What are you doing today (Number 2)

[LovelyLadyLux]

!!!CONGRATULATIONS RS!!!



:bar1: :bar1: :bar1:

[Ruby Slippers]

Many Thanks, LLL! I'm now wondering where all those years went!

[Horus]

Happy Birthday Ruby Slippers

[Kiya]

Happy 51st Anniversary

[Mad Dilys]

Congratulations, no wonder your DH said you might be too busy for a chat over the weekend.

CONGRATULATIONS!:

[Horus]

Am I the only one who thought it was your birthday?
Anyway, Congrats on your Anniversary

[Ruby Slippers]

Thanks all! . 51st birthday, Horus? I wish!

[Grandad]

Adding my Congratulations as well RS It is becoming more and more of a rarity for couples to go the distance. No real commitment these youngsters of today. We get to 59 this year, too late to change

Hope you had an enjoyable day.

[Horus]

I agree with you Grandad, last month it would have been 49 years for myself and Mrs H, she still gets the big bouquet of flowers though

[Grandad]

I was thinking about you and Anne H when I made my post to RS......

[LovelyLadyLux]

What kind of flowers are you bringing Mrs H? Is there a particular type she likes?

As for me I just finished crossing the Straits en route to the USA on a FULL Ferry and even got relegated to the truck level even though I got there an hour and 15 minutes early. THEN I had to wait close to an hour to cross the Border. No long line up they were just going over everybody with a fine tooth comb forever although when I got up to the Guard all they asked me is where was I going and how long was I staying and waved me through. Now I'm stopped at a B n B for the night and will continue on tomorrow. FIVE hours just to get this far so opted to just not bother to go any more tonight.

[Horus]

Yes Grandad later this month it will have been 3 years, my how time has flown and I could not imagine back then what a life without her would be like. The one bright star was getting little Annie, she diverted my mind and distracted me when times were bad. She will be 3 in another 10 days, again how time flies.

As for the flowers LLL, I always buy her a big bouquet on her Birthday, Anniversary, Mothers Day & Christmas, although each week or maybe every other week depending on how long lasting they are, I usually buy a normal bunch of flowers to put in the bay window next to her photos. She loved all sorts of flowers, so whatever I chose she would like my only criteria is that they are bright colours as she was always very bright and cheery herself. I usually get something with Chrysanthemums as they are colourful and stay fresh for longer.

Your trip seems to be a nightmare journey and you seem to do it quite often, you must cover some miles with your commuting.

[Horus]

Back home after a nice walk, saw the Black Swan again on the lake and had a chat with a local volunteer doing some work. On the way back I decided to call in at a local Computer supply company and price up a complete list of stuff to build up a new PC. It did not work out too bad so I bit the bullet and ordered everything up from them, then after chatting with the guy in store he said they would build it for me, test everything up and if I brought my Win 7 disk in to them they would also install the operating system and check everything out for an additional £40. Although I could do all of that myself it was a no brainer as I would have no guarantees doing it myself, plus if any item was faulty I would be messing about for hours trying to suss it out, whereas they have all the test equipment plus more stock to replace things with should that happen. They said it could be ready tomorrow, but I will wait until Wednesday and combine it with another walk for Annie around the nearby lake. That way I can drop the Win 7 disk in to them and kill an hour on a walk before collecting the finished PC on my way home again.

[Mad Dilys]

Well I had a stern talk to the young electrician who should be coming with two other chaps tomorrow and doing the bits and pieces.

I don't know who they are, I was told they had website which is dreadful - I told them to take it down without delay and put up an under construction sign. It was so bad that I looked to see who had constructed it and followed the clues...... it's a local woman who gave other examples and said that she has been construction sites for small businesses for ten years or so. Not good, definitely not good.

Anyway on the web site the main title shows the name with limited after - I checked and there 6 other limited businesses of the same name, but not the one I was looking for.

I asked how much his insurance was, and he said oh yes of course we have insurance - but anyway if anything goes wrong then it's our fault and we are responsible. Oh dear! I pointed out that without adequate cover, God forbid he could lose his house his business and be in debt.
Anyway, it turns out they have never done a job like capping off our chimneys, were shocked at how much scaffolding costs and certainly don't have insurance for that job- but can get it for £100 a day! I told him to forget the chimney, and the underfloor insulation at this time. They had also quoted for two rooms instead of one.

So I want to see a revised estimate, broken down as to costs and a certificate of insurance plus plus proof of electrical qualification, or it's bye bye. Sounds harsh, but what would you do?

I have also attacked the old Dyson cleaner that has lurked in the cupboard for years and it's finally working a treat - very noisy but effective - so now I have one machine upstairs and one downstairs. I found it quite perilous tottering up and down these very steep stairs and carrying a machine.

[Grandad]

MD, I agree entirely with your attitude towards your trades people. Certainly sparks, gas, and plumbers should have some insurance and, as appropriate membership of a trade association or registration as with Gas Installers. Even chippies doing work in the house can put a screw through a water pipe or electric cable. And I find that those who tick all the boxes invariably give a more competitive quote than the cowboys.

Have not done much today. One of my power tools needed attention so I stripped and repaired that. Did a bit of cleaning and tidying in my workshop and throwing out some stuff that I know full well I will be looking for in the coming weeks although it was stuff that had been sitting there for years.

Must try to get out somewhere tomorrow, cabin fever is creeping in

[Horus]

I agree about the tradesmen cheap is not always the best and jobs like chimneys are not for amateurs. Even more so if say the property has a shared chimney as there is a divider down the middle which if damaged can cause untold problems. In addition there may be a gas fire that has an internal flue liner up the inside, at the very least the chimney should be smoke bombed after to check for integrity after the repair. Also proper scaffolding and 'cat' ladders should be used to avoid tile breakage while they are working, plus all gutters should be cleaned out afterwards to remove any mortar spillage or brick pieces that may have spilled down the roof. Public liability insurance for several million pounds is nothing special nowadays and something that they should have before you let them proceed.

[Mad Dilys]

I've lost count of the number of texts that I've sent and received today. Absolutely I'm against them capping the chimneys. Bit of pointing and new lights OK. I'm concerned about putting in extra plugs too - I think I'll ease myself out of this situation.

[Jayway]

MD, you are a LADY ? Well, ladies change their minds, its our perogative (cant spell) so get rid of them.

[Mad Dilys]

Hahahaha! Not sure about the Lady bit Jay, a Woman anyway.

Actually I hadn't made up my mind - it was dependent on being satisfied with their credentials. Old business habits die hard. Though I must admit I am very nice to people at the beginning of a relationship, the iron hand comes into play only if they cross me, then there's no prisoners.

I have had a lovely relaxed day, pottering about - lovely sunshine lifts my spirits so. I have to see my GP tomorrow, waited a month for the appointment, but hope it will be worth it.

Tickets to Ibiza from Bristol are £15 this month, but with Ryanair. My daughter had such a horrendous time when she came over last month, that I would have been in dire straights if I was with her. They had a four hour wait in the terminal followed by a three hour wait on the tarmac and then of course two and a half hour flight. No apology and no food or drink by the way. I start to have back problems after two hours sitting!

[Jayway]

Ryanair and Monarch, equally awful. This afternoon I podded a bucket of delicious peas (ate a lot) and swapped watercress ( to make green soup tomorrow) and tomato plants from my neighbour, for my big sweet oranges. And the daily wander collecting wood, do like my fire.