Friday 20 June 2014

The Apprentice

This week I have been mostly on a building site!

In view of The Builder nearing the end of his latest project and also due to his slight incapacitation what with his partially slipped disc and "ladies hips" (see earlier post) it seems my help was needed.

I took most of the week off my (paid) work and donned some old leggings and a big jumper (actually I wear that outfit on most other days too!)

My main task was scrubbing, painting and cleaning. He's had his brother help with a lot of the jobs like painting and now it's my job to try to make good the splodges left by my brother in law. They say if you pay peanuts you get monkeys, well he's not being paid anything........just saying!

I'm not too bad at cleaning but this is some pretty heavy duty work; scraping plaster and paint from windows and floors, it's playing havoc with my nails, and fingers come to that! I'm trying to clean the windows to a smear free shine, in the knowledge that my windows at home were last shown a duster probably 2 years ago.

The facilities are a little lacking too, I was told I could now use the loo as it's connected to the drains, there's no door on the bathroom though, and a few workmen about! I also turned down the offer of a cup of builders tea, well you would too wouldn't you?

The cups haven't been washed other than a sluice around in a bucket of water once a month!
They are far, far worse than this photo suggests!

So I may or may not have sneaked out to use the loo at a nearby store and I may or may not have found myself a cappuccino......



Well he's not paying me so the least I can have is a treat, and a frothy coffee is always a treat.

When it comes to being paid I'm trying very hard to persuade him to finish the job and take some time off. He's getting too old and rickety to keep on with this heavy, manual work - what with ladies hips and all.

Yes take some time off and stay home, he could - repair the roof, paint the outside of the house, fix the conservatory, paint the inside of the house (every room), dismantle the broken loo (flush and cistern won't work but lazy teenagers still use it - bucket on standby!) and make it into a pantry, hire a digger for the garden, bulldoze the shed, find and re-attach the missing door to summerhouse then move it to the other end of the garden (whole summerhouse not just the door), lay a patio, finish the balcony so we can actually open the doors without falling 20 feet to the ground, stop the bath leaking so we don't need to stuff an old towel under it....oh the list goes on! (can you tell a builder lives in this house?)

He'd probably prefer to take on another job, it'll be easier on his back and ladies hips!

PS Thank you for all the lovely comments on the previous post (the very long and rambling one), my garden isn't very nice or well kept, I just photographed it carefully. It appears bigger than it is as it is a square-ish plot and the house is squeezed sideways into a corner, very close to the neighbours, and therefore there is no front or back garden, it's just one square.
I will take some more pictures to show it's faults more accurately but also to show the progress of my veggie patch which seems to be doing nicely.

PPS I have a question which you may be able to help me answer; I'm hoping to take Little Miss (just the 2 of us) to London in the Summer for a couple of nights and maybe a show (for my birthday maybe). I can sort the train and theatre but don't know where to stay. I'd like somewhere convenient for central London and inexpensive, - Travelodge type prices. We may well stay in a Travelodge/Premier Inn but just thought someone out there, with more idea than me, may know of a little gem to recommend to us. Any suggestions would be appreciated.

Thank you
Jay

16 comments:

  1. We'll be in London this summer too and after much searching by my husband he concluded that the Travellodge was the best deal. He considered Premier, but decided no. Good luck.

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    1. It will most likely be a Travelodge, the prices are very good for central London.

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  2. We do Travelodge when we go to London and the last one we stayed in in Bethnal Green was good. It was handy for the tube and bus and the Museum of Childhood is free and just round the corner.
    Lisa x

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    Replies
    1. Thanks for the tip Lisa, I'll make a note of that museum, sounds like something we should do.

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    2. The Bethnal Green Travelodge has great reviews, it's top of my list at the moment (waiting til payday!)

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  3. Oh I think your builder should definitely have a month at home and whip down that list. A pantry would be wonderful wouldn't it? Hope you've finished your jobs now - have a rest and let your nails recover. No suggestions for London I'm afraid, I do hope you find somewhere reasonable, I'll be interested to hear about it. Just in case I ever get to go to the big city.

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  4. Jess & I stayed in a pub B & B at Waterloo - basic but OK value as breakfast included. Google B & B's Waterloo.
    Jess & I cleaned the interior of a brand new power boat for husband this week... it's all shiny & perfect... except that the owners' grandchildren had been on & there were sticky finger prints everywhere !

    Husband never takes time off for home jobs. He's away all weekend on the Round the Island Race now.
    Marrying a sailor should come with a health warning !

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    Replies
    1. Oh my goodness it sounds all too familiar! I'm googling and studying tripadvisor right now!

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  5. We all photograph our houses and gardens carefully I think. I most often do close ups because these don't show the mess. I am very impressed that you take time of your paid job to clean up after your brother in law. I am not nearly as charitable! We stayed at the airport twice when we went to London. There are usually good offers in posh hotels for weekends because the hotels want to fill their rooms. The underground takes you into the city quickly. Have a lovely weekend Jay. Cx

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  6. Our brother in law has offered to babysit for a week (well he's kept offering through the years and then turned down real "opportunities" a number of times and now finally said yes) and I will have to keep schtum when we return because I know the house will be a mess, food money lost and car keys lost (hopefully the kids will not got the same way as the car keys...). He is a great guy though.

    I've never found a hotel in London that wasn't tiny and incredibly over-priced so will be interested in how you make out...

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  7. God, I hate cleaning up after builders - horrible job. Have done it in so many houses we've flipped, really one of my least favourite jobs. You have my sympathies!

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  8. I'm afraid I can't help with the London hotel, I've only been a handful of times and the last time I went was years ago, though I really fancy visiting again soon so I shall watch these comments with interest as I'm sure you'll get some good suggestions. I think you're due a weekend away just to recover from all the hard graft you've been doing. I've got a whole list of jobs I'm waiting for Mick to tackle, I don't think he'll ever get round to doing them.

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  9. Oh you are too funny Jay.....
    No help with lodging...have a great trip!
    Cheers!
    Linda :o)

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  10. Oh I agree absolutely, you earned a frothy coffee, to me they are like a bit of luxury in a paper cup! Your trip to London will be great with your daughter, it's nice to have a hot of one to one time now and again
    Caz xx

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  11. Oh I agree absolutely, you earned a frothy coffee, to me they are like a bit of luxury in a paper cup! Your trip to London will be great with your daughter, it's nice to have a hot of one to one time now and again
    Caz xx

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