What I did today was firstly to make the framework for the top of the doorframe into the cupboard and then to make the door (which you can’t see in this image).
And after that. I roofed the cupboard (and that wasn’t as easy as it might have been either).
Next job was to finish the rear half of the ceiling. This involved trimming lengthways quite a few pieces of T&G but I’ve sussed how to do this now. You may remember me talking about standards (battens of wood 25mm x 25mm cut to a specific length), and how I have a 600mm standard (as a gauge for sheets of insulation) and a 1195mm standard as a gauge for sheets of plasterboard). I now have a 2000mm standard (2000mm being the length of a piece of t&g) and I’ve knocked a row of nails into it that protrude about 3mm out the other side. My circular saw has a bed of 50mm so the cut is 25mm inside the edge of the bed (if you see what I mean). So when I’m measuring up the width of a piece of t&g that I need to cut, I overstimate the measurement by 25mm, press the standard into the wood at the overestimated widths so that the protruding nails hold it to the piece of t&g, and then run the bed of the circular saw along the piece of t&g while being guided up against the standard.
Works every time!
So after much vicissitudes and a major rerouting of the wiring, I finished the rear half of the ceiling.
After lunch I set about doing the front half of the ceiling, but I never got anywhere. The phone went non-stop – firstly Bill wanting to borrow the towing dolly (I have to run that round to him tomorrow morning so that’s put paid to the early start), and then someone wanting to talk to me about fitting some solar panels to a new house in Montlucon (I have to go and look at the job on Monday afternoon so that’s that put paid to any work on Monday afternoon but I’m not complaining) and I can’t remember what the other call was.
After that, I had a visitor. Someone is rebuilding a house and wants to have solar panels on it so he talked to someone who talked to someone else etc etc and eventually my name crept into the frame. So he came round for a chat.
He was here for ages and it was dark by the time he went so that was the entire afternoon spoken for. But again, I can’t complain. I could do with earning some money.
And tonight, I finally succumbed and I had the heater on. The temperature outside has dropped to 2.5 degrees and winter draws on. After all, you know what happened to the three brass monkeys.
The three brass monkeys were see no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil. The brass monkey whose doorknobs fell off was a different monkey completely – different kind of brass.
Now you have the ceiling finished there’s the decorating and then you’ll be all set to move in 😀
Next thing – you need to dig out a celler in the garden so that you can imprison people – or is that just a Belgian thing?
They were the three WISE monkeys LOL.
And not much longer till I move in.
As for the cellar – that’s already planned and I’m already preparing a list of likely candidates. But I won’t be putting Turdi de Hatred and Lee Potty-mouth in there. If they get together and produce offspring then we’ll all be buggered.
If those two breed, I’d be amazed. I’d imagine they’d kill each other first. Mind, if they did breed then we’d have the makings of a fine disruptive army to parachute in behind Afghan/Iraqi/Iranian lines.
I was just traumatized by the mental image of you in a frilly nightie 😉 Anyway, thanks for the photo, it’s looking really good up there now. So, what comes next; Decorating, bathroom or stairs?
What’s wrong with Eric in a frilly black satin nightie with flowers embroidered on it? That footballer – Beckett or whatever his name is – wears them all the time as do certain cabinet minsters.
Decorating is next but there are still a few odds and ends to do first. Like installing the woodstove and fitting the door.
And then I’m having 2 weeks off for a rest!
After that, it’s the stairs and then the kitchen. I’m currently living in what will be the kitchen so once I move upstairs this room will be nice and empty.
Bathroom is for the spring. It needs some technical work that is beyond my immediate capabilities so Dave “Mr Blobby” Bousfield who comments on here occasionally and who has a place about 50 miles away – he’s a plumber and next spring when he’s over he’s going to teach me everything I’ll need to know.
Plumbing is easy in the country – open a window and do the bizz. Need water – bucket and a well.
Oh god! I need counselling now! 🙂
Plumbing isn’t so bad. At least you can’t kill yourself with it. Unless you get too close to the electrics that is. At least your work list is getting shorter isn’t it. You’ll have earned a vacation by the time you’ve got that far.
Heck – it’s what I used to do when I lived in Latvia – just like the locals. It’s the same in the rougher areas of all countries.