Author: peterb51

30th June 2022

Our bike rides are getting a little longer, there is still soreness in the bum, but not so bad now.

Soon it will have the texture of a well driven horse.

We completed painting the long dresser ready for pictures tomorrow. We still have an unsold small cabinet and the two side tables. I was hoping to get rid of those to boost June’s numbers, I guess they’ll go across into July now.

The ground is incredibly dry, I regularly water the new lawn, but the wildflower garden needs a real good soak.

I sometimes regret laying the turf so close to the summer, even though it’s better than what was there, I hope that it comes back in the Autumn.

The pool is a great treat at the end of the day, it’s one of the best things we bought. Now that we have a proper cover for it there is very little crap that gets in it.

29th June 2022

Our bike rides are becoming a regular event.

I discovered how to find the tripmeter on the computer, now we can measure the distance we’ve travelled. Our current routes are only about six miles, but we need to widen this.

I knocked apart the desk to reveal a bit more work than I was prepared for. There are always holes and slots used to connect stretchers and supports, but the side panels used plywood that had delaminated.

I added finish to a top from a long dresser, but it’s really hard to get motivated when it is so hot.

It concerns me that all this hot weather dries out my new lawn. Even with regular watering it still looks discoloured and a bit sad.

We went to collect a small bistro set the was advertised on Marketplace, this is something we needed on the deck so we could have breakfast or lunch at, instead of balancing plates on our laps, it’s a bit fuddy-Duffy, but it was in good condition, so it will be good for us for a while.

28th June 2022

Listening to the latest January 6th committee meeting this afternoon was yet another jaw dropping episode. What is concerning is that most of the Trumpers are unlikely to watch it because they all think the evidence is fabricated. They fail to understand that most of the witnesses are Republicans, and worked in and around the White House, so have detailed knowledge of what went on.

This is modern America, it’s taken over two hundred years for their government to go down the shitter. The majority of people want to see accountability, and they fear that nothing will happen, if nothing else, Trump and his allies should be banned from holding any political position for ever.

The dark clouds of negativity had cleared, so we took a long bike ride, that was definitely a good decision to get them. I very rarely use the assist, unless I’m tired and need help, but so far I’ve resisted.

We had to collect a small desk from a local address, it was green and similar to others we’ve converted into side tables, talking of which we finished the latest ones and dragged them into the house to take pictures.

27th June 2022

It was my eldest son’s fiftieth birthday today, how can that be? I can still remember holding him when he was so small and fragile. Wind forward to day, and I certainly can’t do that anymore.

Kelli had a bad night that alway leads to a shitty day. I sit through the slammed doors trying to calm the dogs down, but it’s difficult.

Under the circumstances, I suggested a bike ride, I thought she could take he rage out on that. It started well, we sped along South Shore drive heading towards the town. Halfway along she slowed down, thinking she was letting me pass to take over the lead. Oh no, when I got to the next junction I stopped and looked back, she was nowhere to be seen.

I thought she might have taken another route to the big park we’ve been before, so I sped off in that direction. There was no sign there, I came back via the lakeside pathway, but no trace. All that was there were a few Mexican families out for a days fishing, maybe catching the weeks food.

I then rode to where her son, Cameron worked, no luck there. Finally all that was left was the cemetery, but a sprint there resulted in a big fat zero.

There was nowhere left to go but home. Then I remembered that I had the front door key.

I engaged turbo drive and shot back home.

There was Kelli with a look that could kill.

This just made a bad day even worse.

I couldn’t stay around there, the negative atmosphere was too much to take, I got on my bike and just rode away.

I didn’t know where I was going, so I just took random roads to see where they led. It was exciting to see these different places

26th June 2022

The sun came back after a day off, so we went off for another ride on our bicycles. It was not a long distance one, just enough to blow the cobwebs away.

We both needed that. With the events of the past week it would be easy to throw my hands up in disgust and for Kelli to regress back into her dark zone.

The Supreme Court had reversed its ruling on abortion rights that had been in existence for fifty years. This has alway a contentious point for most Republicans, so there has been much media attention on this

I get confused that so many American women are happy to lose the right to choose what they can do with their bodies. Kelli told me that back in the seventies a wife couldn’t apply for a credit card unless her husband agreed to it.

With the Supreme Court possibly reviewing its position on Gay Marriage and even contraception it’s certainly a race to the bottom.

25th June 2022

For several years we have stored a tandem in the garden shed. This was supposed to be a restoration project, but in all that time I have not had the time to do anything with it.

We decided that it was best to sell it on to someone who had the time to work on it.

Kelli advertised it on Marketplace and eventually someone responded and was prepared to drive for over an hour to take a look at it.

I had just wheeled it into the driveway when the buyer turned up.

He spent a long time looking over it, not usually a good sign, but eventually he reached into his pocket and handed over a fistful of dollars.

It was sad to see it leave, but I could not see a time when I could spend the amount of time needed, so it was good that it went to someone who knew about bicycles.

Then there was another visit to the garden centre for more plants. This time we wanted to brighten up a forgotten area at the side of the house. We never spend less than two hundred bucks at a time there, and this time it came in just under.

Of course when we got back, I had to dig out the patch, which in the high humidity was tiring. I mixed in compost and top soil then it was ready to plant. Afterwards we mulched the entire area, and soaked everything. I hope we don’t forget they are there.

24th June 2022

It was an early visit to Gloria’s to finish fitting out her jewellery storage unit. The job was to line out the top section with polished pine, and as I had already pre cut the panels to fit the final assembly was a doddle.

We got another bike ride in, this time to Castle Park a place so exclusive that even the grass did not wave at us. It is an impressive place, with some amazing houses clinging to the hillsides. There is even a Roman style amphitheater set in a valley, gorgeous place.

There were plans to drive to Saugatuck to collect some coffee and side tables that need refinishing, but that was put off for another day. Instead there were the two desk pedestals to work on.

Once we felt we’d done enough, it was pool time, so relaxing, watching the birds flying about, pure indulgence.

After eight months my Anglepoise floor standing lamp arrived. I had almost forgotten about it, but I was finally able to put it together and place it next to the sofa. There was also a forty watt bulb supplied so I didn’t have to scramble about to find one. Now, the only comment from Kelli about one of Sir Kenneth Grange’s finest designs was “ it’s a bit dim”.

“ A bit dim!” I said, “ Not everything is about light output”.

23rd June 2022

We cycled down to the bike shop, a three mile journey. I wanted to see if they stocked any gel seat covers because both our rear ends needed some comfort.

However I was underwhelmed by what they had, their only suggestion was a new saddle at forty buck each. Now, are we prepared to suffer a bit of discomfort for a bit longer until our buttocks become tough like old leather, or should we wimp out? Grit your teeth Kelli, we’re in for the long haul.

I must to admit that I wasn’t as sore as I have been, so the process maybe working.

I was also interested in some panniers so we could carry stuff around, but the selection they had was not great, so we left the shop empty handed and made our way through the park past the pickle factory.

We did start to re-organise the garage a bit starting at Kelli’s area where the paint was stored.

We used some cabinets that we obtained a while ago, they were stashed in the storage room, the place where things get put when we wish to forget them. Anyway we thought we would use them to make the place less cluttered. The whole garage needs a good clear out especially my area that is littered with old chipboard worksurfaces that we didn’t use, these need to be taken to the dump, then we can move on to phase two of the tidy-up.

22nd June 2022

The realisation that the days are getting shorter is a little depressing, mainly because we’ve only just started having decent summer weather. The other result is I feel less like working out in the garage, the lure of open road and the cool water of the pool is too strong. Having said that, the water is not cool at all. With the cover on and the sun beating down it only needs a teabag in it for a cuppa.

We had two collections today, just managing to squeeze both of them into the truck, then it was off for a doctors appointment for Kelli.

We then had a short bike ride, just long enough so my bottom hurt, I must get some gel covers.

We did sell the tall dresser to a lady who plans to ship it to California for her daughter’s new home, and we managed to get pictures of a small dresser that we had bought as an unfinished project piece.

21st June 2022

It was going to hit 90 degrees today, so a bike ride in the morning, before the heat hit us was our plan.

We rode towards the Heinz pickle factory where there is a raised walkway over the edge of lake Mac. Being a weekday it was almost deserted. The warm weather seems to bring out the best in people. A few that we met along the way wished us well as we glided alone on our assisted rides. This means that we have bike rides everyday since we got them, no wonder my arse glows at night.

We did a bit of furniture work before succumbing to the refreshing charms of the pool. We floated about for an hour, or until our skin became wrinkly.