The Sturdy Soapbox

Almost done

Darlo was having no nonsense today with difficult bits of decorating (like around plug holes), she was at it like a pig at a t'ater, I had trouble keeping up with her at my paste table.

Now there's the ceiling and the gloss to do, so I just hope me painting is up to her papering standard.

Very grateful to Darlo for working so hard and transforming a room from the rather dowdy ochre colour you can see, to the textured wallpaper in white which makes the room broght and pleasant as opposed to making one think jumping from this sixth floor is a good idea.

Tomorrow or Monday, I shall have a go at the ceiling and the glossing, stay tuned.

Curate's egg ? No, Welder's egg

When I was in Tesco at 6:30 this morning, they had just reduced all the Easter eggs for the final time,  Most which had been six pounds last week, were like this one down to £ 1.50.

Seeing how the picture on the box is exactly how the Welder looks when there is the promise of food, I've got it for him, but he'd better pick it up quick, or I will eat it.

 

She gets all the glam jobs

One of the people I follow on Twitter is a BBC TV and radio journalist called Steph McGovern, a Middlesboro lass who didn't manage to get a top job covering the royal wedding.  She has landed the envious task of helping with the clean up afterwards (hopefully not shovelling up the hoss muck dropped by the guards horses).  N'er mind Steph, greatness will come one day.

Twittering journo's

Our local paper the Express and Star, usually very professional in it's journalism, have an idiot on site at the royal knees up.

They have been twittering live from the location and apparently Elton came in the rear entrance, which is not something Elton would like broadcast to the world...  And then the crowd were screaming as the royals passed by.  I wonder if this meant the royals were causing terror as they fired into the crowd with machine guns ?  Surely cheering is a more apt and descriptive term ?

Maybe the provincial hack on a big day out has been carried away by the sense of occasion.

Darlo's having a champagne brekky and I heard from Channie of the Manhattan Chans don't you know, that she would be up about 5:30am NY time so she could watch it.

Dean (of the Manhattan Landsmans) plans to sleep through it.

When darlo called this morning, her first question was "is the wallpaper still up".  Of course it is !

Another wedding

Good o'de Darlo

Hoo's he, she asked when I referred ot her as a regular to Barry Bucknell, but her skills today as paper hanger were paramount.

I was in charge of mixing and distribution of paste, ensuring it went to the edges of the paper, which it didn't in the early stages..

I did have it in my mind that if she showed me how to do it, I would carry on where she left off...  No way.  The bit of stretching I did today set my neck and back off big time that I ended up pasting from a seated position.  I would be utterly useless trying to hang even one sheet, Teddy would be well and truly out the pram.

And so, I shall continue to paste unstintingly to the edges and beyond, onward, upward, per ardua ad astra !

Barry Bucknell for the curious, was a TV DIY pundit in the late fifties and early sixties, long before every other show on television had the word house in the title.

If this is the rehearsal...

Not just the price of fish...

Can't believe how prices of everything are shooting up.  I had to replenish things I use a lot but hadn't bought in a while.  For example, the last time I bought my favourite brand of instant coffee (Nescafe Alta Rica), it was £ 3.35 a jar but today £ 3.67.

I bought a pack of Taylors Hot Lava Java ground cofffee too, so me and Darlo can have a nice cup of frothy when she comes over today.  That was £ 2.48 last time I bought it, £ 2.98 today.  Milk up 3p my favourite light butter up 10p a small pack (though they had got a deal where 2 half kilo packs could be had for three pounds today.

Decided I shall feed her on fresh pizza today, various kinds of meat on it.  Hope she's not turned veggie.

Today, we are going to try to put up wallpaper.  I shall be as much use to her as a chocolate fireguard, so I think I shall be confined to pasting duties and hope I am alright at that.

Not only have I never done any of this sort of stuff, I have no desire to, so the interest is not there.  It will be like dentistry, the quicker it is over, the better.

Because I've not been feeling too god for the last few days, I said that if she gets tired of it because I become a hindrance rather than a help, then just chuck teddy out the pram and walk away from it.

Anita gave ma a bag of things to use as dust sheets, brushes, a special sort of tool for edging off the wallpaper (and it is plain wallpaper, not Dalek wallpaper as OBC accused me of favouring).  Actually, Darlo and I spotted some paper with London scenes on (a tie in with the royal wedding).  I said, "Ooh, shall we get some of that" and Darlo said "Yo can fuckin match it then" (meaning getting the pictures to match up when you join the next sheet.  So we left that in the shop and went for something rather rudely called "blown vinyl".

Utterly tired of the media simpering over the royal wedding.  This morning, they were interviewing the nutters who've been camping out in the streets of London since February, asking their "feelings" more simpering.  Presenter asked one woman "what do you think the dress will be like" ?  Answer from woman "Boring! !  Presenter loses the plot but the howls of laughter from those back in the studio and the lady who cracked the comment were enough to save the day.

It's going to be a big day for them, not for us.  Our lives won't be changed and it doesn't matter a fig what she wears down the aisle, even if it's  a frock made from old KFC wrappers, so BBC, please stop the royal wedding arse lick routine.

Avoid

I had no choice but buy this shite this morning, as I had very little cash on me and for some reason, Tesco only had chav breeder family sized low fat stuff and so, I had to settle for this, which was a pound.  Indeed, you do get quite a lot of it, but it tastes of absolutely nothing.

As I walked home muttering under my breath, I began to make up alternative brand names for this kind of rubbish.  "you can't believe it's butter and neither can we" came to mind.

Unless you've had your taste buds removed, can I suggest you avoid this rubbish at all costs (even a pound). This product is shit !

RIP the excellent Phoebe Snow

It was my friend Margo who introduced me to the music of Phoebe Snow in the late 70's and what a treat for the ears it was.