Lots of golf has been taking up too much time recently, so I instigated a shed clear out project while the marquee was still up after our family barbecue.
I moved everything out of the shed and then stripped off the roof. It was a plywood roof which had rotted beyond repair in about four years.
I have now relaid the floor to wood and used shiplap to redo the roof. The felt is on and it just needs the tar to fill the gaps and a few clout nails to baton down the sides. I was hoping to finish that tomorrow, however, disaster struck today while playing at Chester golf club.
One of my opponents decided to play an unusual shot called a shank which basically travels unintentionally at 90 degrees to the expected direction. On this occasion it travelled about 30 yards at 30mph at three foot off the ground and struck an unsuspecting victim right on the elbow. That victim was me and goodness it hurt. I am hopeful nothing is broken but tonight might be a bit uncomfortable.
The final shed repairs and the restock might have to wait a while, but I will definitely apply a keep, sell, tip philosophy to every item that came out, before it goes back in. Tiger balm anybody?
Showing posts with label shed. Show all posts
Showing posts with label shed. Show all posts
Tuesday, 22 August 2017
Monday, 5 January 2015
Shed therapy
What a wonderful day it was on the Wirral today, and I was fortunate to have the chance to play golf with Eric Hirst and Simon Birtles. Eric is the oldest ex-captain of Wallasey still playing golf at the age of 82, and knocks it round off a respectable 19 handicap. His job these last few days has been to manage the whole community of ex-captains in their selection of the new Captain for 2015. This will be announced this evening after which the new incumbent will be in the bar to buy drinks. It's not a cheap experience being golf club captain and this is just the start of a year of lunches, speeches and copious drinking sessions. It needs a man with a strong constitution to cope.
Simon has just returned from five weeks in New Zealand where he visited all four corners of the Country. It was sad to hear of the sorry state in which Christchurch remains. Shops are trading out of portacabins, no progress has been made to either rebuild or demolish the cathedral which was extremely badly damaged during the earthquake almost four years ago, although there is a pop-up cathedral which has temporarily taken its place. People are moving away and it is in danger of being a shadow of its former self. Simon, however, seems to have had a great time, sunbathing in the North island and skiing in the South. Quite a contrast really.
Yesterday I took to the shed. This is the original shed, not the one I built in 2013. I have installed solar powered lighting which seems to be working well, and cleared a large number of unwanted storage jar which I was keeping 'just in case'. I can now see the work bench and most of the floor, so just need a rainy day when I can go through my screw tin which contains all shapes and sizes, and grade them for use as and when needed. I use hair gel containers for this, but now number two son has moved out, that source is harder to come by.
I am not over keen on this dry January fad to be honest, but I am trying to drink healthy home made juices at the moment as we had a new juicer as a present for Christmas. The orange and ginger shot first thing in the morning is a definite wake up call. This is all part of the pre-holiday tone up programme aimed at trying to return home in March, roughly the same weight as we were on 1st January. Time will tell.
So the year is up and running, no new years resolutions as such this time, just a good and content time surrounded by friends and family. Here's hoping.
Simon has just returned from five weeks in New Zealand where he visited all four corners of the Country. It was sad to hear of the sorry state in which Christchurch remains. Shops are trading out of portacabins, no progress has been made to either rebuild or demolish the cathedral which was extremely badly damaged during the earthquake almost four years ago, although there is a pop-up cathedral which has temporarily taken its place. People are moving away and it is in danger of being a shadow of its former self. Simon, however, seems to have had a great time, sunbathing in the North island and skiing in the South. Quite a contrast really.
Yesterday I took to the shed. This is the original shed, not the one I built in 2013. I have installed solar powered lighting which seems to be working well, and cleared a large number of unwanted storage jar which I was keeping 'just in case'. I can now see the work bench and most of the floor, so just need a rainy day when I can go through my screw tin which contains all shapes and sizes, and grade them for use as and when needed. I use hair gel containers for this, but now number two son has moved out, that source is harder to come by.
I am not over keen on this dry January fad to be honest, but I am trying to drink healthy home made juices at the moment as we had a new juicer as a present for Christmas. The orange and ginger shot first thing in the morning is a definite wake up call. This is all part of the pre-holiday tone up programme aimed at trying to return home in March, roughly the same weight as we were on 1st January. Time will tell.
So the year is up and running, no new years resolutions as such this time, just a good and content time surrounded by friends and family. Here's hoping.
Monday, 14 October 2013
Honey Fungus
It's hard to believe that I am approaching the end of my first year in retirement, but as the nights grow darker and the days get cold, I am reminded that the next few months are the most challenging.
The Summer has progressed well, I have played too much golf, but have won a tournament and come second in another so that has served to keep my handicap stable. I have played some great courses and met a lot of new people so no complaints there.
The garden has been my other source of activity, as I see my running days being put on hold for a bit longer. I gave the grass its final Autumn cut this week, and built the latest folly. It's a grass bench modelled on a design spotted at the RHS Tatton Park flower show, and it works well in a troublesome spot behind the rhododendron's . Only time will tell if it gets enough sunlight to be sustainable
.
My other Summer project has, of course, been the new shed, and
here it is finally completed save for the final coat of paint. Given the size of it, I am quite amazed that it is now appears to be full. Three bikes, loads of garden furniture, paint, a marquee, two gazebo's, hordes of car boot sale items, old golf clubs, spare pictures, ladders, wood offcuts and several cases of wine have seen to that.
The down side to the gardening this season appears to be the fact we have honey fungus. Here is the mushroom style evidence which I am basing it on, and it has killed this Silver Birch. A similar fate befell our only apple tree. That was the sole survivor of when the site was all orchards, so it might have been on its last legs anyway, but it is still a great loss to the landscape.
Two Hornbeam's also had to be felled this year, although they have no mushroom infestations in evidence, nor does one of the larger Holly tree's which is also looking distressed, I am just keeping my fingers crossed that we have no other species which are susceptible to honey fungus, although I am nervous that Acer is one such and we have a fair few of those, one of which travelled with us from London and would cost over £1000 to replace size for size. Seems like I must do some more research as the fungus is resilient to treatment and can only be contained by physical barriers. This might be the first Winter project I am looking for.
So onward into the wet season, that of rugby internationals , long lunches and Christmas cheer, with a new Grandchild to look forward to any day, ( herein referred to as GC1, 2 or 3 as appropriate) and 18 round the festive dinner table. Note to self, must win that Turkey Trot at the golf club again, we will need the food. Ho! Ho! Ho!
The Summer has progressed well, I have played too much golf, but have won a tournament and come second in another so that has served to keep my handicap stable. I have played some great courses and met a lot of new people so no complaints there.
The garden has been my other source of activity, as I see my running days being put on hold for a bit longer. I gave the grass its final Autumn cut this week, and built the latest folly. It's a grass bench modelled on a design spotted at the RHS Tatton Park flower show, and it works well in a troublesome spot behind the rhododendron's . Only time will tell if it gets enough sunlight to be sustainable.
My other Summer project has, of course, been the new shed, andhere it is finally completed save for the final coat of paint. Given the size of it, I am quite amazed that it is now appears to be full. Three bikes, loads of garden furniture, paint, a marquee, two gazebo's, hordes of car boot sale items, old golf clubs, spare pictures, ladders, wood offcuts and several cases of wine have seen to that.
The down side to the gardening this season appears to be the fact we have honey fungus. Here is the mushroom style evidence which I am basing it on, and it has killed this Silver Birch. A similar fate befell our only apple tree. That was the sole survivor of when the site was all orchards, so it might have been on its last legs anyway, but it is still a great loss to the landscape.
Two Hornbeam's also had to be felled this year, although they have no mushroom infestations in evidence, nor does one of the larger Holly tree's which is also looking distressed, I am just keeping my fingers crossed that we have no other species which are susceptible to honey fungus, although I am nervous that Acer is one such and we have a fair few of those, one of which travelled with us from London and would cost over £1000 to replace size for size. Seems like I must do some more research as the fungus is resilient to treatment and can only be contained by physical barriers. This might be the first Winter project I am looking for.So onward into the wet season, that of rugby internationals , long lunches and Christmas cheer, with a new Grandchild to look forward to any day, ( herein referred to as GC1, 2 or 3 as appropriate) and 18 round the festive dinner table. Note to self, must win that Turkey Trot at the golf club again, we will need the food. Ho! Ho! Ho!
Monday, 2 September 2013
Men at Work
This is Mark, working diligently at his bench in the heart of Liverpool city centre. Mark is a furniture restorer and is married to one of SWMBO's girl friends. He invited me to the workshop to look round, and I must say it was a bit of an Aladdin's Cave.
The workshop is on the ground floor of an old cotton warehouse. Chris, an upholsterer, works on the first floor beside the stripping and varnishing sections. There is work in progress all over the place.
Next door is the showroom where all the restored items, and some originals are displayed for potential buyers. Mark pointed out the restoration work on some items, which to the untrained eye would be impossible to spot. Some areas of the showroom were fitted out as period rooms, such as an Art Nouveau lounge and a country kitchen from the 1950's. I was interested to see one of the artefact's was a vintage Totopoly set, but only had paper horses so was not in the same league as my cast iron version.
While the market in brown goods has hit the floor over the last few years, good pieces like chaise longue, desks and dining chairs still continue to command premium prices. Wardrobes and tables though don't.
We have some dining chairs which need repair so Mark and Chris will be on the case for those soon, and Mark very kindly offered me some bench space and the use of the industrial saws, for when I start to do my own work. I have enrolled at the local technical college to do a basic carpentry and joinery course so will welcome access to some of his tools.
The basement area is suffering from damp, so is not used for the furniture, but they have set up a 20 metre shooting range to pass the time in their lunch breaks!!
My shed is progressing well, to the point where there is lighting and bike storage available so just a few shelves to put up and I can finish the sides. Just need a good downpour to test out the internal drainage system now.
The workshop is on the ground floor of an old cotton warehouse. Chris, an upholsterer, works on the first floor beside the stripping and varnishing sections. There is work in progress all over the place.
Next door is the showroom where all the restored items, and some originals are displayed for potential buyers. Mark pointed out the restoration work on some items, which to the untrained eye would be impossible to spot. Some areas of the showroom were fitted out as period rooms, such as an Art Nouveau lounge and a country kitchen from the 1950's. I was interested to see one of the artefact's was a vintage Totopoly set, but only had paper horses so was not in the same league as my cast iron version.While the market in brown goods has hit the floor over the last few years, good pieces like chaise longue, desks and dining chairs still continue to command premium prices. Wardrobes and tables though don't.
We have some dining chairs which need repair so Mark and Chris will be on the case for those soon, and Mark very kindly offered me some bench space and the use of the industrial saws, for when I start to do my own work. I have enrolled at the local technical college to do a basic carpentry and joinery course so will welcome access to some of his tools.The basement area is suffering from damp, so is not used for the furniture, but they have set up a 20 metre shooting range to pass the time in their lunch breaks!!
My shed is progressing well, to the point where there is lighting and bike storage available so just a few shelves to put up and I can finish the sides. Just need a good downpour to test out the internal drainage system now.
Wednesday, 31 July 2013
Doghouse
Just spent the weekend at the Tatton Park RHS garden show. It's the first time I have been to such an event although SWMBO has been to the Chelsea flower show in the past. Two things struck me; it's very old pound oriented with most of the clientele making me look young, and, loads of people walk round with these plastic collapsible shopping trolleys which get in everybody's way
The event was quite interesting though, and I took a couple of shed shots to see whether they inspired me
This one had the Plymouth word on it, but I was taken by the astroturf SHED on the orange one. They do both look a bit like beach huts though, so I will not be using outrageous colour schemes when it comes to painting mine.
That moment is still sometime off as I have been faced with a leaking roof crisis. The recent downpours have certainly indicated that the pitch on the roof is inadequate, so the felt has all come off and its back to square one on Monday, with a different fall angle and slope. Hopefully that will work, then the sides can be completed and the shed used for its main purpose.
I am still being pressured to have a sofa and TV in there, but as the only power source is going to be solar, there is little point in the TV or kettle. If I am sent to the doghouse I may just have to revert to the original shed which is all powered up. Lets hope it doesn't come to that though, and the Tatton Park plans can all be hatched and installed ready for next season.
This one really has been a bit of a wash out.
The event was quite interesting though, and I took a couple of shed shots to see whether they inspired me
This one had the Plymouth word on it, but I was taken by the astroturf SHED on the orange one. They do both look a bit like beach huts though, so I will not be using outrageous colour schemes when it comes to painting mine.
That moment is still sometime off as I have been faced with a leaking roof crisis. The recent downpours have certainly indicated that the pitch on the roof is inadequate, so the felt has all come off and its back to square one on Monday, with a different fall angle and slope. Hopefully that will work, then the sides can be completed and the shed used for its main purpose.I am still being pressured to have a sofa and TV in there, but as the only power source is going to be solar, there is little point in the TV or kettle. If I am sent to the doghouse I may just have to revert to the original shed which is all powered up. Lets hope it doesn't come to that though, and the Tatton Park plans can all be hatched and installed ready for next season.
This one really has been a bit of a wash out.
Friday, 7 June 2013
Shedding pounds
Back stuck into building work this week, as the shed continues to take shape. All the brickwork is finished and the base is now laid, so I am confident the timberwork will be able to start at the weekend.
The sunny weather is certainly helping the concrete to set, and given the location of the site, it is not in full sun all day which will mean the muck will not go off too quickly.
The woodwork will tax my geometric capabilities and does make me wonder how they get all the parts for something like The Shard to all fit together. It does help to have the right tools, and I may have to solicit some help from the family when the structure needs to be placed in situ. That might be a bit of a struggle although if I suggest to Kieran that his dinner is ready in the garden that may get him outside.
He has started running and swimming big style, so I suspect he has his eye on a local filly in one of the hostilities he frequents. I think its the equivalent of ladies losing weight, having their hair done and starting to go out more regularly.....er, hang on a minute.........
The sunny weather is certainly helping the concrete to set, and given the location of the site, it is not in full sun all day which will mean the muck will not go off too quickly.The woodwork will tax my geometric capabilities and does make me wonder how they get all the parts for something like The Shard to all fit together. It does help to have the right tools, and I may have to solicit some help from the family when the structure needs to be placed in situ. That might be a bit of a struggle although if I suggest to Kieran that his dinner is ready in the garden that may get him outside.
He has started running and swimming big style, so I suspect he has his eye on a local filly in one of the hostilities he frequents. I think its the equivalent of ladies losing weight, having their hair done and starting to go out more regularly.....er, hang on a minute.........
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