7 Jul 2022

And Then, Going, Going...

   Well, so, Mr Bojangles is gone. All we have to guess at now is his replacement, their choice of wallpaper and will they keep the cat. May I suggest someone just about to leave primary school?
   Seems some/all them wot quit will get a twenty five grand one-off bung to ease the pain of quitting. Once again we discover that our generosity knows no bounds.
   It really is time all those fringe? parties, Reform, UKIP, For Britain and such, got together, thrashed out their differences, put together a manifesto for us rather than ‘them’, picked a charismatic, believable leader and stepped-up. But that’s just me.
   In the comments last night, Doonhamer hit it firmly on the head and I’m guessing mirrors a huge number of thoughts out there:
   The eedjits ruin the UK economy, preside over an NHS not-fit-for-purpose, a pathetic Police industry, sky rocketing energy prices, runaway illegal immigration, a world class Defence with armoured vehicles that shake the teeth from occupants skulls and £100 million aircraft that fall off the bows of useless aircraft carriers, - I could go on.
   And what does for BoJo is a groper. Oh yes all these resigners have principles. And as Groucho said, if you do not like these principles, they have others.

   Let’s have a sing along that Mr Bojangles should’ve checked-out earlier and thus could’ve possibly avoided this period of high entertainment he’s blessed us with. 

Quote;  Eric Berne.

“A loser doesn't know what he'll do if he loses, but talks about what he'll do if he wins, and a winner doesn't talk about what he'll do if he wins, but knows what he'll do if he loses.”

6 comments:

Ripper said...

Mac,
Perhaps he should have used a mind map to remember what he said and where. Would have made a good planner for visits to Kiev to consult with his boyfriend Zelensky. Bojo, through his fanatical support for Ukraine has given his opposition the tools needed to defeat him with. On the upside, his leaving removes Carriebojo's hands from levers of power. Personally, its good riddance from me to the pair of them, the only concern I have is that there is no one to replace him with as they are all as bad as each other. But no matter, its only a show anyway.

https://hugotalks.com/2022/07/07/bojo-a-go-go-hugo-talks/

Thanks for the thought buddy, but in my position a mind map wouldn't work, there are too many variables. Such as my plans being temporarily ruined by the plaster peeling when painting - this is the second time. The weather preventing me from doing larger jobs outside. I'm taking on half a dozen tasks at a time and doing a bit on each, according to what I'm able to do on the day. I'm almost finished upstairs now, so I can't do things like cut wood on the spot any more.

Just started getting a few jobs going downstairs before getting a builder in to blitz the kitchen, hopefully shortening the time spent with no cooking or laundry facilities. The big problem in there is that the ceiling has to come down and the floor needs screeding/tiling before a new kitchen can go in. There are also jobs that involve both kitchen/living room, which I'm trying to sort first as I'm finishing upstairs.

One decision I've made is that I'm having the fireplace opened back up and a wood burner fitted next month. Although I have gas central heating, this will give me another option. I have plenty of wood offcuts and am collecting old pallets, joists, fenceposts etc. Also bagging up my sawdust, which will be mixed 60/40 with shredded paper and compressed into briquettes.

Mac said...

Ripper,
I get your drift. No number of mind maps can predict the sort of things you mention.
As for who takes the over from the tussle haired fellow and Curry, Larry the cat couldn’t make any more of a hash of it. Could he? And I doubt he knows where the Ukraine is...
Wood burner sounds like a winner. Hell, if Drax can burn forests, I can’t see ‘em ever being able to ban wood burners in the home can you?
Keep going my friend and one day it’ll all be done and you’ll be able to sit back, look around and think, ‘Damn, why didn’t I build that over there instead of there?’ Only kidding buddy. A little bit...

Ripper said...

Mac,
So you can tell I'm in survival mode? The wood burner will at least cut my energy consumption to near zero over winter. And once the cost of installation is done with, this will be totally free heating. What's not to like? I already have more old wood than you can shake a stick at, which is a pain when disposing of the sackfulls of offcuts and sawdust being produced. But on top of that I can collect huge amounts of paper, cardboard and pallets - there are shops and firms here that would be happy to get rid of it.

Whether they ban them or not, it makes no difference to me, Boris and fellow travelers don't get to dictate what I use in my own home, but I read up on the laws anyway. Wood burners won't be banned, what they have done is outlawed fuel which is not seasoned/dried, but then that's a no brainer - who's going to try burning wet wood? Besides, to stick to their rules you have to buy the wood in the first place and I'll never do that.

My aim is to make this place as cheap to run as possible, so there's a few other tricks being applied as well, for example a 4w LED studio light fixed to the ceiling and pointed at the wall gives exactly the same light as a standard lamp in the corner or a wall light. All light fittings are LED anyway. In the bedroom I'm making my own bed frame and fixed headboard - you know those white LED xmas tree lights? A set of those underneath the bed and inside the headboard do away with the need for bedside reading lights and run on virtually thin air, as well as creating a nice atmosphere. Transom windows above all the upstairs doors let light onto the landing, where there are no windows.

You have no idea how true your little joke can become... plans change by the day when new ideas arise. Besides, by the time its finished I'll probably be too old to remember doing it all...

Mac said...

Ripper,
I’m with you all the way but the long held belief that an English mans home an’ all that, is not so cunningly being eroded by those that would rule over us.
Finally, given the complexities of your project, I feel sure, should I contact the appropriate authorities to pay you a visit, that all your health and safety paperwork is fully filed for all completed projects to include pre-project hazard assessments. Pardon? Oh.
I well remember, when starting on this drum, one of the first things purchased was a set of six step folding stepladders. The bit that knocked me sideways was the included six A4 sheets, double sided fine print of instructions for use, safety instructions and safety ‘warnings’. A set of stepladders for heavens sake. Unbelievable. That was twenty years ago and today everything you buy has similar. Even food is littered with various warnings...

Ripper said...

Mac,
Should you feel the urge to inquire to authorities about my paperwork, feel free to do so. Joinery/decoration/tiling - me. No paperwork required. Plumbing - already done by a tradesman, except a couple of small jobs done by me. Electrics - me again, but no electrical projects that need certification. There will be, but there's an electrician friend in Leeds who knows my work and won't hesitate to certify it. That's already been discussed. The wood burner (DEFRA Smoke Control exempt) is being fitted by a friend of the gas fitter I use for the annual gas boiler inspection, and he owns the company which does nothing else but that. So, before the stove is fitted, the chimney will be swept/inspected and a special pot and liner installed. My gas fitter will be relocating the gas meter and a couple of radiators, as well as removing the old back boiler pipes left in by the council, before the builder comes in to do the new kitchen, as I can't do brickwork, plastering or floor screeding. I won't be touching the kitchen because it will take far too long.

If the authorities do call, the first thing I will point out to them is the cable which hangs out of one of the sockets in the living room, which is most definitely illegal. It runs down the wall and around the corner along the skirting board (which is neither nailed, screwed or glued - though the decorator's caulk seems to just about hold it in place) to an isolator on the side of the chimney breast, who's output powers (or used to until I moved in) a 2Kw fan heater, cunningly disguised as an open coal fire and still manages to look fake. By my calculations, a twin 13A socket can take a total load of 2.8Kw. If I had the fan heater running on max and then plugged in a 1.8Kw hoover, the socket would burn, along with the main cable going up into the ceiling space.

I would also point out the kitchen extractor fan, with its naked, 240v run-on timer board (also disabled by me) wrapped in a plastic bag and stuffed behind one of the kitchen wall cabinets. Just as I would point out the gas pipe running from the meter in the kitchen to the living room fireplace. It goes down into the floor, is shallowly buried in the concrete floor (showing in places and almost worn through), pops up again by the wall, where a cutout in the skirting board houses it as it runs along the wall, then through the wall into the living room under the floor. It pops up again on the side of the chimney breast where it goes through the wall. First time in my life I have ever seen a gas pipe embedded directly into a concrete floor.

But do tell your authorities to hurry up because the pipe was capped off the other week and will be cut off at floor level when the wood burner goes in, until I can get to do the floor repairs. And when asked about who committed these abortions of workmanship, I can honestly answer "the council". Or, more accurately, Kier, the council contractors.

One day old friend, I'll send you a bunch of before/after pics, and you'll be shocked at the before ones. I've got everything here, from walls painted gloss black to door frames coming away because the structural timbers are nailed into brickwork. Same for the stair rail which was loose in places.

As for safety instructions, they are just a way of ass-covering. I remember seeing a bag of salted peanuts in the supermarket, on which was printed "Allergy advice - May contain nuts".

Mac said...

Ripper,
Lot of memories there my friend. Enjoy the ride and when it’s all done you can sit back and, with great pride, say, I did all that and it’s damn perfect.
No more major tasks for this old fellow. In fact, I had holes to drill just this morning - just drain holes in the bottom of a new flower tub for my little nest of vipers - and guess what? Bloody drill battery flat. Couldn’t believe it as I distinctly remember charging it for a job I did just six years ago...
Oh, and I’ve called off the dogs, okay?