Cowboy Photo Studio & Dog Sledding

Cowboy Photo Studio
i mentioned before that we were setting up a photo studio for a cowboy themed party (with about 300 people attending). We created a great studio, using things we found along the way.  Like the saloon doors, which we stumbled upon at a talent show a few days before the cowboy party (synchronicity & manifestation in abundance!)

We took photos of the revelers all dressed-up, together with their friends, then printed them instantly using technology unimaginable in those bygone days!  Smiles all around!

At the end of the party, we remembered to take a couple snaps of ourselves, which looked like this:

our bad ass cowboy faces

Dog Sledding
i also went dog sledding...for free: a perk of being the girlfriend of an adventure tourism student!  i'd heard that it was lots of fun, but was reluctant to hurt dogs in any way.  From what i experienced, the huskies absolutely LOVE it - they can't wait to get out and start their 'walk', and whenever we stopped they would just stare at me, wanting to start running again.

It was both cool and scary having the responsibility of driving the sled...

This ain't no Xmas deco!  Real icicles on the tree.

This week the reality of living in such a small space with another human also truly hit me.  (Imagine taking all your essential personal belongings into your kitchen & camping out there with someone else...except the toilet, for that you have to put on snowshoes & go outside!)  My introverted tendencies dancing with Antoine's extrovert-nature.  But it's okay, everything can be treated as a lesson in love.  And we're learning all the time :)

As i read an earlier version of this post to Antoine (which kicked off with a more detailed account of the week's challenges), he listened and encouraged me to post whatever i liked.  But he also thought it strange, because he said he'd had some of the best ever yurt moments this past week & had already forgotten the brief chats about the need for time alone.  So, once again i'm reminded it's all about what we put our focus on in the present.  Thanks, Antoine, je t'aime!

This Canadian Yurt

A LOT of Snow

i love the more traditional snow shoes.

i’m not exaggerating when i say there was A LOT of snow yesterday.  i know i'm telling the truth because we had to put on snowshoes to go to the toilet. 

The snow was almost halfway up our door when we woke up, which meant *climbing* out of the yurt, in snowshoes, in order to go to the toilet!

How many steps to the toilet?

Wet feet!  Next time put on snowshoes AND gaters to go to toilet!

i've omitted the image of me peeing.  But i tell you squatting over a bucket full of sawdust, whilst wearing snowshoes & brushing snow from the toilet paper *is** a pretty amusing image!

Antoine rocking the snowy look.

there be icicles on these here prayer flags!

We donned our neon ski suits/all in ones (that some may remember from our 2 idiots in Québec bollywood film!) and went for an epic adventure in the forest. 

We took lots of great photos, but we're attempting to do something different with them.  If it works you'll get to see the results, otherwise i'll post the photos here.

Thought this Canadian yurt looked like a cake, so i added a cherry to it!

Photos from This Canadian Yurt

i realised that living in this canadian yurt is a bit like camping in a circus big top...at burning man.  Except without any other people around.  

We take the best of both worlds: a wood burning fire, peeing outdoors (hey, i LOVE it!), the feeling of satisfaction from the 'honest hard work' of living close to nature, like fetching water...

Antoine invented a system to pull the 25 kilos of water on a sledge.

And our big-top-camping-life is mixed together with western luxuries:  wi-fi (which last week i discovered is weather dependent!), electricity (admittedly the lights dim when we use the oven - but compared to the 17 hours EVERY day without power i got accustomed to in Nepal...) and we have a fully equipped kitchen - this week i made veggie sushi, 

veg sushi

bean burriots

mexican bean burritos, veg lasagne, marinated tofu stirfry with pak-choi & shitake 'shrooms.  We baked bread & made a spiced apple crumble.  Plus... blueberry-raspberry-banana-chocolate-chip-vegan muffins (yeh you read that right!  i got slightly overexcited & added extra ingredients!). 


 THIS CANADIAN YURT PHOTOS....
The yurt finally looks homely enough to share photos...

We melt snow (in a pan on top of the stove) to prevent the yurt getting too dry.

The wi-fi connection is strongest by the door.

i'm making notes about props for a cowboy themed studio we're going to take photos at in a couple of weeks. (Antoine's experimenting with b&w for the shoot.)

i love the design of the yurt...it's like living in sunrays!

On the left is our (single) bed, beneath a HUGE yin yang hanging.  Antoine won that 'discussion' and it's still there...giving me trippy dreams!

Taaa-daaa!  The kitchen!  Behind the curtains is all our dry food & veg.  We have a proper italian espresso machine, oven/grill, kettle, 2 gas hobs (gas cylinder under the yurt), blue jerry can full of water above the silver bowl (which sits on nails in a hole cut into the counter) - it's not a sink & all water must be emptied outside but the birdies pick the food scraps from where we pour it!  Mugs hang on nails (top left).  There's compost, recycling & a bin.  Our fridge is on the right with one of the best views in the world - the Annapurna range!

Welcome to my office.  I love working with Le Petit Prince looking on.

The heat from the chimney melts the snow from the transparent plastic, so we can see the blue/stary sky.  Sometimes the difference from indoor/outdoor temperature means there's ice on the inside of the roof.

A WALK IN THE GARDEN 

Surrounding the yurt are miles of gorgeous, quiet forest.

baby christmas trees!

Yesterday it was warm & i took a walk...

sun-bathing is essential even in subzero temperatures

Antoine likes looking at pictures of himself on the big screen!

...and one night we borrowed a projector and so the yurt was converted into our very own circular circus cinema:
Thanks for sharing in and caring about our adventure! All comments & 'likes' appreciated...fuels my motivation to update each week :)

week one

Weather & Washing

Québec has been messing with me.  The first week in Montréal, the temperature dropped to -38C/-36F (with windchill).  Then the following week in Gaspé (1,000km north of Montréal) The temperatures reached +10C.  One day i brushed the snow from the pegs and hung out the washing...


...it kind of froze!  We thawed it out over the fire later.  

Wood
This Canadian yurt is heated with a wood burning stove.  It's a great feeling walking in from a freezing snow storm, to a warm-woody-fire-smelling-cozy place.  We made the most of the rare absence of snow to do some wood-piling.

Kitchen Organization

After finally getting washing-up equipment, the next stage was organising the kitchen.  Antoine's method of deciding where different items are located in the kitchen area, is solely dependent upon the order which he takes them from the shopping bag.  Thus, pasta, spices, saucepan lid, cereal, soya sauce, screwdrivers & random veggies could be found in one box.  after finding a bag of 4 month old onions, which had been frozen for a month, then defrosted and were now smushy and smelly...i was at times scared to put my hands into boxes.  

Antoine also discovered this...

which, once upon a time, is believed to have been a turnip.

Wintery Walk
On Friday we woke up with the sunshine & went to the beach.  We didn't go swimming because it looked like this...

Douglastown Beach - 20 mins walk from our yurt

Ice slabs on the beach

ice along the beach

that under-rated combo of sand n snow

just to prove we do 'wrap up warm'

A normal week, in this Canadian Yurt!

our snowy window this morning

Thank you all so much for your lovely comments (Nicola, Simon & Katrien) & support.  It motivates me to write more! If anyone has any questions about the yurt life - i'd be delighted to answer them!