What have you been doing today?

[Mottie]

Looks like they are growing on the roots of that shrub. Honey fungus does that, but looks different (and kills them)

She has a gardener that comes in every other week - I'll mention it to him when I see him.

 

[Mottie]

The planting garlic that I ordered came today so I popped over the allotment to get them planted. I planted half in the ground which meant moving some veg to make room and the other half in pots and left them in the greenhouse until I know where I’m having them. I've got a few wonky but very tasty carrots, parsnips and beetroot to give away now. Had a brew in my shed too. It is so peaceful over there - you lose all track of time and think of nothing other than what you are doing. It’s very…..Hygge!

 

[securespark]

Ester Rantzen would have a field day with those veg!

 

[Mottie]

Ester Rantzen would have a field day with those veg!

Yeah, some of the parsnips looked like they were straight from the set of War of the Worlds!

 

[Mottie]

A pass for the Golf so 2 out of 2 so far. Servicing the A3 and checking it over tomorrow. Well, the students will be servicing it, I’ll just be getting paid handsomely to watch them do it.

MOT for the A3 booked for next Wednesday.

3 out of 3. Well, I wouldn’t expect anything else! It was a girl that did my MOT. I was watching her do it and we got talking when it didn’t go through the BET and she was putting it in for the full emissions test. I queried it and she said it wasn’t the car, the emissions tester was playing up. Anyway, it passed on the full emissions test with a C.O. fast idle reading of 0.0% and a H.C. reading of just 4ppm.

 

[Harry Bloomfield]

My 18 year old flew through again last Saturday, just a comment about surface rust on the rear disks, which is common to all the models, and appears from time to time.

 

[Mottie]

Early morning walk today - saw some goats in the mist. Hey, didn't they make a film about that…..

A couple of horses too.

Currently I’m painting, painting, fecking painting the kitchen/diner. In between coats at the moment literally watching paint dry.

 

[Mottie]

Currently I’m painting, painting, fecking painting the kitchen/diner. In between coats at the moment literally watching paint dry.

Still painting. Not even halfway through and I've reached my boredom threshold. F'king hate it now. What makes it worse is Mrs Mottie is here in a supervisory capacity. I’m now working under duress!

 

[Mottie]

Halfway there now. Diner painted - ceiling walls and skirting. Kitchen part next. While I was at it, I replaced two tubular mortice latches that had been playing up for, Ooh, the last 5 years! Mind you, they were fitted at least 20 years ago. When I removed them they were filled with what looked like carbon dust. Anyway, new ones did the job and everything so far has been passed off after minor snagging by Mrs Mottie, the temporary self-appointed site manager!

 

[Mottie]

Went to B&Q to buy some rad spray paint, an aerial socket and some tubular mortise latches. Had the aerial socket, no rad paint and the latches were really cheap own brand ones. I put the aerial socket back and tried Homebase add they were just down the road. No rad paint, no aerial socket and they had a pack of three Yale tubular mortice latches……..but they were fixed on the peg by a security device. I looked around, couldn’t see a soul about. Went up to the customer services and told them I wanted to buy some latches but they were locked to the peg. She told me to go back and put out a call on the tannoy for Callum to go to the Yale aisle. I waited for 5 minutes and gave up. As I was walking out, I passed her and said that I had given up waiting and would go elsewhere. She asked if he had turned up to help me and when I said he hadn’t, she just tutted and rolled her eyes. No wonder Amazon are doing so well! I went home and sent Mrs Mottie out to get them - she got the paint from Screwfix and the aerial socket and latches from a different B&Q branch.

 

[conny]

Spent the morning doing some of the jobs my work 'colleague' was supposed to have done Friday afternoon after I had gone home at 11.30. He gets 2.5 hours 'free' time on a Friday because we have a community group in till 7.30 so it frees him up to get on with some jobs. Cheeky bar steward sent me a text at around 9.00 yesterday, (Sunday), asking if I could move some tables he had left, outside the lift on floor 1, for him as he didn't have time on Friday evening. I didn't move them as I was answering queries from members of staff asking why their rooms were unlocked when they came in at 7.45 this morning.
When he turned in at 10.00am, (his starting time), I immediately ripped him a new one for using MY tool bag as a rubbish bin/dust/waste wood collector. He's drilled and cut out two slots on the boardroom table to fit a couple of sockets and, because there was no vacuum cleaner in there, pushed MY tool big under to collect the shavings! 3' behind him was a plastic waste bin and about 10' across the corridor was a cleaning cupboard with dusters, sprays, buckets, mops and 3!!!! vacuum cleaners!
After ripping him one I picked up my jacket off the back of my chair and simply said to the boss, "I'm going for a fag!"
He has never seen me lose my rag before in the two years me and him have worked together and was quite stunned. When I came back about 20 minutes later he simply asked if I was ok now and said he had had words with him when I walked out. Told him if my 'colleague' didn't start showing me and my equipment some respect and didn't start pulling his weight I would be walking out again and not coming back.

 

[Mottie]

First coat of paint on the kitchen ceiling done. Now waiting for it to dry then one more coat before nipping up to the fun factory for this afternoons session with my little darlings. Might take the car today - a bit too wet and windy for biking it.

 

[Mottie]

First walk out for the newest member of our extended Cocker family. Young Pippa. She got soaked through and had to be wrapped up halfway through the walk.

 

[crystal ball]

Having a sort out of my office, old catalogues, laptops, ready to return it to a bedroom when I finally retire, winterising the motorhome, drained the water tanks & pipes, removed bedding & clothing.

 

[Mottie]

I'm having a coffee break from painting the kitchen - and I haven’t even started painting yet!

I’m not the most patient of people when it comes to cutting in around window frames, cupboard sides, cooker hoods, alcoves etc. so I thought I’d spend some time removing sockets and light switches and masking up the rest so that I can just splash it on. I must have had a complete brain fart as 5 minutes in, I realised I’d been masking up on the wrong side of things - I’d masked on the side I wanted to paint! So, one ball of sticky masking tape on the floor later, I’ve taken ten and I’m having a coffee before starting again. I’ve got the 'ump already.