November
Well today was a real treat, who’d have thought it would be so warm mid November; bring on global warming!
As it was such a fine day, I started off by treating the boards in the garage pit with wood worm killer – 10% saved. I noticed the telltale signs a week ago while checking to see if water had leaked into the pit following the torrential rain over the previous weeks. All was dry, just some fine dust on the floor! So adorned with old clothes, mask, woolly hat and industrial sized extractor fan, I ventured into the pit, sprayed anything wooden that didn’t move and exited to fresh air. Only to repeat an hour later. Perhaps I will replace the boards next year when I have a spare few hours.
Also on the dry day job list were two strings of 240 solar leds to be hung. They seem to last one year only, with water ingress being the main failure cause, but what do you expect for an IP44 rating. Really, they need IP68 to cope with Welsh weather.
Just as I’ve almost finished keeping the Gorseinon and Carmarthen branches of Screwfix afloat with all the DIY jobs for the last few years, they have just opened a branch at Cross Hands, a mere 3 miles away – I don’t believe it. Still, opening offer of 10% discount for in store purchases enabled Steve to save a bit on the electrics for the pending garage re-wire.
I’ve moved our pair of log stores to the sheltered side of the bungalow and stacked them with two trailers or split logs to get their final airing. It means a larger reserve of wood for the log burner which seems to use a bagful a day. It might be an option to get one with a back boiler when we change it so it gives us free heat for the radiators and saving gas. Unfortunately, it means more plumbing work that is beyond my skill set.
The brambles in the woods have started attacking me recently, so it was time for their pre-winter trim. Three extension cables, Bluetooth headphones and my trusty £20 lawnmower soon put paid to those razor edged tendrils. On the return stroke by an oak tree, I saw a pair of mice shoot out of a hole in the ground and zip into one in the tree roots, just before I moved the mower on the forward stroke. Now that’s a story for them to tell their grandmices. Perhaps a gate in the fence from the side road might be an option so I can bring the John Deere down. There’s some odd legislation which allows unregistered mowers on roads for grass cutting – officer!
I invested in a 5kW oil heater for the garage so I can continue diy stuff over the winter without loosing the feeling in my fingertips from cold or a saw. Nice bit of kit, but the instructions in chinglish were a joke. One of my favourite lines is “After the machine is installed, check whether the phone is stuck, if it is stuck, it cannot be started“ – oh my, who do I call? I eventually found an excellent video of one being installed in a motor van, as weeks later I am still waiting a follow up from the eBay seller – neutral feedback. The heater runs on red diesel, heating oil and petrol (??? I don’t think) and soon takes the chill off the room. I’ve also added a pipe into my electronics room to make that habitable, though I might modify the pipe work to switch the air where it’s needed the most.
December has come upon us too quickly and we still have lots of things to do before we go to Tenby for this years holiday. In years gone by, we have been on cruises to the winter markets, eating fresh donuts in Hamburg, cannabis laced hot chocolate in Amsterdam and mulled wine in Oslo, but the covid lockdown put paid to those dreams. Perhaps we will again before age related travel insurance hits the pain threshold.
After the bathroom revamp, I thought it prudent to reinstate the disturbed loft insulation and cover all exposed pipes and while I was at it, turned off the water for the chalet. Just as well, as during our week away (typical), a bit of a freeze dislodged the pipe under the sink, fortunately only wetting a few towels when it thawed. The cistern and pan were full of ice, proving I defiantly need a small tubular heater in there.
Tenby was a nice break but the weather was much colder than last year and food prices seem to have gone up by at least £10 a head, justified by the extravagant menus. We ventured out to Saundersfoot and Haverfordwest on a few days, but unfortunately the Star Wars exhibition in Pembroke was closed for maintenance. The apartment was warm and Included a communal swimming pool (one family at a time booking).
The Christmas tree is in situ with a new set of lights and the train-set now on the floor. An easier setup than constructing a perfectly level platform in the middle of a tree! We’ve got most of the family coming for Christmas lunch, with the exception of Emma and Martin. Emma’s recently had an eye operation which precludes her from driving for a while. June’s finally found a dentist (£££) and as the first attempt to extract a problem tooth failed, she had to return for them to try again (£££). No discount for failing the first time around, but success the second. And as a bonus, they fitted an extra tooth on her nashers (££) so she’s smiling evenly and happy. Now I need to get mine sorted in the new year.
The trees have dropped all their leaves and the absence of squirrels has left a glut of acorns, which have already started sprouting. I can’t see me doing a winter mow anytime soon. Perhaps it’s a good time to think about possible garden ideas for 2023.
So with the end of year pending, I wish all our readers a Happy Christmas and a Healthy New Year
Nigel & June
