jane Powell. Who is apparently known as “the bungalow lady”. Who knew?  She has the decided advantage of being able to pack tons of interesting information into small spaces while making one laugh out loud.

 

From the introduction to Bungalow Details: Exterior (Jane Powelland Linda Svendsen:

 

Old buildings are not ours. They belong, partly to those who built them, and partly to the generations of mankind who are to follow us. The dead still have their right in them: that which they labored for… we have no right to obliterate.

What we ourselves have built, we are at liberty to throw down. But what other men gave their strength, wealth, and life to accomplish, their right over it does not pass away with their death.

                                                                  – John Ruskin 

 

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Oh the elm….

Note the two track driveway:) In wading through a book on bungalows last night I read that in fact such driveways were very common at the height of the bungalow craze….

 

 The elm from the street. The picture doesn’t do it justice. I really need to have someone stand beside the trunk – to give the perspective. It’s HUGE!! I have to say I love the two track driveway.

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Queens Drive ~ May 15, 2008

Flowering tree on the west side of the lot – I should know what this is but I’m not sure. It may be a flowering crab of some variety. It has been there for quite some time.

 

 

View from the kitchen window as below. But this time with tree in full bloom.

 

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Credit where credit is due….

Just to let everyone know that the wonderful picture of the Scilla in full bloom that forms the Header on this blog was taken By Janet F. and kindly forwarded to us – as we would be missing this years display.

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Oh boy!! Roses!

 

 

The garden is mostly overgrown and I have seen little evidence of plantings – with the notable exception of the amazing scilla (as pictured on the Header). But – the trellis on the front of the house are all roses. Colour to be determined. They need some care and possibly some pruning – but I am betting they are lovely.

 

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Through the window

This picture was taken from the present kitchen looking out to the side yard on the west side of the house.

I love the windows.

It is likely that this room, now the kitchen, will be an office.

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Inside 96 Queens Drive, May 8, 2008

We were able to go inside the house today with the architect. And take some pictures and really get a feel for the house for the first time. Our first time through the house, about a month a go, was a run through. I had remembered very little, and much of that I had misremembered. The living room for example is much larger than I thought it was.

 

 

 

 Picture taken from the centre foyer looking towards the pantry and kitchen and to the right one of the two bedrooms at the back of the house. Our plan includes moving the kitchen and pantry from its current location in the center of the house to the back. The area presently occupied by two bedrooms at the back of the house will become the kitchen.

 View of the living room taken from the same center foyer area as the photo immediately above. Fireplace is to the left. Doorway to the right of the picture leads to the current dining room.  Good news is that the living room is a lot larger than I had thought. Bad news is that the floors are on their last legs.

I am not fond of the brick fireplace front. I will begin a search for a salvage arts and crafts mantel or simple proportions.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The dining room. We are not sure we will use this as a dining room. Remains to be seen. The window is new and not particularly attractive. Actually not attractive at all. My thought is that it is replaced by a larger window designed to match the other windows in the house.

 

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