2024 Quick Daily Posts

[Mabel Figworthy]

To all in the path of Hurricane Debby, look after yourselves and stay safe.

Yes, indeed!

[Mabel Figworthy]

Anyone ever used Tulip needles?

I tried them because Mary Corbet recommended them, but I didn't think they were particularly special, especially considering the price. I wrote a bit about them (and other needles) here (and about my very favouritest needles here).

[Serinde]

Thank you, Mabel.

[richardandtracy]

Today I was woken up by our cat Squeaky singing for his breakfast at the top of his voice.

He was lying quite happily on my shins, and it was 4:30am, and it felt like he was shouting at me (because he was).

I have to confess I was feeling quite disgruntled about it until I saw that our much bigger Maine Coon Ozzie was curled up on Tracy's tummy. It meant my pins and needles were much less than Tracy's when she woke up a few moments later due to the catcophany. <snigger>

Regards,

Richard

[fccs]

Richard, your house never has a dull moment.

[Mabel Figworthy]

Ah, the joys of sharing the house with a cat

[richardandtracy]

I have tried to re-set that alarm; Hasn't worked yet.
The alarm is close to 19 years old (in September - don't know the exact day) and isn't terribly well, due to old age, really. So he's allowed a bit of license when it comes to the way he behaves.

Regards,

Richard

[Serinde]

LOL. Although I don't remember our Siamese being particularly good alarm cats. Instead, they stalked toes from underneath as you were making the bed, pouncing upon them (and occasionally forgetting themselves enough to nip -- naughty cat).

[Mabel Figworthy]

Last year for DH's 70th birthday his sisters and Youngest gave him money towards a holiday, destination Vienna, Budapest or Prague (there were reasons for the clear directions). OK, it always takes us a while to decide on holidays, but we have just booked a 7-day river cruise next August on the Danube taking in Budapest, Bratislava and Vienna We're really looking forward to it! (And it'll include our 20th wedding anniversary, which we hadn't quite realised when we booked)

[richardandtracy]

Sounds fun. Never been on a river cruise - or any cruise for that matter. The cruises up & down the Rhine/Danube/Mosel are ones that I'd like to go on if I ever went on one. Apart from the biggie to Antarctica.


This week I'm gathering tools & stuff to go down to my Dad's and do some roofing next week. My brother, his lady friend and another Spanish friend are coming over to act as labour to make a balcony/roof watertight over the porch of my dad's house. There are several options, leadwork (which I can do and have done), or GRP (which I don't know how to do, have never done, have no tools for & I'm not happy about the nasty chemicals) or possibly felt which is such a short life option I don't want to do. Lead is the most expensive, but by the looks of it, it's probably not going to be more than twice as expensive as the GRP. Still concerned about doing it in 3 days, though.
Will be taking all the tools & most materials I can think of down with me, as even though I know my dad has the tools, I have no idea where to find them.

The lawn was last cut in July, I think I need my finger-bar cutter too https://www.mowdirect.co.uk/feider-ft20 ... mower.html, as we need to mow through 6ft high buddleia, brambles & stingers as well as knee high grass and I don't think a normal petrol mower will cope. I know the fingerbar mower does work too, as I've been using it over the weekend for our garden's annual cut. I fear that, as my dad's mower has been left standing with the new E10 fuel, it may have gummed up & not be easy to start.

Regards,

Richard

[Mabel Figworthy]

DH used to have an Allen scythe, but when we moved to suburbia he felt it was rather overkill. It stood in the front garden as a sort of ornament for a while before he was finally ready to part with it

Impressed with your skills Richard, they are many and varied! Hope the roofing will go to plan and your workers are willing and able.

[Serinde]

Couldn't have said it better, Mabel. Pre-planning the tools always a good idea -- but if my DH's best intentions are anything to go by, something vital is always missing (usually in direct proportion to the mileage between said item and the job to be done).

[richardandtracy]

Serinde, you're a cynic about the tools. But that doesn't mean you're wrong.

My dad has a good workshop (not aimed at metalworking in the way mine is), but this one is not one I have ever used, so the tools are in unknown places. That's why I think I need to take a large selection of my tools. I had to do leadwork on our last house, and was surprised at how easy it was. The surveyor who came when we sold the place looked at it and said it was the best he'd seen in a long while - even before I told him who'd done it .

I did learn a big lesson though, when doing it. Lead is heavy. Sounds obvious I know, but the brutal weight of the stuff needs to be experienced in person. I got a 6m roll of code 8 (8lb/square foot), 3ft wide. It was loaded into my van by a forklift. At home I had just me to unload the roll. All 160kg (350lb) of it. ALL 160 kg!!!! I braced my back and rotated it into the wheelbarrow. Which bent, but stayed upright so I could get the roll into the garden. I then had to cut it into 1m lengths to be just light enough to carry up onto the roof before shaping and fitting. My brother claims glibly to bench press 200kg and lift 70kg in one hand. Well, lifting a 65kg micro mill gave me a hernia... Hopefully he'll be able to move it without too much pain!

There is a second leak at the chimney on the main roof on my dad's house. I think it's due to vegetation in a gully, but I've not been on the main roof to check - I'm a bit scared of heights. No, scared of grounds, and meeting it at too high a speed, to be more truthful. I will go up, but want someone else to be there at the same time. If it's a problem with the tile roof, I'll have to deal with it at the time. I'd be happier of the roof was slate - I have all the tools to make a slate roof from scratch, and repairs to slate rooves are not hard either. Odd how I prefer the traditional building methods...


I looked at getting an Allen Scythe many years ago, but they are powered on one wheel only. Given our vegetation, number of ant hills and the slope, I thought it would be a problem to keep it going roughly straight. It turns out they're much less powerful too, so I think it may also have been an issue. Glad in the end I went for the newer machine.

Regards,

Richard

[Steam.Jo]

I managed to get a splinter right on the part of my middle finger that I use to push my needles through the fabric with Having taken the splinter out I had a sore finger end that hurt every time I pressed it on a needle. What to do?

I hate stitching with a Thimble. I picked up some plastic "Thimble-it" sticky bits of plastic that are supposed to be a thimble replacement and found they were too ridged, did not shape to my finger and had no feel. Next up a bit of magic tape (posh Sellotape with a duller finish, sticks really well). That worked until the edges of the tape started to roll up and annoy me. Previously I have tried micropore tape but the needle tends to catch in the pores and hurt my finger.

I am now on to "glues": superglue leaves a crunchy feel to the surface so I did not bother with that. Most glues take too long to go off. Then I remembered.. There is a 25+ year old bottle of Germolene "new skin" in the medical cupboard.

And I have success. "New Skin" daubed on the end of my finger. Nice and flexible, I can feel through it, no pain go needle go. I wonder how long it will last

Jo

[richardandtracy]

Had a little surprise yesterday.

My dad's care home phoned me up early afternoon to say he'd breathed in a bit of mashed potato instead of swallowing it. The paramedics had been called out and I had a 7 minute call with the paramedic. My dad basically had my normal O2 sats, his blood pressure only marginally worse than mine and pulse rate perfectly OK. Was happy with their decision to leave him at the care home, especially in light of his DNR (Do not resuscitate) form, and he was prescribed antibiotics to ward off secondary pneumonia.

Then at 8:30, they phoned me up again to say he'd died that evening between having supper & having his post supper cup of tea.

Both expected and a total surprise at the same time. Just at the moment I feel as if I'm at sea & totally rudderless.

Plans to go to his place next week now have extra jobs to add to the list.

Regards,

Richard

[Serinde]

Oh, Richard! I'm so sorry. I hope that you, Tracy and the girls will accept my sincere condolences. I have certainly been in that "expected but total surprise" place, and it's still a terrible shock to lose a parent with whom you have had a such a profound bond.

[richardandtracy]

Very kind of you to say so.
I shall be offline most of the weekend and next week (sorting things & working on the house).

Regards,

Richard

[Mabel Figworthy]

Oh Richard, I am very sorry - however expected, to some extent it always isn't. You and the family will be in my prayers as you tackle both the practicalities and the emotions of the coming days and weeks.

[Steam.Jo]

I am so sorry to hear of your loss Richard, my heart goes out to you and your family.

Jo

[fccs]

Richard, Tracy and family, I'm sorry to hear of your loss. Somewhat expected or not, it's still hard. My thoughts are with all of you.