Stuff today

Been quite busy instead of lounging around today. I would like to decorate the kitchen, but first I had to determine if the shower was leaking from the bathroom above. So I had to bash two holes in the kitchen ceiling and expose all the gubbins underneath. It has been damp, you can see a touch of rust on some nails and some discoloured plasterboard, but a fair time ago and all dry now - good news.

Now I have to repair or get someone in to do the job - I hate and bodge DIY, but it shouldn't be expensive. The next phase is the paintwork but that's easy, the kitchen walls are all cupboards and tiles and I can reach virtually all of the ceiling from the floor as it's low. Then..I need to rout out the silicone seal round the shower screen and reseal it, because it looks a bit dodgy and madam is reminding me of it. That's a messy slow job using a silicone eater jelly and a Stanley knife and it must stay dry and then the shower can't be used for a day or two. Oh well down to the children's houses for a washup.

This is a work I did at my mate David's palatial studio on Wednesday.

Its using 4 acrylic inks plus acrylic white on cartridge paper using an old credit card on the edge for all lines. Under the colours are several pieces of newsprint to add texture and interest. This roughly follows the technique perfected by Ray Davis in our art group. I used a ref pic from an art mag which was a very good oil painting on the bar Pickle Barrel, in Chattanooga.

Reluctant gardeners world

Because I tried to smarten up the lawn before we went skiing by mowing for the first time this year, I found that the moss was so thick and dominant, the mower struggled to cope. I decided at that time to let a LawnFeed moss killer do some work whilst we were away. Back home a week later I could see it had left a lot of blackened areas as it should but still not a total jobby, so I was resolved to a 2nd bash at it in about 4 weeks time. However last Thursday, we tried to rake the grass or what was left of it, but damn! that is hard work, blisters would have risen and shoulders would have frozen, so we stopped.

The cost of hiring a scarifier and an aereator was horrendous and madam said no way are we spending that on a lawn. I then remembered one of my more wealthy friends... you know the ones with ride on mowers and every gadget going. Sure 'nuff - old JT had a scarifier he could loan me and would bring it to the club at Romsey that night. Having lashed him 2-1 at snooker (maybe I should have let him win) but the rich old bugger had come out without money so I was already funding him his beers, we transferred this cute little domestic level electric Qualcast from a large 4x4 boot to a small Peugeot 3 door back shelf.

I went at it all Friday, the little machine struggling with not a big back yard as the yanks would call it. It took about 15 passes, 8 bags full of dead stuff plus the thatch and a trip to the local dump. It really needed an industrial job, but madam had said no. Anyway, I didn't burn the machine out and it now sits waiting for another, hopefully less demanding bash in a few weeks.

In the bloody meantime!!!! having driven to Romsey the previous night, I noticed the car starting to blow like a stock car or boy racer would love, but not a little 206 French family motor. Did I wake the neighbours up at 11.30pm Thursday night? I knew not or cared 'cos I was so pissed off with cars this week. Kwikfit kindly informed me I need a complete new exhaust system including the catalytic mon dieu!! Also one new tyre immediately and two more should be changed next month. As if I was made of money.

Looking forward, Live for today

Planned a lot of our holidays already this year. Ferry to France and back booked for the campervan and a weekend at a brass band festival on the Loire, then on on to near La Rochelle to join the family at their beach campsite for a week. After they have gone home, we will roam up through France for a week to embark from Calais.

Bloody motors

Had the campervan booked in for a minor body repair - no, not a little bump on my behalf, but a fatigued broken bracket that holds the wrap around of the rear bumper. Took the bus home using my free bus pass of course, after dropping the van off and on arriving back at the ranch, Carole announced she was off to the library and shops in the Peugeot. Seconds later she asked me to listen to 'orrible noises and I did. The front of the little car seemed ill on small reversing and forward tests and undriveable and the pain was down in the wheel arches, like as if the brakes had jammed on. In the end I had to call recovery, who declared broken coil spring and lucky it didn't break on the motorway coming back from Gatwick as it could have gone into the tyre. They took me to our usual mechanic. No problem, will get the part and do it tomorrow. OK.

Madam then used her bus pass to do her trip, we are on a very convenient couple of routes. I had to cancel my dental checkup appointment (bus not suitable).

She returned, the phone rang, the Peugeot was fixed and the van was too. Luckily the latter garage had sent a driver for me, so we both went, the two garages being about two minutes apart.

We got home with two repaired motors and a total bill of £150.00 !!!!

Bloody motors.