Bolsover | Day # 11

Old cook books

350-600 lb pumkins

Grown on the farm behind the cottage

More rain today.

I chose not to ride.  Again.  The weather is turning for the best beginning tomorrow and, the forecast for next week is mostly sunny and milder.  16 Celsius.  Perfect cycling weather.

I stayed inside today.  I painted.  The beams in the living room and kitchen areas were never properly finished.  They had been painted but not sealed and the knots bled through.  They have bothered me for years.  I sealed the knots, installed corners to finish off the joints and painted with a semi-gloss white to set them part from the flat white ceilings.

I like painting.  It is not unlike cycling.  Relaxing.  Transformative.  Contemplative.  Satisfying.  If I can’t ride, I can at least paint.

I am planning a day long ride tomorrow on roads I have not seen previously.  Up to and around Lake Dalrymple, north through the Cardin Plains, west to the Sebright Corner Store and then south back to the cottage.  This route takes me through some abandoned logging communities and past several lakes.  I am not certain how far the ride is but I am guessing about 100 km.  Later this afternoon I will go over the bike to make certain it is clean, lubricated and tight.  I’ll also pack an extra spare tube and C2 cartridge.  I will be in remote areas where there will be very little roadside assistance.

I like old things.  Heirlooms.  Things passed from one generation to the next.  I brought the Roberts, a 40 year old, custom, handmade steel frame that I purchased in Toronto from Michael Berry’s father when he owned and operated BicycleSport, a legendary road cycling shop that was located in downtown Toronto.  I updated the frame this year with quality components and use it regularly.  I have left the bike to my son.

The cottage is filled with heirlooms.  Items I can’t part with.  Simple things but things I can’t discard.  A set of cast iron pots I gave to my mother as a birthday present over 40 years ago.  I am cooking lentil soup for dinner in it right now.  Betty Crocker’s “Picture Cook Book” that was given to my mother by my grandmother in 1978.  I still use it.  Last week I found a vinaigrette recipe that I like.  A beer glass my father cherished that I use every night.  A Jeffrey Craig table from my mother’s home that I use as a desk when I am here.  Cane furniture that I bought with my mother for her newly renovated apartment 42 years ago.  I brought it to the cottage and furnished it with more modern Ikea cushions.

Quality never gets old.  No.  It improves with age.  My father was a carpenter.  He built the cottage in the early sixties and retired here for a few years before he passed away.  It is old but has been kept up.  New roof, footings, updated bathroom & kitchen and, a renovated out building that is used for storage but would make a terrific work shop. In these parts, many of the cottages are being torn down and replaced with modern, more convenient, appliance laden homes.  I would hate to see that happen here.  I have considered selling.  I’m unable to get here often.  My family doesn’t spend a lot of time here either.  When I sell it, I would like for a young family looking for a recreational property to buy it, a place for them to build memories like the ones I have enjoyed here throughout my childhood.

I have done the same thing with the cottage that I have done with the Roberts.  I have kept them and made them better.

The smell of lentil soup is wafting throughout the cottage and the sun is out.  It is too late for a ride.  Tomorrow will be different.  I’ll pack a lunch and hit the road early.