Time for me to teach the age old art of plastering

25 November 2010

Snow expected....those two words say it all! Why oh why am I trying to work outdoors when the weather is freezing? Because if I don't I will be in the doghouse for the rest of my marriage....

So yes, the blimmin gazebo is doing my head in. The angles are all too complicated and getting the wood lengths correct is an art in itself. It is close to being done now though and I just have to top it off with a fancy finial and build the seating area. I am actually thankful that I dug out the footings while it was pouring down with rain because I couldn't have done it this week. The ground is frozen solid and likely to get worse.

If it does snow heavily we could be looking at several days when I can't do very much. It certainly can't be painted in freezing cold conditions. Poor old Claire will have to postpone her part of the bargain. Why does she get all the luck?

Still, after this is out of the way I still have four weeks left to get the downstairs loo tarted up. At least that will be a more simple job.

At least I can say that the house we are working on at the moment is going OK. We have framed out the room layouts and removed the old bathroom. I am reusing the old bath though as it is in good shape. Now we just have to put up some plasterboard and then it is time for me to teach the age old art of plastering to my apprentice.

To be completely honest I haven't done a lot of plastering in my time and what I have done I learned as I went along plus a little online help. I haven't been taught by an expert or anything unless you count that guy on You Tube. But I tend to make an OK job of it and anything which looks dodgy can be covered up with lining paper anyway.

Speaking of apprentices, I have been watching the latest group on the telly trying to measure up to Lord Sugar's expectations. What a load of...well I won't say. Some of these people really do make me wonder about young kids these days. They seem to think that having made a few quid on the internet counts as experience. What happened to face to face contact with people? If you have an annoying personality you are probably better off hiding behind a computer anyway. (Obviously writing a blog doesn't count and I was forced into this by the wife. It isn't my fault I have started to enjoy it.)

I would love to see them working in the real world. Getting up at the crack of dawn and climbing onto roofs and digging ditches in the rain and snow. If that isn't a way to build character then who knows what is?

Anyway I don't choose to watch that reality show rubbish. I just have to because Claire has it on – honestly. Just don't get me started on The X Factor!