Sunday 17th February 2013

In truth, there has been no bathroom update because we both feel a little bit let down by the guy doing the work. We had hoped that it would mostly be done by Friday and so our trips to Tony's for showers were at an end. However, when we came home from work on Thursday, the grouting had been done, and the skirting boards were glued in place, and that was it. And the real bad news was that with the flooring to be done on Friday he wasn't going to come back until Monday, which meant another weekend without the shower.



It was a massive disappointment, and we were both pretty crushed by it, not that four extra days makes a huge amount of difference, but to see it it so close to being down, and yet, so far. Oh well. Thing is, I won't see the completed room until Friday as I'm off to Denmark early tomorrow, which was why I wanted to have it done before the weekend.



so, Friday I worked from hoe so I could be here when the carpet, or flooring guys came round, as it was a soft covering rather than a carpet we were having put down. They arrived at ten and began bringing in hardboard to line the floor. And then came the banging. And more banging. And yet more banging. The the floor covering went up, much glueing occurred, then the flooring went down.



And they drank tea, banged some more then left. And it looks pretty much done, except for the shower frame. In the cold light cold day, we see that the walls need some more attention, and a few other areas, but we can do that next weekend. So, that's it.



Anyway, at least it was the weekend, and so when Jools came back from work, we had a coffee before she went off for her fitness class and I stayed behind to make sure the radio is listened to.



And so to Saturday: I was meeting a friend of flickr and Jools had a beading class. I say friend, Will was someone who had asked in one of the groups I'm a member of if there were places to visit in Kent.So I said if he was down Dover way, so he did call and we arranged to meet.



So, after doing a couple of shores in town; dropping off some stuff at a charity shop and buying some bird food, I went to the station to wait for Will to arrive. I did worry when the appointed time came and went, but he turned up half an hour later on the next train, and after a handshake we headed to the National Trust's place up on the cliffs to look at the ferries coming and going.



I thought Will might like a walk along a beach, so we drove to St Margaret's Bay, parked up and wandered around snapping away. It was a very low tide, with much more rock exposed than usual, which made for some dark shots.I liked them, anyway.



Next, the St Martin's Battery at the other end of Dover harbour, so he could see the old hoverport and the trains coming and going, before finally heading to Folkestone so we could snap the old Harbour Station. Despite being here countless times before, I love it here, as do many other photographers, and took a hundred or so shots at the decay and vandalism.



It was by then time to drop Will back at the station as he had to meet his partner back in Canterbury before heading back to Reading. So, back home for coffee and cake and to listen to the football on the radio, with Norwich not playing it was interesting to hear Arsenal being the victim of this round's giantkilling by Blackburn, so almost certainly another year goes by with the Gooners not winning a trophy; eight years and counting.....

And so to Sunday: some minor painting, glossing the skirting boards and windowsill, before doing a tip run and going to drop Mike's tools off at his house. And then back home for part two of the Dark Night marathon; we have borrowed to DVDs from Tony and are watching all three films over the weekend. Turns out neither of us had seen the first part, which explains why the second part made so little sense. Or the third for that matter....

Time now to pack for the week away and to cook steak and ale pie for dinner. See you all on Saturday....

Thursday 14th February 2013

Badger alert.

Warning* This blog entry contains badgers and references to badgers*

Yes, folks, badgers. Or rather badger. You see a few weeks ago you may recall that a fox had been seen eating the fat balls we had bought for the garden birds to eat. And so we have put one or two out and in a day or two, they vanish. So, we thought, the fox is coming round. And then last night, I was listening to the football on the radio, Jools was walking down the stairs and she pointed and said, badger!



And indeed, just outside our window a badger was sniffing at the low bird table, then trying to bite one of the three fat balls I had put out. He got his teeth into it and then ran off, apparently happy enough he had something to eat. During the night, I got up and happened to look at the window again, and there he was, back for more food. This time he stayed to eat, taking bot remaining fat balls, and sniffing out the mealworms and peanuts I had put out. Once he was happy there was no more food, he ran off.



In other news, the bathroom doesn’t seem to have moved on as much as I’d hoped. But the tiles are up and on Thursday the grouting should be done, and we hope the frame put up. The hope of having a shower in it before the weekend is still alive! Other than that, little else to report. We did visit Tony’s last night for showers and catch up on stuff in the old folks world. Before heading back home for a dinner of scotch eggs, crusty bread and a bottle of Cava. Nice one.

Wednesday 13th February 2013

On the way home from work on Tuesday night, I got a call on my mobile. As I was driving, I couldn’t answer it, but would once I got to where I was to pick up Jools from. As I went over the A2, I saw that there were Police blocking traffic from joining it, and had I noticed it, I would have seen it was empty of any traffic.

I called Jools to return her call; she said the buses were not on time and she was at the end of Coombe Valley Road. Oh, I’ll come and pick you up I said. And set off to head down past Archer’s Court. It was then I realised something was wrong. Traffic was solid right up to Tesco, I waited in line for a while before trying Whitfield Hill as I thought it might be easier. I had to queue 10 minutes at the roundabout and joined the long queue down the Hill. I called Jools to tell her to start walking up London Road and we would meet up.

In 20 minutes I got down Whitfield Hill and along London Road to near where we used to Live on Crabble Hill. Jools was walking up the hill to meet me, so I turned round and once she climbed in we headed off up the hill. Our plan was to head through the lanes near Church Whitield to Guston then up to St Margaret’s; simples.

We headed down a narrow twisty lane, passing the odd car coming the other way, until a train of cars appeared heading back towards Dover. The front car stopped and the driver told me a lorry had got stuck on one of the 90 degree bends and the road was blocked. We turned round and tried a plan B.

A lot of people had the same idea as us, and so we were having to stop in passing places to let cars come the other way, or they stopped to let us go by. But we made progress. Thankfully, most of the signposts were still in place and pointing the right direction, and in time we made our way into Martin and up the hill to the Deal Road. From there it was a simple case of joining the traffic, a left turn onto Station Road and home; but it had taken two and a half hours to get home and it was now dark.



Terry had done some more work upstairs, but most of what he could do was stopped as he had to glue the shower base in place and now wait for 24 hours for it to dry before it could be plumbed in and then do the tiling. But we have a working WC up there and a basin that leaks, but it is looking a bit like a bathroom again.

I quickly cooked some bacon and dinner was just bacon butties and a cuppa, but that seemed to be enough. At eight, I sat down to watch Celtic play in the Champions League; it seems ages since I watched a whole game. It was a good game, and Celtic played well, but were caught by three Juventus sucker punches to end the first leg 3-0 down and almost out. Oh well.

And that was our evening; lots of driving down icy lanes, just wide enough for one car to go down, getting into hedges to allow other cars to pass.

As each day passes a little more is done in the bathroom and it looks a bit more like a bathroom should.

Tuesday 12th February 2013

And so begins a new week.

Where were we? Oh yes, Sunday night. And verily the snow did fall outside and the cats looked out until they could keep it in no longer and they had to go out.



I guess, all in all, we only had two or three inches, which isn’t to be sniffed at, but it’s not even going to bring life to a standstill, not even in England. In fact by Monday morning, a thaw had already set in.

Jools took the car to work, and I worked from home as the plumber was due round to continue work on the bathroom. In short, the floor wasn’t level, and so cement had to be bought on which to place the board onto which the shower tray is going to have to be glued. Being winter, and being cold, even the ultra-quick drying cement didn’t want to set. So, after another day at work, the board was in place and level and the WC plumbed in, although the water wasn’t switched on as there seemed to be a leak.

In other news, I spoke with one of my Godparents as due to Christmas creeping up on us last year, we failed to send almost any Christmas cards at all. Which meant they didn’t get a card, and as we have not been up to Suffolk to see Mum just twice last year, neither time having time to pop in and see them. Anyway, that Alan was in his thirties when I was born and was Dad’s boss, his is now into his 80s and recovering from a brain embolism. As if that wasn’t enough, his wife, Heather, fell last summer and got a pain in her side. When they did test they found cancer in her spleen. She has just finished chemo, and sounds chipper enough. And on top of that, Heather lost her only son at the age of 46 to pancreatic cancer just as cancer was found in her. There are no words which anyone can say when hearing this, and it puts my ‘problems’ of mild allergy and a dodgy back in perspective.

We really should rejoice for every day we have on the face of this planet and the life that it gives each and every one of us. Be thankful for the wonderful people we meet, that enrich our lives in the hope that we enrich theirs. And, for the most part, our problems are not really problems, not really when compared to what some people have to and are dealing with.

Normal service will be resumed tomorrow.

Monday 11th February 2013

And on the seventh day, Jelltex and Mrs Jelltex did paint their bathroom. And yeah there was little rest to be had.

Yes, we woke up, had a coffee then headed into the bathroom to put a coat of paint on all the plastered walls. We watered it down a little as informed to by Mike, and it all went on well. Although, once dry the finish was patchy to say the least. Once done, we sat down to have breakfast and for me to watch the previous day’s MOTD. Imagine my surprise in catching the weather as broadcast before the footy that ‘substantial’ snow was expected in Kent for Sunday evening.



Just a shame, then, that we had arranged for Tony, Jen and Nan were coming round at five for dinner of roast duck. How bad could it be? I mean they get the weather wrong all the time.

So, football watched, we had lunch then went back upstairs for another coat of paint to be applied. Once finished it looked really streaky and very, very red. Too red? Maybe….



So, I cook the duck and all the veg, whilst outside the sleet tunrs to snow and it begins to settle. At five they did turn up, but although the meal was great, Tony had one eye on the weather and so it came as no surprise when they decided to head back home before seven. After washing up, Jools and I headed back upstairs to give the bathroom a final coat of the day, before slumping down on the sofa to watch some home improvement show. Makes sense.



Outside a blizzard, almost, raged outside and I guess we got two to three inches. The cats did not want to head outside for anything, so they just complained. Seems that cats don’t like it much either.

Saturday 9th February 2013

Saturday evening and as dusk creeps across east Kent, so do the dark rainclouds which are bringing the promised rain, sleet and maybe snow over the next 24 hours.

It has been a day of tasks and chores, all of it centreing on getting the bathroom up and working as soon as possible. First up was to put the first coat on the ceiling; a one person job, and Jools volunteered to do that, so I headed to Preston to the butchers to stock up on stuff for the freezer.



It was a glorious morning when i left, golden sunlight streaming over the land from the just-risen sun. There was little traffic about and i headed the way I normally go to work, and then turning inland at Sandwich and then onto the marshes at Nash.

Once there I chatted to mark about the horse meat thing in the news, and we were of one mind; people get what they pay for and getting a pound of burgers for a quid, is it surprising corners were being cut? I got steak, some beef skirt, some peppered minute steaks and lots of sausages that were on offer, and headed back home.



Tony came at half nine with his trailer, so we could load the old bits of bathroom and take them to the tip. All was going well until he pulled away and the trailer detached itself and missed every parked car before coming to rest on the pavement. We re-attached it, and then drove very carefully to the tip, dumped the bits and headed back for some wall action.



The one wall we did paint is now red. Very red, but should look better once we put the top coat on tomorrow. Mid-afternoon, we did another coat on the ceiling, and that was all we could really do today. So, tomorrow, two coats on three walls and one on the other. And fingers crossed that should be it....

Listened to the radio whilst trying not to fall asleep, and City once again failed to score, and slipped to another 0-0 draw this time with Fulham, but it means we have not won in nine games on a run stretching back to the middle of December.

Time now for a shower and so off to Tony's we go, towels in hand.

Friday 8th February 2013

And here we are rushing full tilt into the weekend at warp factor 9.9. Yay, weekend. It is always such a glorious thing to have the weekend ahead and the thought of nothing else other than lazing around snapping churches, pubs, birds and the suchlike.

Only this weekend is going to be a little different, as we have some painting to do. I say some, we have a whole bathroom to paint with at least two, if not three coats. But it really feels like, well, if we’re not on the final straight, we might be running round the bend and can see the final straight from here. In the last two days, the floorboards were put back down, the wastepipe for the new shower fitted, and yesterday, Mike came round and plastered covered over the damage where we removed the tiles from the shower and bath and the undersea scenes.



The plaster will take maybe three days to dry, and then we can paint and get the tiling done, and at that point it will begin to look like a bathroom again. The WC and basin can be fitted and once the tile grouting has set, the shower frame and door can be fitted and then it is just the flooring, which will be done next Friday, if all goes to plan, anyway.



So, apart from the bathroom not much has happened. We visited the in laws last night so we could have a shower. Such is the pain of not having a bathroom. And it was Tony’s 71st birthday so we stopped and had a chat before it was time to head back home and relax. We watched Dredd in 2D on TV, much better in twod to be honest, but a good film and a fine adaptation of the comic strip, and so much better than the Stalone version.

And then it was time to head to bed in order so we could get up at dawn so we could get to the office again. Oh well.

On last night’s Danny Baker show, they were talking about R&B records, which span from Robert Johnson through to soul, Stax, Mowtown and Atlantic to disco, hip hop and to everything inbetween. I had none of the 13 records mentioned on there either. So, more stuff including Stevie Wonder, Issac Hayes, Aretha et al to add to the list. Sigh. I have no time.

It all began a week or so ago, when packs of economy burgers were said to contain up to 25% (I think) horsemeat. The packs in question were of packs of eight 2oz burgers for £1 to £1.40. That’s a pound for a pound of ‘meat’. I say that as economy burgers don’t have to be 100% meat. It’s something like 65%, but even still if a pack say ‘beefburgers’ then one has the legal expectation for said burgers to contain beef.

During the last week, some Helal meat was said to contain ‘traces’ of pork, which whilst does not create health problems I would think brings into doubt how assured meat deliveries can be.

Then last night it was announced that Findus Lasagne contained up to 100% horse meat. At least it wasn’t more than 100%.

Now none of this is good, although as far as we can tell none of these, and others, caused any health risks.

It does bring into question as to what consumers really want from their shopping baskets; quality or value? When it is possible to buy a prepared fresh chicken for three quid, or you can buy and adult’s pair of jeans for under a fiver. Now you can’t buy the material for a pair of jeans for less than a fiver, but Tesco (other supermarkets are available) can get them made, sent round the world, put on hangers and sold to us for just a fiver. Clearly, someone, somewhere is not getting paid what we might call a living wage. How can a chicken, a 3 pound chicken cost just £3, they hatch the eggs, grow the chicks into chickens, slaughter, eviscerate, chill, distribute and sell them all for three of your English pounds. Now, I have worked in a chicken factory and can tell you why it costs so little for a chicken. Killing two or three birds a second means an economy of scale, or sometimes they just feed the birds the ground up remains of their parents as food. I mean, what could possibly go wrong with that?

We don’t actually buy meat from supermarkets any more, as the quality of the meat itself wasn’t very good. Tough and very thin steaks, poorly butchered cuts and just not very nice. We don’t eat as much meat as we used to, but when we do, we go to our local country butcher. From next week I will be buying our fruit and vegetables from a farm shop on the way home rather than give Tesco more of our money. I can’t gripe about them whilst still using them, can I?

If you pay bottom dollar prices you will get bottom dollar quality. It can be no surprise that horsemeat, or other meats are entering the British foodchain can it? If you’re paying a pound for a pound of meat, then someone, somewhere is either working for less than minimum wage or cutting corners is it? And for Findus not wanting to give interviews on the radio this morning; surely they owe their customers and explanation and an apology at least, no?

In the next week, all products containing processed meat is to be tested for DNA from other animal species. One wonders what they will find. The only way you can be certain about what goes into your food is to make the food yourselves; making chilli or curry is so easy. Even a pie isn’t beyond most of us. And homemade lasagne; you could do that too.

For the record, I have eaten horsemeat on a few occasions, and it hasn’t done me any harm. Most of Europe eat it in some form or another, so it is only our sensibilities that are shocked by the fact that it’s there in our food. That the manufacturers have mislabelled the packs as contain beef and nothing but beef is going to be a legal matter which is going to make lawyers even richer, I’m sure.

If we actually stopped and thought why food is so cheap now, and how that can be, then maybe we will see the value of food and only buy what we will eat, not because it’s on a BOGOF offer that caught our eye.

Think before you buy before you eat. And then you will eat less and healthier.