Archive for June, 2010
Posted by Shirley Anne on June 30, 2010
Today I visited the dentist. My last visit was quite some time ago so I was due for a check-up. I knew however that I had a tooth that needed filling again so I was prepared for that. According to my dentist there were no other problems and she didn’t even think it necessary to clean them. I always find that my teeth seem to look better after a visit to the dentist because they use superior cleaning substances than what is normally available in toothpaste. All the claims made by the toothpaste manufacturers don’t really work. Although I don’t smoke I have given the idea of using smokers toothpaste powder some thought. Maybe that would clean my teeth better, who knows? Anyway a drive of over an hour and a wait of twenty minutes then ten minutes in the chair and I was done! It cost me £45.60. Not bad wages for ten minutes work! The dentist suggested that I have this particular tooth fitted with a crown next time so I may have that done in six month’s time when my next visit is due. I suppose I am fortunate that I still have most of my teeth considering the butcher of a dentist I had in my youth and the fact that I didn’t look after my teeth half as well as I do now.
Recently I have been moaning about the slow progress lately to the refurbishment of my house but when I think about how other people’s lives are somewhat of a struggle I feel ashamed. I am indeed a fortunate person and shouldn’t complain. Things could be a damned sight worse!
Shirley Anne
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Posted by Shirley Anne on June 29, 2010
About a quarter of the scaffolding remains standing for two reasons, one, the guy who was injured obviously is unavailable and two, most of the others claim they have a day off today! Yeah, sure. So ok, if they don’t arrive tomorrow to finish the job I shall be on the phone to the owner, after all it is way over two weeks ago when the scaffolding ceased to be needed and when the agreed hire period expired. If it wasn’t for the fact that it is in the way of progress I wouldn’t be that much bothered. Today I was able to lift some of the flags under the windows of one of the front lounges. This area lies alongside the approach to the front door which we are also planning to have re-laid. Unfortunately part of the scaffolding stands over the front door area. It was unbearably hot and humid when I lifted the flags, well most of them, so I had to eventually give it up. Much needs to be done in these two areas as yet and I don’t see them completed for probably six to eight weeks. Part of the existing works to the front garden have also yet to be completed by the guy we are employing to do it. Seems E had a cashflow problem because she was and is paying for that part of the work to be done. That should no longer be a problem now but it’s trying to get the guy to come back and finish off things. I wouldn’t mind so much but he is her nephew! This morning I did a lot of rubbish removal from the side of the house we couldn’t before get access to until this week. That was back-breaking work. I settled down to watching some more football this afternoon but the game was rather boring. Tomorrow morning I am off to Liverpool again, this time to visit the dentist. I am going for a routine check-up but I know that I have one filling to replace when a small piece broke off whilst I was eating some granary bread. No doubt they will clean my teeth too.
Shirley Anne
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Posted by Shirley Anne on June 28, 2010
We are almost free of the scaffolding now but unfortunately one of the guys had an accident today and will not be back tomorrow. It seems that one of the scaffolding poles being handed down slipped and fell onto his head causing a very nasty gash on his temple. When they began erecting the scaffolding some weeks ago I asked why they were not wearing protective clothing and especially a helmet! They said at the time that it wasn’t necessary to which I replied that if the Health and Safety officers had been around they wouldn’t have been allowed to work without the safety gear. I even offered one of them the use of a helmet I have at home. I hate to be the one to say ‘I told you so’ but in this case I would have been vindicated regarding my original suggestion. I do hope the guy is alright but I fear he will have needed stitches. He is very fortunate indeed that he wasn’t killed by his actions. Hopefully they will learn sense and buy the appropriate safety equipment. The older guy said that he didn’t wear a helmet because the peak obscured his view!
As an aside it appears we are in for some rain this evening and indeed we have had a little this afternoon. It is most welcome because we need it!
Shirley Anne
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Posted by Shirley Anne on June 27, 2010
What a bunch of wallies! I had absolutely no confidence in the England football team and said as much after their first game. I gave up watching the match just after half-time because I was sick of looking at their incompetence. People may say to that remark that I should have supported them but I am under no obligation to do that even though they are our national side. I was prepared for disappointment and on that score they didn’t let me down! I was equally disgusted with the poor supervision of the game by the referees, especially after seeing a valid goal scored by one of our players being disallowed as not having been scored! It is a shame that at half-time the referee had ample time to look at the evidence and reverse his decision. However that isn’t allowed but I don’t know why it shouldn’t be. At the end of the day we, that is the team are out of the competition. The opposition deserved their win because they took the chances at every opportunity. I got back to the book I have been reading………
Shirley Anne
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Posted by Shirley Anne on June 26, 2010
As I get older, and remember, we all get older, I seem to be less interested in all sorts of things. In the past I’ve written about how I sometimes cannot be bothered doing anything. It’s as though the life is being squeezed right out of me. The irony is that I am enjoying my life now more than ever I did in the past. This has much to do with my belief in God. This morning after breakfast I sat in the rear lounge reading the Bible, specifically Revelations and what a revelation it is! Many people of course don’t believe but are still vociferous when it comes to Scripture and they speak as if they knew everything that is to be known about it. In actuality it is their own beliefs which get in the way of them finding the truth. They think the truth lies elsewhere. I digress. I enjoy reading Scripture for it is the Word of God. Later I spent some time playing guitar. I found a ring-binder filled with old Christian songs and went through each one to see if I could remember them enough to play as many of them only had the words and chords, no music. I succeeded. Again, it is a beautiful day, sunny and warm. A day to rest, well it is the Sabbath, a day to enjoy. There are many things I could be doing I suppose, going for a walk, sitting in the garden, going for a drive, visiting a place that I’ve never been to before but somehow all that seems pointless. I will ask E what she would like to do and maybe we will do it together. Life is for living but how one does that is debateable.
Shirley Anne
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Posted in Activity, Leisure, Lifestyle | Tagged: Activity, Life, Philosophy | 2 Comments »
Posted by Shirley Anne on June 25, 2010
The work done on the house that required scaffolding to be erected was completed thirteen days ago and despite asking for it to be dismantled a couple of times nobody came to do that until this afternoon! I wanted the scaffolding in the rear to be taken down only half-way so that the roof on which it was partially standing could be swept clean of debris. This they did for me and I was able to get up there and clean it off. I had thought that they would make a start on the rest of the scaffolding whilst I was doing that but in fact they left the site! The owner said that they might work on Saturday but if not it will be Monday. I am taking no bets on which day they will return.
It seems these days you cannot rely on people. We have been plagued, if that is the right word to use, by contractors turning up when they felt like it, making excuses for having to leave the site or simply not turning up when expected. I take pride in my work and the approach to it. If I make a promise to be there on a certain day and at an arranged time I make sure I am there. If for any reason I cannot keep the appointment or if I am going to be late for reasons beyond my control, I always telephone ahead and keep my customers informed. This has happened only a couple of times and is far from being the norm. Another thing I never do is take on more than one job at a time which seems to be what many trades-people do. I don’t make promises I cannot keep. Perhaps standards have dropped over the years but if that is so then it is regrettable.
Shirley Anne
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Posted by Shirley Anne on June 24, 2010
As I was leaving the house to set off to my job I was greeted by two painters this morning. My friends had both turned up to do more painting. They could stay only for the morning because they have reached that point whereby the scaffolding needs to be removed before they can do anything at the front of the house. The rear and part of the side of the house that can be painted have been done. The difference is amazing! I was kept very busy at the one address I went to until one o’clock and when I returned home the guys had left. I was feeling a little tired and after some lunch I dozed off for about twenty minutes whilst watching the start of the game between Italy and Slovakia. The sleep was brought on by hard work, hot weather and my lunch! My afternoon was spent simply watching the rest of the game. E had gone out to do her weekly shop and didn’t return until five-thirty. I have been watering the rear lawn each night for about a week but it seems that will have to stop if we have the hose pipe ban that has been applied for by the water company. Perhaps we should be praying for rain. I wonder why in this country that we seem to short of water when it gets warm for too long without raining. Why can’t they build more reservoirs or construct more lakes? We get enough rain when it does rain!
Shirley Anne
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Posted by Shirley Anne on June 23, 2010
The scaffolding firm were going to try to dismantle the scaffolding today but I know why they didn’t! Probably the England match got in the way! One of the painters turned up this morning and did quite a lot before he disappeared around two o’clock….LOL. I had one small job to do and another to assess later this morning. I did that and made a trip to the wholesaler to obtain some materials. After lunch I spent some time replacing the bib tap (a faucet to any US readers) for using a garden hose at the front of the house so that it matched the one in the rear garden. This means that we now have two taps each with their own adaptor whereas before we had to keep changing the one adaptor from one tap to the other! Sounds complicated but it is really simple. Then I watched the football too! Wimbledon has taken a back seat in my television sport watching because of the World Cup. I like tennis and usually spend some time watching the Wimbledon Championship each year. I don’t suppose I will get to watch much tv tomorrow, at least during most of the day because I shall be at work for a change!
Shirley Anne
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Posted by Shirley Anne on June 22, 2010
I mentioned yesterday that I was accompanying E on her trip to Liverpool for her tribunal. We decided to travel by train and arrived a little early for the appointment but as it turned out they were running a little late. This meant we had to wait even longer. Anyhow the tribunal went well and without going into great detail, E has been granted the financial support she had been previously denied. We didn’t want to return directly home so we had planned to take a cruise along the river Mersey. Before that though we stopped for lunch. After the cruise we went to a pub before returning home on the train. It has been another warm and sunny day, a pleasant day all round, especially as E was granted her allowance. Yesterday our youngest son came over to spend the night. He collected the things he had stored here, tent, sleeping bag, beer and other things for his trip to the Glastonbury Festival today. E and I had left the house before he arose and have only been in contact with him by phone. When we got home late in the afternoon he had already departed. I hope the weather stays fine for the festival. Tomorrow I am at work but we are expecting a start to be made in dismantling the scaffolding so that we can finish other works that need to be done.
Shirley Anne
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Posted by Shirley Anne on June 21, 2010
I had to visit the doctor this morning to talk about my recent blood tests and scan. It was discovered that I have a gall stone but the doctor stresses that it isn’t something to worry about unless I start to feel pain. It appears that her concerns for the condition of my liver were unfounded, which is good to know. I have a repeat blood test in a couple of months to ensure that the readings recently taken were not indicative of a problem. Anyhow after the doctor I went to do a couple of, as it turned out, very easy but quite remunerative jobs. Those done I returned home but because the weather has again been so fine, hot and sunny, I wasn’t in the mood to do much more in the way of work. However, later found me helping E do some pruning of a couple of bushes and a tree by which time it was lunch! After lunch we did some pottering about in the back garden and ended up doing quite a bit more pruning of dead wood on the plum trees. It’s funny how one thing leads to another but at the end of the day (I hate that remark, I don’t know why I use it) doing anything is a bonus. I like having something to do and it is for this reason I think I am going to find retirement difficult to handle unless I do have something to do.
Tomorrow is a day off work because I am going into Liverpool with E. She is having to face a tribunal regarding her claims for social services financial support for the injuries she sustained two and a half years ago which has left her somewhat incapacitated and incapable of occupational work. Something her doctor agrees with but something the authorities are reluctant to admit, yet that is! I do hope she will get the support she needs. I help as much as I am able. It is hard seeing someone you love slowly becoming more incapacitated as the years go by. I will always stand by her though and be there for her in the years to come. Then I really will have something to do won’t I?
Shirley Anne
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Posted by Shirley Anne on June 20, 2010
Yet another warm and sunny day and it’s far too nice to work but being as I am I needed to do something. After breakfast I decided to re-varnish the kitchen door that leads to the rear staircase into the back garden. It has been looking somewhat forlorn lately and was in need of some TLC. I had to wait for the sun to move a little so that it wasn’t shining directly onto the door. It didn’t take long to prepare and then apply the varnish. Varnish takes quite some time to dry, just like gloss paint does, so it’s always best to do it early in the day so that the door can be closed at night. The conditions have to be right too, not too hot and not too humid else the varnish finish will suffer. Being an outside door, that is the side which was getting varnished is on the outside, there can be problems with flying insects too. Somehow there is always one which gets itself stuck on the drying varnish and in these cases it’s best to let the varnish dry before attempting it’s removal. E busied herself hanging out some washing and then doing a little gardening. When we had a wall rebuilt recently it had another decorative wall on top of it with three decorative planters on top. These planters are about two foot long, a foot wide and about a foot deep (600 x 300 x 300mm). I cleared the area where they were to be placed after the walls had been demolished and today I arranged them against the wall mounted on stones to raise them off the floor. E had planted some beetroot and radishes in two of them so they were difficult to manoeuvre. The third was empty but I filled it ready for planting after I had positioned it alongside the others. It all sounds a lot but it took only an hour by which time it was lunch. I was watching some more football during my lunch as there is a tv in the dining room. I watched the end of the game and went outside to assist E again with her gardening who had by this time resumed working outside. I am now back indoors writing this (LOL) and about to watch some more football but I may get bored and play guitar or do some reading. It’s just to nice to work so maybe I will sit outside and have a beer or two! Yes, that sounds like a plan!
Shirley Anne
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Posted by Shirley Anne on June 19, 2010
I got up out of bed today rather late so I skipped breakfast and had lunch about two hours later at 12.30. E was going out at one o’clock to her monthly club meeting and wouldn’t be back until five. Our youngest son had stopped overnight and he slept in until almost midday. He went into town about six o’clock last night, that is, we took him because he was going to watch football on the large screen and have a few drinks. He came back home at five in the morning! After E had left both he and I watched another couple of games although he spent some time bathing and later going out to purchase a bag for his forthcoming week at the Glastonbury Music Festival starting Tuesday next. When E came home at five he left us and went back to his place. I haven’t done much today except a little reading of Scripture, playing guitar, preparing meals, feeding the lawn and generally relaxing. We got a fleeting visit from the eldest son and his wife early in the evening and nothing else has really happened. I suppose I could talk about many things but I guess I am just enjoying my day off so I won’t bother. Tomorrow I will be more active I am sure.
Shirley Anne
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Posted by Shirley Anne on June 18, 2010
I was a passenger in my son’s car today and as we drove along the road we saw a squirrel doing a kamikaze dash beneath the wheels of the car ahead of us. It appeared to do a roll before continuing its run at breakneck speed. I fear it got caught by one of the wheels and is perhaps now rummaging for nuts in Heaven. Such a shame. On the way back we nearly got hit by a bird which was flying low across our path. You might think that animals would be more cautious especially urban animals who, you might also think would be used to traffic. The problem here I think is one of familiarity. It is when we are accustomed to and familiar with things that we let our guard down. Result, an accident. They do say that most traffic accidents occur within a couple of miles of home. I am not sure whether that is true but it does expose a danger. The adage ‘more haste less speed’ would seem appropriate. Many of us I fancy, rush about as if we had but a minute to live. We ought to take things more slowly but peer pressure and the demands of modern living can push us too hard if we let them.
Shirley Anne
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Posted by Shirley Anne on June 17, 2010
Today was another warm and sunny one with not a cloud in the sky. I had every intention to mow the lawn today if I had no electrical work. Nothing was planned so I mowed the lawn. It takes about an hour to do but it was made slightly more awkward because the scaffolding has not yet been dismantled. Next, I helped E with some other gardening work by which time it was noon. I had received a phone call from my bank informing me that the cash I had arranged to withdraw was now available. This is the procedure when withdrawing large sums of money. E kindly drove me to the bank and we returned to have lunch. I didn’t feel like doing any more work around the gardens as I was a little tired, especially after yesterday. I took my guitar outside and spent an hour or so annoying the neighbours…..LOL. Actually our next door neighbour was chatting with us yesterday afternoon and asked why I hadn’t been playing my guitar outside as often because she enjoys the music. I didn’t think I was that good! I sat at the front of the house because E was going shopping with her mum and we were expecting a visitor. Had I sat in the back garden I would not have heard the doorbell. After I had worn down my fingers I went back indoors and discovered there was a message on my house phone. It was a call to do a small electrical job. Why the lady didn’t call me on my cellphone I’ve no idea. My expected visitor did not arrive and it was by now four o’clock so I knew he wouldn’t be coming. I went to do the job and then visited another to assess its requirements before returning home. When I arrived I saw E piling her shopping on the front doorstep complaining that she couldn’t get into the house. I asked if she had left her keys inside but she hadn’t. She wasn’t yet familiar with the new front door locking system. It was fortunate that I arrived back when I did as she had bought some frozen food! Before our evening meal we watered the gardens, that is we watered the rear garden and E did the front whilst I prepared the meal.
Tomorrow I am having some electrolysis to remove facial hair and afterwards, or even before, I am having my eyebrows done. I usually do them myself but occasionally I like to have them done professionally. I have nothing planned at work tomorrow so I may be doing something around the house instead.
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Posted by Shirley Anne on June 16, 2010
It has been a gloriously sunny day today so as I had no electrical work to do I decided to clear up the front garden/driveway with E. There were bags of builders rubble, garden waste, soil, huge tree logs, paving slabs, sandstone coping and lots of other things. It has taken most of the day to do and most of it was simply hard work. We started around nine in the morning and eventually got back indoors around six thirty. Apart from a short lunch break and later a short trip to a clinic to have a sample of my blood taken we have both continued almost non-stop. I don’t work this hard in my electrical job! We are waiting for the guy who is doing the garden work and other small building jobs to remove most of the rubbish which is mainly what he has produced over the last few weeks. The bricklayer came yesterday and topped the two pillars on the second gateway to match those of the existing sandstone pillars on the original gateway. He had to construct them using cement blocks and mortar. The four gate pillars are now almost identical. I have asked for the scaffolding to be removed but as yet nobody has responded. The scaffolding is now holding up progress on other work we are having done so I hope they will begin removing it soon.
Shirley Anne
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