Another Lifetime to go

21st January 2018

Sunday is my catch up on what is happening around the world. US politics is the first port of call, and it never ceases to amaze and amuse me.

It is getting very boring, both Trump and Brexit feature heavily, and as I have stopped wearing a watch, I should stop reading the news.

I don’t think my life would be very different without it, and wouldn’t leave me disappointed at another shooting in a US school.

As a child I was told at about “The power of prayer”, what a pile of crap that is, you can pray all you like but it can’t return a loved one back to its family.

On a lighter note, I learned that my artist friend Martin had good results from his scan where they found the growth on his liver was benign.

20th January 2018

Today I spent a couple of hours assembling a gardening cart. This has four pneumatic tyres, and will be ideal for carrying the bags of rubble down the slope. I had tried to use a glorified skateboard, but that got stuck in the ruts and it took longer than carrying the bags by hand.

Fortunately I didn’t have to learn Chinese to put it together, I use the English man version, which is to discard any instructions, and figure it out, and that’s why it took two hours, well, actually it took three. At the end I had a gleaming green dream machine.

19th January 2018

I had use the Melksham recycling centre today, because the Trowbridge one is closed. I had to drive past the HM factory, the first time since I left.

As I have said so many times, I have not given the place a second thought. As I drove past, that feeling hadn’t changed. There were obvious signs of alterations, no amount of work can improve a dull and soulless place, a turd is always a turd.

I treated myself to a vegetarian breakfast at Grounded in Bradford on Avon. I ordered an filter coffee, but with a small pot of soya milk on the side forgetting that the two don’t really mix. There is this curdling effect that doesn’t effect the taste, but looks disgusting.

I did two runs to Melksham, then headed back down to Barrington.

As I was driving, it was like I was doing a proper job, leaving early on a Friday, back on Monday, ready for a another week slog. Retirement has not been a restful time, but the furniture projects were challenging, and the cottage is backbreaking.

18th January 2018

The bath came out today, the tiled wall is no more, and even the electrics have been de-commissioned, so in less than a month I have knocked a hundred thousand pounds of the value of the place.

” It will look perfect once it’s all done” said Andy the plumber, shouting over his drum and bass soundtrack. “I bloody hope so” my optimism weakening with every piece of plaster that I knock off.

Of course my trip to the Trowbridge tip ended in disaster, BECAUSE IT WAS THURSDAY, AND IT IS CLOSED ON A THURSDAY.

However I learned that the site at Bower Hill in Melksham was open Thursday and Friday, but I just couldn’t be bothered to do it today.

17th January 2018

Today was Andy, the plumbers first day on the job. He drained all the rads and removed all the pipework.it will be wonderful not to see all the pipes all over the walls, and some more modern rads.

I started to clear the alcoves of plaster arches and discovered some sixties wallpaper, I want to try to remove as much as I can, and maybe feature it is a piece of artwork that I can display.

16th January 2018

More dust and dirt as I attempt to complete the removal of the living room ceiling. I had agreed with Andy, my plumber, that it would be available for him to remove the piping.

There is no easy way to do this, at the end of the day my hair is matted with dust, and thankfully a good soak in the bath at Ryan and Louise’s makes me feel human again.

15th January 2018

Living room ceiling destruction day today. Dressed in my one-piece, goggles, face mask and hard-hat, I was ready to get down and dirty.

I completed about a third of the removal, separating the lathes, bagging up the plaster and taking ten bags to the tip. I have tried to keep a low profile because the place gets enveloped in a cloud of dust, as I empty the bags into the skips. On a good day I can be in and out in less than ten minutes, leaving the dust cloud to settle on its own.

14th January 2018

Today is my catch up day, the day I see how the world has survived another week with Trump.

Quite honestly I still can’t believe that a man who cannot string two words together that make sense can still be president

His latest outburst and use of the term “Shithole” is disgusting, and what is worst is that I’ve been using that word for years, and it’s never had the same attention as Trump has given it, so it looks like I’ve got to find a new word.

13th January 2018

An early start for an a eleven o clock meeting at Interior Harmony in Bath. I had thought that they had decided to drop the project, but then out of the blue I had an email.

The meeting was interesting and informative, with an proposal that was quite good. Leroy was really laying it on a bit thick, he said he was committed to giving me the kitchen I really wanted. I felt a little embarrassed because as kitchens go this is a small one, so not much profit. He was hassling a bit so that I would benefit from an offer for appliances that run out at the end of January. Yes I know how this works, but if there is a deal to be struck, I should consider every option.

After an intense two hours of Leroy, I staggered outside and inhaled some clean fresh air, ready for the next event of the day, the ex art school coffee meeting.

Six people turned up, two of which were first timers, so plenty of great conversation.

It is good to get together after fifty years, some haven’t really changed, others, like me, are unrecognisable, or at least that’s what I think after seeing a photo of a dark haired lad, and asking who it was.

12th January 2018

I only cough when I laugh, but as Kelli only makes me laugh most of the time, coughing is a way of life.

Since the closing of the Lakeshore Marketplace at the end of December, and the anticipated opening of the Tin Roof market in February, Kelli has found another outlet to sell her furniture. This is called ” Act II Boutique” it works on consignment rather than a monthly rent basis. Although the split is 50/50 it provides another line of potential sales without any expense.

This might prove to be an good option.