Another Lifetime to go

20th March 2024

I returned to actually making and repairing things, which made a change.

Louise had given me a small round table base that had a broken leg. It had been repaired badly using nails and a kind of building adhesive. It took several hours to remove all this muck that just filled rather than glued.

I had to use tools that were easily available (most were stored away).

Once all that had been chipped away I could see what was left of the joint.

I used an epoxy to bond it together and fill gaps.

Whilst that was curing, I got on with Rob’s box.

Now this is nothing smutty, it was a box that will be fixed into his living room stud wall.

I managed to do all the machining with what I could cobble together. Back in the US I have more tools and tables that would make doing stuff easier, but I battled through.

The next job was loading the truck with the trunk and branches from the cutdown trees, intending to take to the tip tomorrow.

19th March 2024

The online timetable for Firstbus sucks. I needed to go into Bath and decided to take the bus. I found a time that suited me, so I walked down into the town and got to the bus stop on the town bridge at 09.40 to catch the one at 09.43.

I noticed there weren’t any other people waiting, which concerned me a little. I looked on the display and saw the next bus due at 10.51, WHAT!

I then looked on the timetable board and it showed the arrival time of 09.33, so I missed it, bugger!

My only hope was the train. Fortunately there was one that I could catch, thank you GWR.

I was due to meet up with my old friend from infant school, Steve.

I got to the Boston Tea Party early, so I ordered a breakfast, I think I deserved it.

Steve arrived six minutes late, as usual, but we were soon reminiscing about our early school days, and Steve is an expert about Bath history.

We gassed on for over an hour, our single coffees lasted well.

We made a tentative time to meet again to explore Charmy Down Airfield at Upper Swainswick, another day out for a couple of old duffers.

Next I had to visit my friend Rob who wanted a wooden frame made to mount inside a stud wall in his house. I didn’t get round to it last time, so this time I made a plan to do it.

Rob had already marked out the size of the hole on the living room wall, and also where it would emerge by the stairs. Something was not right, the marking on the stair wall was not in the same place as the living room wall.

What followed was an hour of positional adjustments, until finally he was happy with the placement.

It was late in the afternoon when we set off to buy the timber, hitting rush hour. He wanted to go to B&Q in Bristol, an hour later we were there.

Having selecting a suitable piece of the correct width we set off back. He dropped me back in Bradford on Avon after what seemed like a hectic day.

18th March 2024

My second visit to Wickes, and still I wasn’t tempered by the breakfast bun from the food wagon. Instead my intent was two packs of weatherboard and a pack of battening.

With that loaded onboard the Shotgun I headed back home.

A frantic cutting and drilling ensued as all the remaining strips were stacked ready to install.

There was excitement as the last piece was fixed in place, the main objective of the trip had been achieved. There was just the finishing battens to be fixed to hide the joins and there it was done.

Now there is just the clearing up left to do.

I cannot start to celebrate, I will still have to force my work boots on for a little while longer.

I did treat myself to a fish and chips dinner.

I walked into the town to get my treat.

It is one shop that only accepts cards which is sad, I think they are being lazy, or is there more sinister plans ahead?

17th March 2024

I went really mad and completed another two panels of the shed side. The weather started damp but warmed up.

It still took me ten minutes to put my work boots on, even loosening the laces. I sit on the step grunting like an old pig, I will be really glad when I don’t need them anymore.

I cut up all the lengths into the strip I needed, and drilled all of the holes, it was very therapeutic covering the walls, I was a little short of material because the lengths come in metric and the shed panels were imperial, so more wastage then I wanted.

In the evening was invited to Ryan and Louise for a roast dinner and apple pie and custard.

A great ending to a good days work.

17th March 2024

More time to spend with the family, this time my eldest son Damian and his family,

I had to time my arrival because he was at football practice with his son Ethan.

As it happened I got there just before them.

Football is the latest obsession with my Grandson, he was dressed in the strip of Wolverhampton wanderers. What was also happening was Wolves with playing Coventry in the FA cup that afternoon, and it was on television. Damian had to take his Maybac to get a tyre replaced, the victim of a deep pothole.

I was coerced into playing football with Ethan in the garden until the actual match started.

I hadn’t watched a football match for ages, everything went well until Coventry scored. It was like the end of the world, there was tears and hysteria, Ethan could not accept that his team was losing, and dispite trying to explain that losing is part of football. We managed to stop him throwing the remote control at the screen, then he stormed off to play football in the garden.

I was able to coax him back when Wolves got a free kick just outside the penalty area.

This calmed him down a bit, until his team scored to equal the match. When his team scored again he was flying high again.

The room was a pressure pot, tensions were high, and then Wolves scored again. Ethan had a beaming smile which disappeared when Coventry scored again. Everything looked certain to end in a draw, and then extra time had to be played. In the dying minutes Coventry scored again causing even more tears and tantrums. It was a reminder that I didn’t want to be a father again.

15th March 2023

Woke up early in Nicola and Colin’s home, there were excursions planned, and I was looking forward to them.

I regular had calls with Kelli who was keeping the business going.

She had said that she had the opportunity of getting some Mexican hand painted tiles for a really good price.

As yet we don’t know where to put them, but with the eclectic taste that she has, I’m sure we will find somewhere they can go.

We piled into Colin’s car and sped off towards Sidmouth, stopping at the Hare and Hounds for a carvery lunch. This was a regular place for them, and having seen pictures of Colin’s gravity defying plate of food, I wanted to taste it for myself.

It didn’t disappoint, although I had a modest amount, it was great and left me satisfyingly full.

Then it was off to Sidmouth seafront.

The promenade was a bit windy, surfers were out there in the water trying to drown in the swirly waves.

We made our way to a cafe at the far end of the seafront. The place was packed, with four people, and us. The walk had made us thirsty, a likely excuse.

We sipped our coffee, becoming aware that the place was closing, subtly at first, the outside signage moved inside, then the open signs on the window turned to closed, not that we felt intimidated, we took our time, the comfy seats made it difficult to get out of, but we did it, even returning our cups to the counter.

We then drove back, with Colin taking the scenic route, the grass is so much greener here, and the trees are almost ready to burst into leaf.

This was a restful day with a full belly and windswept hair, just what I needed.

14th March 2024

It was going to be a busy day, and the weather was not playing ball.

My mission, should I choose to accept it was to fix more cladding to the side of the shed. I had a friend coming round for a chat, so I wanted to fit stuff before he arrived.

The rain put paid to that, I could only hope that it wasn’t set in for the day.

I checked the weather app on my phone, it showed that it stopped around an hour before my friend would be here.

I rushed outside to take advantage of the studded dry spell.

I had worked out, in my head, a more efficient way of cutting , drilling and fitting the strips.

I didn’t bother to set up the cutting station outside, I wasn’t that confident of the weather.

So with my bundle of boards in my hand I set about the assembly.

First I had to use my ladder to get on to the area where the shed stood, then I had to lift the ladder up and set it up so I could reach the place where the panels were to be fitted.

The time was slipping away, Dave was due and I just manage to complete one complete section of the shed side. As I climbed down the step he appeared at the bottom of the sloping path.

I have know Dave for many years and his knowledge of the Beatles is second to nothing.

We began talking, the start of an intensive word marathon. Once he gets started it is like trying to mount a speeding train, there are very few opportunities to jump into a conversation. Once he stops for breath that’s my chance.

It is always fun, and I look forward to every time we get together.

After a lunch in the town we parted, him to catch a train, me to get back to some more shed work.

Unfortunately the weather was not co-operating, the rain started again.

Not to be put off I managed to cut many strips ready for the rain to stop, it didn’t.

Next on the agenda was the Mint Room Experience.

It’s so wonderful to share a place, and a time with such inspiring people. Between us, we span a time line of the company history in Bath. I would gladly travel across the Atlantic just to share a table with these folks.

It’s was exciting to share Helen’s news, well deserved, look forward to getting updates of her progress.

After an enjoyable meal, I set off for Martock to stay with Nicola and Colin. The journey was long, and I was barely able to keep my eyes open, but I made it.

13th March 2024

Today was a meeting of my old school friends from the Bath Art School at the Holborn Museum. Miraculously we have kept in contact over the past few years, and although the whole class(the ones that are left) have tried to get together as often as we can. The others are on a Greek island, Australia, Canada and the USA.

It is special, and although we all have stories to tell, many repeatedly, but we enjoy each other’s company so it doesn’t matter.

I decided to take the bus, and to flash my new bus pass. As it pulled up at the stop, I got on, and was faced by loads of old folk. I don’t consider myself old yet, but I thought I was on an old people’s day out.

Mercifully I got to the city and wandered about until I was due to meet up with Rob for lunch and a long awaited Masala dosa. After enjoying that we had a coffee and headed down Pultney street for our reunion.

The group were huddled outside, it wasn’t the warmest of places, but the heat from our coffee cups gave us some relief.

Eventually we moved inside and took over a large table, that was a lovely warm place.

After several hours we hugged each other and said our farewells.

I walked back with Rob until we parted ways with me heading towards the bus station.

I had an hour wait, but soon I was on the way home. The bus stopped at ever single stop on the way back, it felt like a long long journey.

12th March 2024

It’s the end of the another day, and rain stopped play. I had made good progress so far, but this was a drag. It cleared up at lunchtime, and rather than setting up the saw outside I decided to do it in the shed. Of course all the timber was wet, but I was determined not to be put off by that. I cut the banding on the timber bundles and started the residing.

I would have to climb the ladder each time, first to mark the length, then get down, walk to the shed to cut and drill, then back up and fit. I did this for twenty times, judging by the number of pieces that I have to fit, I will be doing this for one hundred and twenty times.

I did it until me knees let me know they were fed up, so I stopped. As there is a total of four panels, I have planned to do one panel a day, knees permitting.

I looked across the valley where some major building works was being done. In October builders were demolishing a building that was pretty ugly. This was an opportunity to construct a really modern building, instead it looks like something equally grotesque is taking its place, what a waste of effort.

My old friend from school, Rob came to visit. He brought with him a couple of Brie baguettes which made him very welcome. He had spent a month in India, so I was keen to find out how that went. He visits a retreat close to the Himalayas and has alway been involved in Indian religion. He has alway told me that his lifespan has already been designed, and that he has another ten years to go. I look forward to calling him in eleven years to tell him he was wrong.

11th March 2024

I was expecting the boiler to be serviced today between eight and twelve, I decided to do some CAD work whilst I waited. After completing a tricky design problem, it had gone past ten, I decided to make the last two frames and finish that part of the project. When I finished it was coming up to twelve with no sign of the boiler man.

I then put all the stuff back into the shed and did a bit more computer work.

As the clock passed one, I called the office.

I was told that the service man had knocked on the door and got no answer. My response was that I could see my front door all morning and no one turned up. There were many apologies and a promise to reschedule. The girl on the other end then put me on hold whilst she tried to contact the technician, a few minutes later she told me he would be with me in five minutes.

The guy staggered up the path telling me they had given him the wrong address. I get that all the time, remember my new phone debacle?

Anyway he got on with the task, and I waited for him to finish.

As soon as he left I drove over to Wickes to get the feather board, and they had plenty of the stuff. I loaded up the truck and drove back, unloading five bundles and carrying them up the steep slope ready for the next part on the project.