Just to prove that I am normal and it's not all sweetness, roses and endless adventures, all's not rosy in the Perratt household. I've had one of those weeks, well more than one to be honest, where it all starts to get on top of you. I've been run ragged at work for the past couple of months, the weather seems to be in a cycle where it's lovely all week and then rubbish come the weekend and it's starting to get hard to stay motivated on the running and cycling front when there's still limited scope for adventures, no events and not much else to look forward too. When you get in late from work on a Friday night, having had a full week of 150 mile commutes and spent your days running round like your heads on fire. When it's rained constantly for the last 2 days and you spent the first part of the week sweating your tit's off in boiler houses whilst it was 25 degrees outside. When the traffics pretty much back to normal, the A34 is like a mad house and all you seem to be doing is sorting out other peoples problems, there is only one sure fire way to get it all back into perspective. And that's to put your running shoes on, get some quality tunes playing in your ears and escape into your own little world of peace, quiet and tranquility for a while. It's amazing the difference an hours run makes when your stressed and angry off the back of a hectic day and when you get back home for the second time and "The Emma's" got the kettle on the world seems a far nicer place to be. I honestly think sometimes that if I couldn't escape outdoors for a few hours now and then that I'd go nut's! Whilst I was under-sealing the van a couple of weeks back the state of the wheels caught my attention. Thick with brake dust, trims hanging off and starting to seriously corrode, I thought the time had come to do something about it. So, van precariously balanced on axle stands (I dreamt it had fallen off one night last week and actually had to go and check on my way to work, as I couldn't work out if it was a dream or not) the time had come to whip the wheels off and annoy the neighbours for an hour with the angle grinder and a wire wheel to get a better look at the situation. Whatever the outcome of the angle grinder session the result was going to have to be cheap, easy and hard wearing. I'm to tight to pay for anything expensive, too lazy to ever clean them again and as I hate car washing nearly as much as I hate painting they need to look after themselves. A Coat of Zinc rich Epoxy primer and a couple of coats of Goose Wing Grey Epoxy paint and what have we got? Apart from the annoyed neighbours, another ruined tea mug where I've got paint on it and a dirty leg, a pretty good result I think. Not a bad outcome for a couple of evenings work and a few quid on paint. Which, incidentally would have been a lot less if I'd only bought the amount I needed instead of enough to paint the Fourth Bridge. If you happen to know anyone that wants anything painting Goose Wing Grey I know where there's some going spare! I'll have to see how it holds up, but judging from the way the paint didn't chip when I hammered the balance weights back on it seems pretty tough. Only time will tell how well it lasts, but I'm happy enough and "The Emma" thinks it's a big improvement and she knows about stuff like that! In other news, the recent rain, whilst not doing my mood any good, has worked wonders for the Allotment. Although, on the downside, not only is the veg going great guns, but the weeds are too. The strawberries, Loganberries and Blackcurrents are cropping like there's no tomorrow and everything else is growing quick enough to satisfy "Jack" (of beanstalk fame). In fact I don't think I've ever had soft fruit crops like it, I'm guessing the combination of good weather during April and May, followed by the recent rain, coupled with the fact that the fat Pigeons are no longer getting their share is all lining up for a productive year. In Between a spot of easy running and making a mess with the paintbrush's I spent a couple of hours on Sunday afternoon turning more Strawberries into Jam and had a clear out of the store cupboard in an attempt to make more space ready for what's still to come. There are jars of Jam and chutney hidden away at the back of the shelves from 2011 which still look fine. So much for stock rotation, and I bet there's not many people who can say they've got vintage Jam laid down for a rainy day! Oh, and if I'm missing next week it's probably because I've eaten some 2011 vintage plum jam which I found in the back of the cupboard!
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Paul PerrattOld enough to know better, young enough to still feel invincible, stupid enough to keep on trying the same thing again and again. Cyclist, Gardener, Runner, Hiker, Cook, Woodworker, Engineer, Jack of all trades and master of none, Anti social old git and all round miserable bugger. Archives
March 2024
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