28th May 2006	Today is my birthday. This is only of interest because: a/ I got a teddy for a present. b/ It was a year ago exactly that the old house started to be demolished. So a very happy first birthday to the build Let's not wish it 'Many happy returns' though.

Hot off the press: Squatters nesting INSIDE the house.

4th June 2006

First up.. let's sort out what ames tapers do: "Ames tapers stick tape to the surfaces of walls and ceilings. This seals the joints between sheets of plasterboard, leaving a seamless finish ready for decoration. Ames tapers are sometimes called Drywall or Dryline finishers"

My thanks to 'Plan It DIY' for helping us through that.

For some reason in Scotland, nobody plasters the whole wall.. they ames tape. Fair enough.

So... here are some photos - and who am I to complain? - the ames tapers may be costing me the same as:

Suzuki Wagon R, T Reg (1999) only done 7645k. Silver. Excellent condition, immaculate throughout. New engine.

But they look like they know what they are doing. (which is more than the buyer of the 'Wagon R' will be - I kid you not on that mileage - No wonder it needed a new engine).

This photo shows the dormer window in bedroom 3:

 

...and this shows the view into the 'isolation room'.

If you are wondering (or slightly worried) about that term, be assured it refers to music, not detention.

 

5th June 2006

As we are coming to the end of our time in the Lake District (was that the kiss of death?) I was thinking about our time here (I will avoid a shameless insert of pretty photo).

Oh all right!

 

To my point:

Yesterday I had a 'bit of a moment' with a chap who was door to door selling dusters for a local charity. He was of course not doing any such thing, he was in fact looking at my cars and deciding whether to tell his sponsors whether they were worth stealing or not. I informed him that his numberplate had been logged, and that he could get up from underneath my car now, and leave at his earliest convenience. At this point he stopped pretending to sell dusters for a local charity and left fairly sharpish.

This encounter is somewhat symptomatic of the attitude of some that leave the big cities to 'do' the rural north west. Last year, we ordered a new computer - on a next day delivery.

Having waited two days and it not turning up, I phoned the courier. The driver said he had already delivered the computer & monitor (the day before) and we had not been in (we were), so he said he had left it 'out the back' (in the rain), but he couldn't remember where exactly - oh and he had forgotten to get a signature (even though he said we were not in).

I think you get the picture.

I stopped the payment, told the supplier that their courier was stealing their computers, and he was arrested the next day. By the way... his name was Rob.

'Rob' pleaded guilty to nicking my computer. His defence was that he couldn't find my house, so decided to sell the computer to a friend for £200. Pretty impressive defence eh?

In any case, if only he'd asked I could have told him how much it was worth. At least he made the local press (which was a great read).

To sum up. The Lake District is the best of worlds and the worst of worlds. A bit like the rest I guess (but pretty).