It's been a pretty quiet weekend here at the sharp end, with nothing much to report. Unusually I've been at home all weekend, taking the chance to catch up on a few odd jobs before the weather turns and making a start on the winter project. I did manage to get out on the bike Saturday morning for a quick 60 mile romp around the local lanes. Heading from home down to Alresford and then continuing South into the Meon valley, before looping back round at Bishops Waltham to head for home via Ropley. It's always an enjoyable ride this one, with a fast, slightly downhill first 20 odd miles before you come to the edge of the South Downs National park and it get's a bit more rolling. The final uphill slog back home can be a bit demoralising if the weathers grim, but the sun was shining Saturday and all was good with the world. Saturday afternoon was spent on the allotment pottering around before coming home and spending a couple of hours tidying up the front garden ready for the autumn. It's a pity how fast the summer bedding goes over and as soon as it begins to look proper straggly it starts to annoy me and it's time for it to go! Sunday started as it often does with a spot of running. Again nothing of interest, just a steady 16 mile plod from home. To be honest it's been quite nice running and cycling from home for a change, I'll soon change my tune once the winter gets here and I'm bored of the same old routes. But for today, it made a nice change. Clearing the front garden yesterday got me started, so I moved onto the back garden Sunday afternoon. Summer bedding cleared, I stood and stared at the bane of my life patio for a while and then thought "Sod it" it's going and got the big hammer out. I've hated the patio from the day we moved in 8 years ago, and it's been at the top of my to do list for a while. It's been badly laid from the start and the slabs are the worst designed things ever. It's impossible to sweep because the lines in it go in opposite directions so the bits just get caught constantly. It's been laid on blobs of mortar, meaning it's hollow underneath, so the pointing constantly washes out. Once the pointing's gone it's slug heaven underneath and being hollow underneath the slabs constantly crack along the inbuilt weak line. The only positive has been that I've not minded, mixing concrete, plaster and cutting tiles on it. I've been happy to spill stuff all over it and haven't really cared what happened to it. It's going now though, so that's the winter project sorted. It's going to be slow going, as by the time I've been running and cycling there's not much energy left for anything else, but watch this space and we'll see how we get on. Oh, and having started demolishing stuff, there's not much choice but to get on with it now.
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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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