Another Lifetime to go

8th August 2025

I spent part of the morning rebuilding the coffee table that we lovingly refinished, but watching Larry hauling out stuff for his annual garage sale.

He and his mate set out the tables and placed large plastic bins on them containing a load of old tat left over from last year. He usually starts on the Friday and end on the Saturday. 

We go over and take a look at what he’s got and buy something and give moral support. 

Garage sales are very popular, and throughout the summer they spring up all over the town.

There can be a few jewels amongst the weeds, but we have not found any, but it’s the luck of the draw.

We had a rare dinner out, with our friends John and Patty, they do similar things but on a much larger scale. They have a large barn where they can handle large dining tables, oh! to have space.

It was a good catch up, and a chance to get away from cooking and washing up.

7th August 2024

It was the usual shopping day, but what was different was my beer tasting day. I was to meet Lloyd a day early. This put a lot of pressure on our timing, and with Kelli still walking slow, precise food collecting was essential.

There were other things on our agenda, like another trip to Plato’s with more clothes to sell.

However our plan did not include that within our shopping expedition, Kelli would have to do that solo.

The things we buy does not vary from week to week, I even know where things are, so I set off on my own to collect them. Obviously there are some unique items that she deals with.

I know both places very well, I’m familiar with all the staff and I’m sure they know me, at the moment everything is predictable, there is order in our lives, and that came tumbling down when Kelli saw a “Make America great again” hat on one of the shoppers. “Nice hat” she commented to the lady wearing it, the tattoos on her arms glistened as she nodded her appreciation.

“I’m going to get one of those for you” Kelli said to me.

“Oh no you won’t” I sternly replied, “ if you do, I will burn it on the driveway”

I certainly don’t want any association with Trump, and a flag on the front lawn was definitely out of the question.

Kelli dropped me at the pub and went off to do her errands, agreeing to pick me up after two hours.

That was our day, a couple of beers erased the monotony, and all I wanted to do was cut the grass in the back garden, so therapeutic.

6th August 2024

There was a lot of rain, and thunder this morning, and boy did it rain.

Fortunately it stopped and the land started to dry out, just as well because we had furniture to work on.

All the preparations I had done yesterday meant that we could get one dresser finish and for Kelli to prime a coffee table and TV cabinet.

I pulled out the dresser we collected a couple of days ago, and yes it’s a turd of the special order.

This is going to take a lot of polishing, but I have a plan.

 The scandal of the Olympic opening is still rattling on, quite frankly I couldn’t care less, if the French want to glorify transgender and inclusion that’s their prerogative, I find the whole subject to be quite sinister and life threatening. I have began to believe that it is a distraction, for what is happening and what is due to happen.

The riots in England are just the tip of the iceberg, there are rumbles over here, and this is a major campaigning topic, because the average American is fed up with subsidising illegal immigrants.

What pisses me off is I paid a lot of money to live here and am untitled to nothing, but these people get given homes, work permits, driving licenses, mobile phones, and a living allowance.

Yes, send them back, or give me equivalent benefits.

5th August 2024

I banished Kelli to the house today as there was no job she could do. She was being very cautious about her healing knee, being very apprehensive about bending it.

After two weeks of hobbling about with a straight leg it was difficult to try, and walk normally.

I had a plan to work on two pieces getting them ready to prime tomorrow. I was able to have my old gits music blaring out.

There had been a decent rain storm in the early morning, but the humidity was back,  making the working conditions difficult.

Kelli was inside filling scrapbooks with her children’s early schoolwork. She had boxes of stuff that had moved from house to house, most of those boxes were never opened.

About two years ago I suggested that she goes through them and save the best ones and put them in one place that can be easily available.

Since then it was seen as a “winter job” but it never got done, so finally today was a good day to start it.

4th August Sunday

We drove to the hospital to have Kelli’s stitches removed, it took less than a minute, it took longer to print the release form. 

However Kelli was scared to even bend her knee slightly by walking.

We stopped off at a pharmacy to buy some butterfly strip to support the wound for a longer period. Apparently the drop off on their own. The nurses thought this was not necessary, but she was scared and wanted a belt and braces option.

It was a hot day, just right for moving some furniture up at Kelli’s mums house.

Matt and Brenda had bought a secondhand sofa to furnish the upstairs ready for them to move in next month. I was volunteered to help get this piece up the stairs. 

Unfortunately no one thought to measure the width of the door to the stairs. There was no way that this sofa would fit. 

Some drastic measures had to be taken. I suggested cutting the legs off, that would give us about an inch clearance. This was agreed, so with a saw in hand I  cut them off one by one.

Now it was just the case of moving the thing.

The perspiration was dripping as we hauled the beast into the kitchen and up the stairs. 

Cameron’s girlfriend Alyssa was pulling at the top whilst I was pushing from the bottom.

It was awkward, but finally we got it into the room that will be their living space.

Now was the time for ice cream, I was so hot the damn stuff melted in front of me, I had to have a double helping.

Before all this activity, we were invited by the lady who I refinished the record player for, to see her house. It was directly opposite Kelli’s mum house so not too far out of the way. It was a pleasant home furnished in a mid century style. On the way out she gave me two bottles of sparkling wine as she held a baby shower party the previous day, and she had a lot left over.

Those will go down a treat at the next family gathering.

3rd August 2024

I did a solo trip to Menards for supplies, this gave me the opportunity to look around at things I generally don’t do when I’m with Kelli. That is because I have to divert her attention from items we did not come to purchase, I think that is why those trips are so exhausting.

I was able to meander down the isles in a leisurely pace finding things I didn’t know they had. “ Why do I need Amazon?” Went through my mind. “ Why is there no competition to Amazon?” Was another. All these big stores could form a co-operative to service customers, they have large warehouses in all large cities. 

That is when I feared my head would explode, so I went back to just looking at things.

I had to buy some timber to make a floor frame for a new greenhouse. The one we had was only a temporary, being just a plastic cover over a tubular frame. The weather had caused the plastic door to split, so rather than purchase a new cover I bought a slightly more substantial one. It arrived a couple of weeks ago,  I’ve been frightened to open it, but I want to do it soon.

The wooden frame will ensure the structure is square from the outset, and last a little longer.

So with the four by twos lashed to the roof I set off back home.

2nd August 2024

The owner of the record player came to collect it today.

As always there is alway a last minute dash to make sure everything is right. There were a few issues mainly due to the person who gutted it in the first place, I would have liked it to be a bit more refined, but I tried to make the pieces that I worked on be as good as I could.

The pre paint preparation from its previous owner had left the veneer very thin in places, so I was limited in how I was able to refinish it, the the customer was over the moon with it.

It was still humid, but I did what I could before the pool called to me. It was a relief for a brief period, watching the birds and insects going about their business.

Once we were out and drying, a lady from up the road knocked on the door with a gluten free banana bread, this was out of the blue, and put my faith back into people, I can’t wait to try it with my tea.

The grass in the back garden has suffered badly from the dogs piss. I bought some gummies that is supposed to reduce the richness of the nitrogen that kills the grass, it’s called “Dog rocks” I hope it works.

My daily correspondence with my friend Dave on the cassette deck continues with the conclusion that the power works for the pre amp, I need to find another 12 volt supply to drive the motor.

Now that’s another challenge.

1st August 2024

Well this cassette deck has got me beat. I reached out to a friend in the UK for advice. Two emails later with lots of pictures I’m still no further forward. I guess this may go down as a failure unless I get a flash of inspiration.

The record player is nearly finished, thank god.

I hoping that the owners come to collect tomorrow.

With Kelli working at quarter speed because of her injury things have been slow, once the record player has gone there are several pieces that can be started.

We think there are rabbits getting into the garden, there were piles of droppings around the garden, and there have been times when Phoebe has shot around after something at the speed of a rocket.

It is so humid here, the windows are all misty in the morning, and it’s like carrying around a damp blanket. The weather brings out the crickets, the evening soundscape is filled with countless chirping.

31st July 2024

It was a hot day, just right to do the weeks shopping. The only difference was that I was doing the driving, and I had to remember which side of the vehicle had the steering wheel.

Before we left I sprayed anther coat of poly over the top of the record player, and another when we got back from the shops.

Nature’s Market has one section dedicated to supplements and all things for good health. I am still shocked at the prices of some of them(not really)

I often have this discussion with Kelli that Americans are fixated with supplements and drugs, of course I have to be careful that I don’t sail too close to the rocks because Kelli herself takes a lot of them. It shocks me to see them all laid out on the counter surface. I have asked her doctor if people ever get addicted to them, of course he says no, but my point is, when do you know to come off them? I’m sure people keep taking stuff for many years because they are afraid of going backwards, and have to start all over again.

The expert in the store pointed out one supplement that targets joint and muscles, he said he takes them regularly, and feels like he could climb a mountain. You pay over fifty bucks a bottle for these, and it’s a huge market, and not that well understood by the average punter.

No one can ever answer my simple questions “ when do you know when to stop?, and “how can you tell?”

Kelli is on the journey where her liver, digestion and her immune system all need support.

30th July 2024

Sleep wasn’t great, Kelli was having pain in her knee on her good leg. It had been troubling her for a while, but now it has to take all the strain.

She booked a session with another kinesiologist from the practice to take a look and try to relieve her pain.

Since the accident I have been doing all the driving much to Kelli’s concern. This was heightened by the fact I nearly ran a red light, but I did stop in time.

Brandon, the young kinesiologist worked on the pressure point in the foot, this seemed to relieve the pressure in the knee area, don’t ask me how? I just watch.

In the evening the Indian lady who helped Kelli after the accident brought over some food for us, which was so unexpected, there are some people who are really kind. There was a spicy chicken soup and a lasagna, I guess the soup is mine.

Kelli found her contact details by advertising on a local neighbourhood app, then she sent a note of thanks and things developed from that.