Plans for the Year

A belated happy New Year to you all! I've just about got over my operation and my brother is doing very well with his new kidney. The convalescence has been a good excuse for a couple of months but now I've got to focus on the house again.  Even so, I've not posted here for a few weeks as there was really nothing to say; the weather has generally been so bad that I have been avoiding the idea of going out in the garden - it's just cold, wet and muddy.

However, I know from past experience that to make progress on a large job like a house, you have to "eat an elephant" - i.e. do a little bit at a time, but just keep on doing it. So I need a plan and a set of targets; I'm hoping that by writing them down here they will cause me to actually do them, whereas a written list at home is easily lost (and I do lose things easily anyway!).  Also, a written list can be a bit depressing (especially if you put in too much detail) as it just looks insurmountable and has the opposite effect to what is intended.

So, here's my realistic list for what I want to do on this house and garden this year:

a.  Finish the small brick wall and the barbecue stand at the back of the garden
b.  Get some more limestone and finish the wall down the side of the house/lawn
c.  Get some more limestone and do the other end of that wall, where I want to make a ramp up to the lawn with a retaining wallin front of the shed.
d.  Finish decorating indoors (includes lime plaster repairs)
e.  Plaster the walls of the wardrobe
f.   Fit the bath panel properly
g.  Refurbish at least one of the sash windows
h.  Construct an 8' x 12' shed in the side garden
i.   Construct a store (for camping equipment and rarely used tools etc) round the back
j.   Repaint various bits outside where the black paint is peeling off (why?)

Now, I've been pretty brief on the detail and left out completely a lot of small jobs but even so it slightly depresses me.  However, the next stage is to decide the priorities and hence what to do in each month (trying to pretend that the weather will be great). I've also omitted a promise to my oldest brother to go and help him do a job on his equally old house for a few days.

The main priority is the shed as that will give me a home for all my tools and also allow me to do dirty jobs (like sanding a door) when it's wet. In fact the first job then is to do the retaining wall as the lawn and shed are higher than the ground around the house.  Of course, the shed is an outside job so all I can do on that right now is to plan and wait for some decent weather. So the next jobs to be tackled are the internal ones like the re-decorating - somehow I find I have difficulty in mustering any enthusiasm for that but I know that once I start it won't seem so bad.

All this makes me realise just how much work I got done in Nov 2010 - June 2011, how well I did the project management and how committed I must have been then: I think I worked 9 or 10 hour days, six days out of seven in most weeks, initially in very cold weather (remember that snow?) and then it brightened up in the Spring. Looking back I am impressed with my own performance but I doubt that I could do it again.

Wind and Rain - Wet or Dry?

I wrote recently about how this house is now warm and dry (see this post), and the recent weather has reinforced that view.  The wind and rain have been causing issues both to the Grade I listed church opposite, and to the 12 year old house of a friend who had water ingress affecting her electrics and security alarm. In both cases I went to investigate and the cause was the same - the driving wind from the south-west forcing water into cracks in the wall and gaps along flashing.

On the church there were small leaks at various places along the south arches where the nave meets the south aisle. As a result I had to go on the south aisle roof (on Christmas Eve!) to investigate and found that the flashing was pointed with cement which had come away from the limestone above, leaving a 2-3mm gap.  Since it was cement already I overcame my inbuilt resistance and used some fairly wet cement mortar to fill in this gap; however, it is a good illustration of why you shouldn't use cement on a limestone building - the cement is rigid and so will crack when the lead expands in the heat, whereas lime mortar is much more tolerant. At some time we will get all this cement out and have the job done properly with lime, but of course I couldn't do such a repair in this cold and wet weather.

The friend's house was perhaps more surprising: the water ingress was where the low front porch joined the front wall of the 2-storey house and at a quick glance from the ground it all looked OK. However, closer investigation using a ladder revealed cracks in the pointing of the front wall of the house, and some very poor pointing using mastic on the lead flashing at the join. In fact, there was what looked like the proper exterior mastic but also some clear mastic which really looked like internal stuff which someone had applied when a similar event had occurred before our friend bought it; of course, the newer stuff was no longer stuck to the older stuff so my recommendation was to get someone to sort the mastic properly and, perhaps, fill the pointing cracks at the same time. Of course, I am still officially convalescing so I didn't want to volunteer myself, even though I do have the necessary tools.

On the plus side, our own house has stoutly resisted the weather and has only ever had water ingress at one point - a southerly wind can force rain onto and under the front door despite a decent weatherboard and some cunning work by me on the doorstep. We use a bit of newspaper to mop it up and otherwise ignore it! As I look out now on New Year's Eve and see the rain still falling, at least I can feel content with this house being warm and dry - now I must go and check the church...

Doesn't Time Fly?

Yesterday was my grandson's third birthday; he was born the day after all that snow fell in Dec 2010.  I can remember so clearly that I was busy the whole day doing the laths on the back bedroom ceilings  - it was freezing cold in the house - while the snow fell and fell until it was 8 or 10 inches deep. I wrote this entry a few days later, but here's another photo from that time:

That one was taken in the back garden of the dreadfully cold and badly designed rented house that we had at the time. That house (built in 1999) just never got warm, even in July, and a modern house surely should not allow the internal hot water pipes to freeze between the boiler and the bathroom! This house of ours, however, did warm up when the walls had dried out after all the sources of dampness had been tackled; the old thick walls are now a heat reservoir which helps the house to be warmer than outside in winter and cooler than outside in summer. Old methods are more effective than badly done new ones!

Anyway, back to my grandson. I did not realise how much fun a grandchild would be, especially now that he has reached the stage of learning things and asking questions. Every time we see him he comes out with some new bit of learning, like switching on the room lights. Of course, I am fairly pleased that he wasn't our own child when we heard about him being unwell last weekend! However, he was better yesterday and really enjoying opening his presents, blowing candles out and eating chocolate cake. Oh to be young again.

Don't You Just Love Amazon?

Apologies for the off topic post!

I no longer buy things from Amazon; I have never bought much but over time I have come to really dislike everything that they stand for – basically maximising profit regardless of the effect on individuals, companies or countries.

The booksellers’ started it. They are the ones who not only let the embryo Amazon get a foot in the door, but they didn’t realize that this was the thin end of the wedge which was actually very thick. They must have thought that having a contract with a small new on-line company would just help them sell more books, and didn’t seem to appreciate either the potential scale of Amazon’s ambitions or the effect of the contracts that they signed. It obviously never occurred to them that Amazon would be able to use the generous discount which the retailers gave to undercut them to the extent that Amazon would then achieve a huge market share. This then allowed Amazon to control the market to the extent that the retailers would then not be able to do without Amazon! Very clever stuff from Amazon, and you have to hand it to them that as a business plan it succeeded fantastically well.

From selling books successfully, someone at Amazon realized that the same infrastructure could be used to sell anything non-perishable. (In fact, of course, they try to pretend that you actually can buy absolutely anything; you must have noticed that silly thing that appears on a Google search for, say, “Barack Obama” which says “Buy Barack Obama at Amazon”?) That decision, plus a good amount of investment, has made Amazon into the leading on-line retailer and a real force to be reckoned with. As the holder of an MBA, I cannot help but admire their success; I bet that there are now case studies which teach these new ethics to the current MBA students all across then country.

However, there are several separate reasons for my aversion: firstly, their business model seems intent on driving everyone else out of business. They started with bookshops and are now aiming at many other high street shops. Such market dominance has probably often been the aim of many companies, but I doubt that many, if any, have succeeded to the same extent. Frankly you have to wonder where it will end – do they want to control the whole world? Shades of the Inner Party in Oceania out of Orwell’s “1984”?

Secondly, as is well known, Amazon doesn’t pay much (if any) UK corporation tax. They do this legally as it is the avoidance of tax by legal means as opposed to illegally evading tax, and I'm amazed that this is still possible as international conglomerates have been around for ages.  However, I really hope that before long there will be some provision for forcing Amazon and other companies such as Starbucks and Google to pay tax on profit earned as a result of UK operations. The only benefit that this country derives from such companies is that they provide employment for people in this country, but that brings me on to my third point:

The employment practices of Amazon are nothing better than third-world sweat-shop exploitation. The recent Panorama programme (see this link to the BBC iPlayer) reveals the methods behind their efficient and prompt despatch of your item ordered so easily on your PC. In it, the undercover reporter reveals how he spent every shift picking your orders from the shelves in a vast warehouse, with a computer telling him how many seconds he has for each one before he is judged to be going too slowly.  The pressure is relentless and experts are produced to pronounce how harmful this is to one’s health. Is this really the type of employment that this country deserves?

 I cannot now bring myself to order anything at all from Amazon.

Warm and Dry, or Damp and Cold?

I'm still officially convalescing but I feel a bit of a fraud, as I am actually healing very well and I feel very well. I'm very limited in what I am allowed to do around the house: I'm not allowed to lift things, or go up ladders, or do anything that really classes as "work".  However, I am being obedient and not risking anything, probably until Christmas. The only thing that I don't like to do too much is bending down, as that puts pressure on the wound across my abdomen; this doesn't hurt at all but it just feels like a bad idea!

I went outside the back of the house today for the first time in ages, where it really is cold and damp. I was surprised to see that my new grey limestone slabs all have a green tinge. I presume that this discoloration will last until next Spring, when I would hope that the slabs will dry out as the temperature rises and, like the walls of the house, the green will just disappear.  There is no way that I want to take a pressure hose to these slabs every year!

The conditions outside were a forceful reminder about the way to treat an old building; we are dry and quite warm inside, and this was achieved by using no cement, no damp proof course and no modern plaster in the restoration of the house (although of course the extension was built entirely in the modern way). I've only lit the front room fire once, and the woodburner not at all, as I am still waiting for it to turn cold! After all, I don't want to waste firewood. The secondary glazing helps enormously, and keeping draughts down by closing internal doors helps as well although of course the paradox is that good ventilation is essential. The first rule is that if you are not wearing a jumper then you can't complain about the cold inside the house, and the second rule is that if you turn the thermostat up then you can't complain about the size of the gas bill!

The Best Thing I've Ever Done

Well, the afore-mentioned kidney transplant operation has come and gone; everything was remarkably successful.  The removal was virtually painless for me, and my brother is now a "new man". I do not think that we really knew how ill he was, but we do now as we see a much fitter version, literally "in the pink" and no longer feeling tired all the time. All the stats are going in the right direction and so he just has to re-adjust to a life of balancing anti-rejection drugs with the risk of infection (as the drugs inhibit the immune system).

If you are interested in the idea of living kidney donation, please see the whole story of my donation at http://diaryofakidneydonor.blogspot.co.uk/. It's quite surprising - I'm a reserved logical person but this experience has really found the emotion in me (especially the entry on Oct 21st).

Please become an organ donor - see http://www.organdonation.nhs.uk/ - and make sure that your next of kin know that this is what you want.  Apparently a surprisingly high number of donor card holders do not donate anything when they die because their relatives still have a veto.  At least I can be sure that my next of kin know how I think!

I now have a good excuse to catch up on gentle activities like walking, writing and reading as, even though I feel great, I am banned from doing anything more serious than lifting a glass or mug for a fair while.

The Year's Work Draws to a Close

My impending operation (see http://diaryofakidneydonor.blogspot.co.uk/) is now only a week away so the end of the year's work is close for me.  I will be in no position to be able to do anything at all strenuous or difficult for some time, almost certainly into 2014. That will of course mean that any lifting is out but even bending down might be too much for me for a while. These last few days have been concentrated therefore on doing various odd bits which either really must be done now (or wait for another year) or else are things which have a benefit exceeding the time and effort required (i.e. they please 'Er Indoors).

One important thing was to put an insert into the chimney pot for the fire in the third bedroom.  We have twice had an idiot wood pigeon fall down this, presumably by falling asleep and overbalancing (and probably not the same bird).  The first time was before I fitted the secondary glazing; it got into the bedroom and I was able to open the window and shoo it out.  The second time was this summer and I had fortunately removed the secondary glazing for ventilation; this time it was sat just up in the chimney refusing to budge, so I had to open the window, reach up with a gloved hand, grab and then quickly throw whatever I had grabbed out of the window.  It flew off leaving a trail of feathers, but it was not impressed at this treatment!

The difficulty in stopping pigeons falling down was that (a) I didn't want to block off the chimney as it needs to be ventilated, (b) the top of the chimney is about 9 feet above the gutters so it is VERY high and (c) the chimney is rectangular and no-one seems to sell a rectangular vented clay hat.  I therefore made my own device but it looks so odd that I'm embarrassed to add a photo of it. To fit it I borrowed a ladder which reached the fascia and used a long pole with a hook on the end and managed to lower the device into place without falling off the ladder.  Thinking about that now, perhaps I shouldn't have taken that risk as any injury would have scuppered the operation next week.

Secondly, I've had to cut the grass which was only laid a couple of weeks ago.  I thought that this would not be needed again before winter but it was almost 10cm high, so I've done a high trim. It looks as though it has been down for years.

Thirdly, I've been doing various bits in the lounge, such as tackling the plaster which was damaged during fitment of the window (the one fitted in June 2011...).  I've also sorted the wooden poles which form the corners of the plaster on the chimney breast and the window bay.  These had been papered over years ago but have now been scraped clean and given a coat of wood hardener which has brought them up nicely.  Finally, I removed the door and cut a half inch off the bottom so that we can lay carpet somewhen; while it was off I decided to remove the brown gunk (it's not paint or varnish) on the inside, ready for painting somewhen. When all the dirty work is done we can seriously plan to buy a carpet, which will please the other half a lot!

The final job was outside again: the ivy in one apple tree had been ignored as it gave privacy and security (as well as cover for birds).  I realised that it was very high so I decided to remove a lot of this to allow the tree to breathe again and possibly grow better next spring. It's a once a year job for the autumn only so it was now or leave it for another year.  Now I have to dispose of the foliage!

The Back Garden takes shape

This post could just as easily be entitled "The Beginning of the End for the Builder's Yard", which is what my side and back garden has been for the last two years since we moved in.  At last I have made some significant progress to making it look right; I previously reported the completion of the paving here - that was a bit premature as actually there were five left to do, which I wanted to do at the same time as the little back wall. 

As I've said before, this wall is just four courses high but fills several important functions: firstly it provides a good edge for the limestone paving laid on sand; secondly it retains a foot of earth at the base of the stone wall where we had lowered the ground level (this was essential for drainage but I was worried about whether we had gone down too far and that the foundation of the wall might erode); thirdly, it's a home for a good amount of spare earth which I had acquired whilst laying the flagstones and finally, it looks good!

At the far end you can see the foundation for the brick barbeque which I hope to do soon.  The last five flagstones are the ones at the top, beside the wall and the barbeque.

The other major task just completed is that yesterday we collected 20 sq m of turf, which I have laid today. 

This is what now permits me to say that it is now more of a garden than a builder's yard (although you can still see a pallet, my mixer and various plastic tubs in the above photo! Here's a photo of the lawn, (left) with the steps and the unfinished stone wall beside the house (which is just out of picture on the right), and you can just see a bit of the low brick wall which runs across the back of the house (on the extreme right).

Top tip for turfing: buy good turf! It should be consistently thin but strong; if not it's a nightmare (I learned that a long time ago; these were great).

I think you will agree that it's a large change from what we bought almost three years ago:

I reckon the above photo is taken from almost exactly the same place as the one of the lawn above it; the ivy covered apple tree is in the middle at the top of the lawn photo (I just pointed the camera down at the lawn a bit more). In fact this overgrown photo was taken in March 2011 after five months work - the "as purchased" condition was so bad that you couldn't even walk there due to the vegetation.

Feeling Worn Out

I've done almost half of the one foot high brick wall which edges the paving at the end of the garden.  It will be about 13 feet long and have a brick built barbeque stand at one end.  The foundation is concrete, and the reclaimed Imperial bricks are laid with lime mortar which matches the house.  This wall gives a solid edge for the paving laid on sand, and also resolves a worry I had about whether we had taken the ground down too far beside the 6ft stone wall; it will raise the ground level at the base of the wall thus preventing erosion, and also I can dispose of a good quantity of excavated earth behind it. 

I spent yesterday working at my normal speed, until about 3pm.  I had done two major e-mails on church business which, with a phone call as well, had taken most of the morning, and then I got on with the foundations for the second half of the wall. This was hard work as yesterday was very hot, and I was digging through a layer which contains animal bone (no human has teeth that size!) and a good amount of local brash.  This stuff is annoying as you have a few bits of stone as large as your hand hidden in good earth, and if partly hidden they still have to be removed. Suddenly I realised that actually I was very tired, and that I wasn't going to finish digging the hole and mix a load of concrete in what was left of the afternoon.  So I stopped and at that same moment decided that I would do nothing at all today as well - just have a day off. 

I've had a bit of a poor throat recently, but last night I slept pretty well. I had to get up at 6.30 to take t'other half to the station, and when I came back I went back to bed with another cup of tea.  Next thing I knew it was 10.00am! I went to the shops for a few essentials and a haircut, and only then realised that I had not had any breakfast.  After lunch I found myself watching the Formula 1 practice on TV, and an old film with Telly Savalas.  I certainly feel rested and much better today; perhaps this is what retirement is meant to be like?

Yes, there are still lots of things I could do around the house and garden, and I know I have to finish doing things by October 16th (operation day) but I am determined not to let these jobs put such pressure on me in the future.

Doing Things Again - Part 2

I have mentioned before about my dislike of having to do some things again - see this entry from June.  One of those items was the framed, ledged and braced internal door bought from b****y W****s which was fitted in the new extension as the toilet door almost two years ago.  The problem is that it no longer fits in the door frame, even with force; the vertical hinge edge (a bit of planed 4 x 2) has twisted, so that it went one way at the top and the opposite way at the bottom compared to the vertical boards.

Well, I've finally got round to doing something about it by complaining to the retailer whose customer serices firstly tried the excuse that it was "too long ago": no, it's not, as the door is not "fit for purpose" (Sale of Goods Act).  Then it was "you'll need the receipt", hoping that I didn't have it - WRONG (it took me one minute to find it in my file)!  Then they seemed to hope that they could bore me into submission by disagreeing within the company about who should look after my complaint.  When that didn't work (it is the branch's responsibility, btw), the chap in the branch lost my details on his desk (!), so I had to remind him.  Then they asked me to send photos so that they could pass them on to their supplier, which I did the same day, despite the problems of taking photos to show the twist in a fitted door in a small space.  Finally, having had no answer a couple of weeks later, I sent an e-mail to the chap in the branch, reminding him that under the Sale of Goods Act, my contract is with his employer, not with the manufacturer.  At last, he caved in and offered me a refund, if I would "like to bring the door back, and the receipt", which I did by 10am the next morning. It was good to be able to show him the defect, as then even he had to admit that it was pretty poor.

I declined his offer of another door - "we now have a different supplier" - and went back to my favourite reclamation yard (Burgess Reclamation) where I bought a much nicer door at a much increased price. This one is just ledged, with just four vertical planks from reclaimed floorboards. Then I thought I would treat the knots, so at T----- P-----, I found some knot sealer and asked the obvious question "does it allow me then to stain the wood or will I see patches?"  To my surprise no-one knew, so I bought it anyway.  The answer is that it does, but I overcame this by treating the entire door with the stuff so it is all the same colour (a quite attractive dark-ish pine).  It is now fitted, with bolt and a pull handle (the handle part of a rusted original Suffolk latch) on the inside, plus a door knob on the outside; I still haven't worked out how to fit a latch to a ledged door with no frame. Perhaps I should buy another hand made Suffolk latch, but then I would have to change all the moulded architrave... sigh.