What have you been doing today?

[Harry Bloomfield]

Adding a lanyard, to my remote. A couple of years ago, I put the caravan mover remote, on the A-frame temporarily, after using it to couple up. Which was where it was forgotten, as I drove away. I got 1/2 mile from home, before hearing a clatter, which dismissed as just something on the road. I'd got where we were going, before realising the clatter was the remote. A compatible replacement cost me £95, so I added a lanyard, to negate putting it down.

That mover control system failed a couple of weeks ago, and the replacement uses a none compatible remote. I've installed the replacement over the past couple of days, all working, but no lanyard on the remote, so I've just added one - couple of small holes drilled through the plastic case, to enable a keyring to go through a corner, then a bit of cord. Replacement cost of this one, is £195

 

[Mottie]

Back home after our mini break. Slowed down on the track from the cottage to let this fella take his time crossing the road - I think he'd had strutting lessons from the famous grouse.

Stopped off in the way home in the tourist hot-spot known as Burford to buy a couple of sandwiches and two teas…….for £22! M25 was shut off due to an accident - luckily on the anti-clockwise side. Caused a massive tailback, just glad we weren’t caught up in it. Nobody hurt by the looks of it but one car had every airbag deployed.

 

[Mottie]

Been piddling about with the electrics in the rental cottage. A breaker that controls one half of the consumer unit keeps popping. It controls 4 other breakers - cooker, downstairs lights, kitchen lights and 'garage fuse box'. (No garage but actually a car port). I managed to deduce it was the garage fuse box that was causing it to pop after about 5 minutes so left that off. Notified the owner because it controls 2 chest freezers in the car port that are full of food - both human and frozen raw dog food for his dogs. Luckily it’s cold here at the moment but he'll need to look at it pretty quick. Question for the sparkys on here - why isn’t the garage breaker popping but the main one is?

 

[fillyboy]

View attachment 335317

Nice response, and they obviously appreciated your pointing it out without bitching as it were.

 

[JonathanM]

Bastards! Just went out to feed the birds and noticed seed everywhere in my shed. Rats have bitten a hole in it and got in there, eating the seed. Looks like they have been doing it for a while too. I half suspected it as I had some of those half filled coconut shells that I hung on the shed and the whole things were going missing - I thought it was a fox but the other night when I let the dog out, I heard a noise, saw a movement and the shell was swinging as if something had been disturbed eating it and birds don’t feed at 11.00 at night! Mrs Mottie will go ape shìt if she even sees a sign of a rat. I have some repairing to do when I get back later.

Only tangentially related, but I didn't know where else to post it

Mouse filmed tidying up man's shed every night

Retired postman Rodney Holbrook never expected to capture a Ratatouille-style scene in his own shed.

www.bbc.co.uk

 

[Mottie]

The RRP for the units, trims, kickboards, end panels, handles, accessories etc was ridiculous - over £22k. With the 'sale discounts' and special offers, that came down to £8.8k but after further negotiation and the obligatory visit to the manager to see what he could do, it came down to just under £6.5k. Still haven’t made our mind up 100% yet but looking likely we will go for it but I may have to do a little more negotiating.

I was going to buy a new car until the salesman told me that. I got up and walked out.

When asked where I was going, I told him I wasn't going to buy a car from someone who insulted my intelligence.

I haven’t finished the negotiating yet. If I go ahead with them, I’m going to let him sweat a bit and then play him at his own game and tell him I’ve got to see my 'manager' to see what I can go up to.

Your mamager will say, "just bloody pay the man, I want a new kitchen!"



Andy

Just had the designer/salesman round. Managed to get him down to a tad under £6k so placed the order. Arranged delivery for May. I'm going to have a go at fitting some of it myself. This will be fun……

 

[SirGalahad]

Just had the designer/salesman round. Managed to get him down to a tad under £6k so placed the order. Arranged delivery for May. I'm going to have a go at fitting some of it myself. This will be fun……

You are going to fit a kitchen yourself? Why?

 

[Mottie]

You are going to fit a kitchen yourself? Why?

Funny question to ask on a DIY forum. Salesman estimated £4K for a 'dry' fit. I'll only be fitting the pre-assembled floor and wall cabinets. Got a plasterer mate who can give the walls a skim, Got a sparky mate who will help/advise on any electrics, I’ll do the plumbing myself - not much to do anyway as the sink, dishwasher and washing machine will be staying in the same position. No gas work apart from capping it off as we're doing away with the gas hob. I’ll be getting specialists in to supply and fit the quartz worktop and upstands. I’ll be getting a carpenter in to fit the trim and end panels, cornicing, pelmet’s and kick boards and skirting that I will probably f'ck up if I do that myself.

 

[ReganAndCarter]

You are going to fit a kitchen yourself? Why?

Seen several kitchens butchered by 'fitters'. Seen several kitchen installed by DIYers done very well. Not too difficult to do the cabinets if you're methodical and take your time. Just get someone in to cut and fit tops, etc. Also trades for wet/sparky/sloppy stuff. Can save a fair bit DIYing if you have some skills and are prepared to project manage yourself. Plenty of Youtube vids with tips and advice, even forums that can help. Hardly rocket science.

 

[Harry Bloomfield]

Seen several kitchens butchered by 'fitters'. Seen several kitchen installed by DIYers done very well. Not too difficult to do the cabinets if you're methodical and take your time. Just get someone in to cut and fit tops, etc. Also trades for wet/sparky/sloppy stuff. Can save a fair bit DIYing if you have some skills and are prepared to project manage yourself. Plenty of Youtube vids with tips and advice, even forums that can help.

I put my 20 kitchen units mostly in, working alone, during a one-week holiday. The biggest logistics issue, was the need to keep the kitchen in working order, whilst I carried out the work. Luckily, we had a reasonably equipped utility room.

 

[ReganAndCarter]

I put my 20 kitchen units mostly in, working alone, during a one-week holiday.

Have to say that doesn't sound like my idea of a holiday. But yes, lot of it possible with basic skills.

 

[Harry Bloomfield]

Have to say that doesn't sound like my idea of a holiday. But yes, lot of it possible with basic skills.

Not my idea of a holiday either - I just don't trust being reliant on other people to do anything. Kitchen and bathroom fitting, is one of those trades where people dip in, between proper jobs.

 

[Mottie]

Gave the dog walk a miss this morning due to the man from Magnet coming but she wouldn't let it go and kept pestering for a walk so I gave in and took her for a street walk up to our local dog friendly department store in Upminster. They normally always have some gear on sale. I bought a pair of Tommy Hilfiger jeans and a Boss polo shirt for half price. They initially overcharged me for the jeans and when I queried it, they said the jeans had literally just been reduced from 30% off to 50% off and it hadn’t been entered on to the system yet as they were going 'live' tomorrow but they let me have them at tomorrows price, today.

On the way home we popped up to the windmill and watched them carrying out some maintenance on it. I don’t think I could go up in one of those cherry pickers - they look far too unstable for my liking.

I took a short-cut across the windmill field to go home - there was a track I crossed and halfway across I went up to my ankle in mud so those trainers have gone in the wash. They are supposed to be washable but we'll see if that claim is true later.

 

[Mottie]

Went and had a haircut, OAP rates, £15.
Washed the Audi and the Golf, haven't washed them both since about November. Gave them the snow foam treatment and then a blast off with the pressure washer before washing and drying. Did the Audi first, parked that in the street and did the Golf next. Used the pressure washer to blast all the snow foam from my drive, noticed the drive needed cleaning so did that too. Got all the crap blasted over the house windows and door. Had to then clean them. Carried on with the blasting of the drive and found the Audi now covered in crap so had to blast that off and leather it again. Got there in the end but spent nearly 4 hours out there.
Dashed up the local department store to buy another pair of jeans in the sale, the same as I bought yesterday, but was too late - no more left in my size.

 

[HERTS P&D]

You will sleep well tonight!

Andy