Work Finished

 

Naturally, when I attempted to finish sealing the bath as planned it all goes wrong.  As I fought to remove the old seal from the aged gun I found the gun was dying, bits kept falling off, the paint flaking and nothing, in spite of liberal use of WD40 made a difference.  Now this gun has been around for some time.  In fact I canny mind where it came from, just that I was given this old gun a good few years ago.  Now, the rusting, aged hulk (the gun not me) was at an end.  Just what were those things living off it I wondered?  

Anyway, this led to an outing to the shops.  Out into the chilly sunshine, ensuring I had my mask, plastic bag, wallet and keys, the 4 items that must be carried when entering shops or leaving the house.  I had planned to reach B&M all the way up the road and was not keen as my knees have been poor for a few weeks now.  However, the Good Lord brought to mind the ironmongers and the bit I usually ignore, the wall at the back full of Chinese made tools.  I rushed there slowly, stared at a wall of red coloured metal tools, ideal for the DIY enthusiast or the man henpecked into doing that job he meant to do all those months ago.  Eventually, after much staring I found what I wanted, right in front of me!  £3:99 and a tin of WD40 also, and off I trailed.  

Eventually, the job was sort of done.  It was harder than I thought, my fitness is less than I realised, the work was more difficult, the new gun being stronger than his predecessor and the gap being bigger than I thought.  Of course, too late, I remembered half way through that I ought to have 'bodged' it by filling newspaper in the gap, still it is done now, though addition work may be required to finish it.  I am much impressed by the professionals doing such work, they would have done this in 5 minutes and left a near perfect finish.  I, you will be surrised to hear, am not a professional...

 

A huge bright sun, ludicrously low in the sky today, tempted me to return via the short wander across the park.  November already, low bright sun, very low temperature, cold nights, leaving the windows damp with condensation again this morning, something we will get used to over the next couple of months.  

Wrapped now in a blanket I sit here avoiding using the heating while watching Pakistan wallop Namibia at the cricket.  I may do some ironing later, that will keep the place warm.

 

 

Monday Moaning

Another day of joy and happiness.

I collected the new sealant from the ironmongers early today and have still not got the job done!  A new problem arose in the loo: this entailed pulling things up, cleaning and fiddling about which led to me putting the sealing off until later.  Then there was the emails to deal with, and the Covid Test run by some university that came through the door (old people get lots of these things) and that took longer to understand and pack than anything else.  

With that sent off I turned to the laptop.  I attempted to renew a Xmas gift subscription, it did not work, then it did, but at all times I was confused and slow.  Being Xmas I sought other gifts; after a while I gave up as they were hurting my eyes and all looking either the same or too expensive.  There was also a lot of 'tat' with high prices available.  The 'tat' I want has to be cheap.  

Oh yes, I did manage to buy something for myself...

After lunch, which has left the place stinking of fish, I failed to get motivated to seal the end of the bath.  I still have also to finish the new work there I notice, more to be done...tomorrow.

 

 

 

The great event began with Joe Biden arriving in Edinburgh and chugging his way 40 miles to Glasgow. This way he avoided all the private aircraft carrying those attending the gathering.  Boris, keen to appear 'Green,' has warned the 'end is nigh,' and 'something must be done,' all the while allowing a new coal mine to be dug, another oil field to begin and shit to spew out across England and Wales rivers and coasts.  Jolly good these men were not planning to swim here...

Will anything happen?  China and Russia are not sending their President, and this broken world will still be broken later, especially after the hundred million dollars promised the last time have not been paid to the small nations to aid their environmental work.

 

It's Poppy time again.  This means I will buy one, find it missing, buy another, wonder where it went, and find a third, which I will hang onto with both hands!   That's the usual situation.  

Also we now find the chancers getting aboard the money bus.  All sort of poppy merchandise will appear that does not offer cash to the Legion.  Goalkeepers gloves are available, covered in poppies, but I doubt the Legion thought that one up, nor will they benefit.  Some dubious items will pass on some cash, most will just line their pockets with poppy items that ought not to be seen in public.

 

 

Dreich Market

Another glorious Satuday Market build up, another glorious wash out in the rain.  Tee Hee.  I just glanced at the prices as I passed, ignoring those that did not show prices, and went to the Museum where I found similar items reduced.  That is much more my cup of tea.

I only went out as the sun began to appear, soon to be drenched as it hid itself once again.  I had to visit the smiling staff at Tesco to fill a space or two, they smiled at me, grimmaced at the customers, as I foolishly jumped in behind two women and a man with a kid not used to shopping.  I could have walked home and had another breakfast in the time I waited, too late to move elsehwere.  

There again I was given a discount in the museum, but do not let the boss know. 

 

Pizza in the rain anyone?  

I made it home, missed the postman, redirected the parcel I missed, and ate the wrong things for lunch.

After that I went to finish sealing the bath.  I had scraped it out the other day, left it to dry, was unable to return to the job until today because of sloth other engagements and when I made use of the seal gun I found it was dead!  Too late in the day to go up the road and buy new seal, another job for Monday.  And I discovered my spare Laptop does not have the TPM required being 9 years old!

Rather typical of life innit?

So, it's back to watching T20 cricket until England appear to be winning against Australia.  So I turn it off and watch poor English football instead...  

How to be an Idiot No 153.

So the urge came upon me.  It doesn't happen often.  Suddenly I decided to fix the kitchen sink!  Some time back, in the days of never ending rain, I obtained a tube of sealant for the job.  The sink required urgent repair as the sealant was fast falling apart.  This was a result of the building moving slowly, oh so slowly, over time.  I had replaced the sealant about ten years ago in a similar situation and now I noticed the gaps along the wall, plus the tiles separating from one another by some distance.  I decided to act!  
Some months later I bought the sealant and placed it in the corner so I would not forget.  Cold weather, very cold and lots of it accompanied by freezing rain, distracted my well meant intentions.  Time past, only a few months or so, but today the great day arrived!  I got to work with a will, well a small Stanley knife actually, removing the remnants of the previous badly bodged job.  This went well.  By the time I had finished this small area was covered with foul, used sealant, several tiles that fell down, one breaking as it did so, plus an amazing amount of muck from who knows where!  
Was I dismayed? Well yes actually!
Anyhow I organised the job, took the old tube of sealant still in the sealant gun all those years later from the gun....hold on how does it come out?  
I pushed it, I pulled it, I turned it this way and that.  I twisted that bit, pulled this bit, cursed it a lot, but it would not remove itself.  This is daft thought I as I had this trouble before and in the end it was a simple thing to remove the old tube.  I just couldn't do it!  Pull, push, twist, curse, drop it, start again.  Look at it carefully from all angles, inspect every part, it is simple, it must be that bit, no it isn't, try this, didn't work.  
Isn't it always the way.  Instruction manuals always say 'Place part 'A' in part 'B,' then using Philips screwdriver screw bolt.'  Simple, but you don't have that screwdriver, the part 'A' doesn't fit and Part 'B' is a different shape from the illustration.  Now I had that sort of problem.  
Naturally I threw it down and had tea.
Later, much later, I picked up sealant gun and just pulled and pushed at both ends and the old tube fell out.
Apart from almost breaking my toe I was pleased!   
Insert new tube.  Cut top off.  Place hose bit on end.  Take aim.  Fire!
I slowly began to squeeze the trigger, aiming carefully at the chosen line.
A thickish stream of sealant came out and failed miserably to follow the line which I was taking.  Hold on!
This stuff is grey!
What?  
In my anxiety to purchase the cheapest of the several thousand tubes standing at attention in Wickes I forgot to check the colour!  It was Grey, not white!
Grrrrrrrgnarllsnarlgrrrrrrrrrrr etc.....
Insert new tube, a tube of white sealant, hold on, I don't have one.  
Off to Tesco!  Much closer than Wickes.
One tube of £1:49 sealant, much cheaper than Wickes, later I start again.  This time the job is done, and done very badly indeed!  Technical things, like switching on a light, turning a handle and sweeping a floor, are all a bit much for me.  Inserting a never ending toothpaste like substance into a long slender gap that keeps moving was asking for trouble.  Much later the gap was filled, very badly indeed, so was the sink, the tap and even a gap on the cooker behind me!  How?  
What a mess!  It has revealed a talent unequaled since thon fellow claimed the tower at Pisa would stay straight as a die for ever.  
Tomorrow I do the bath, where, at the moment, only one tile requires replacing.  At the moment......

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