Saturday 27 February
Such a beautiful day today, but personally ruined for me by wall-to-wall sneezing and itchy eyes.
I started today by fixing the window to our bathroom. It’s the window that the cats use to come in and out of the house through, so it needs to be opened and closed regularly. I’m not keen to pay out for a specialist if I can make repairs myself. It’s not just the money that can be saved, it’s the challenge of widening my DIY experience and skills. I don’t think half of what we can resolve ourselves, was doable back in my Dad’s day, without the internet. Last weekend I removed the worn-out locking system, looked for a similar one online, made a purchase, and it arrived in the post on Wednesday.
It wasn’t a like-for-like replacement, the original mechanism was no longer available. But I watched some YouTube videos and read some forums and then improvised a little. Touch wood (or PVC) it has worked, for now.
I remember when I was growing up, there was always one or two small piles of used house bricks in the back garden. With my Dad being a bricklayer, wherever we lived, the trade mark burnt red Jenga stack seemed to follow us.
My Dad would always seem to know what to do when a problem cropped up in and around the home. And, regardless of whether it was plumbing, wood, electrical or structural, the solution always seemed to involve a house brick at some point. It’s the ultimate ingredient for solving problems.
Today, I used a brick to rest a mirror against, at an angle, which allowed me to see the underside of the window frame. But it might be to weight something down or raise something up, to prevent something from tipping or to even knock something in to place. All rise for the humble house brick! Thanks, Dad.
Anyway, we had a lovely walk this lunchtime, but I sneezed continually. Then I watched Colchester United lose again (still on the telly, still with no fans in the grounds), and I sneezed some more. Just hoping I feel better tomorrow.
The Bald Birder 