Between 265 & 485 SQ/FT London Calling. An ordinary life.

[sawduststeve]

In all honesty I haven’t given what to do after work much thought just that it’s all a bit too heavy and dirty and after 45 yrs the time feels right to pack up. Then surprise surprise Floaty hoves into view. There’ll always be something to do.

My "Plan" is to fix stuff that is broken for family. After 6 years, I still have lots to do, and could do it seven days a week if I wanted. So I think you've given all the thought necessary for your plan.

Thanks mate
I don’t consider myself particularly lucky or unlucky but if you keep plugging away things tend to work out for the best.

A random picture.
These buggers have taken over most London parks and are decimating the local small bird population. In our garden this weekend. Grr


Steve

 

[f121]

Thanks mate
I don’t consider myself particularly lucky or unlucky but if you keep plugging away things tend to work out for the best.

A random picture.
These buggers have taken over most London parks and are decimating the local small bird population. In our garden this weekend. Grr


Steve

Is that a parrot?

 

[sawduststeve]

Is that a parrot?

It’s a parakeet, breeding out of control and forcing the locals out.

From the Wildlife Trust

 

[Grizz1963]

Thanks mate
I don’t consider myself particularly lucky or unlucky but if you keep plugging away things tend to work out for the best.

A random picture.
These buggers have taken over most London parks and are decimating the local small bird population. In our garden this weekend. Grr


Steve

I have a scoped air rifle you can use.

Seriously.

Used to see them in Beckenham at the Bethlam Royal hospital when I worked there.

 

[sawduststeve]

I have a scoped air rifle you can use.

Seriously.

Used to see them in Beckenham at the Bethlam Royal hospital when I worked there.

Rian, thanks for the offer, I’ll let you know.
I do have a ton of oak chips if you’d like to smoke a couple dozen for some parakeet biltong.

 

[Grizz1963]

Rian, thanks for the offer, I’ll let you know.
I do have a ton of oak chips if you’d like to smoke a couple dozen for some parakeet biltong.

Will eat anything.

But I suspect they will be like 100 meter sprinters.

Not much more than functional birds.

 

[sawduststeve]

Some more oaky goodness
Today we started the Lords work.
A pair of doors for Father Matthew at St Joseph’s
Upminster. Turns out he’s is in the same club as Father David, whose doors we supplied and fitted 18 months ago. Who knew



Quite boring now, but will have them on the hinges tomorrow and inset the T&G with beads over the joints. A bit of work to do yet.
I think we’ll put the same Osmo oil on these as the other oak door.

I do love oak jobs before Xmas, all the off cuts go straight home for the wood burner.
Steve

To add. When we first met Father David and he introduced himself, I said “thats nice, meet Brother David “ whilst my brother and I were laughing, we thought it was very funny, he just rolled his eyes at us. Maybe he’d heard it before.

 

[Bob Heine]

Rian, thanks for the offer, I’ll let you know.
I do have a ton of oak chips if you’d like to smoke a couple dozen for some parakeet biltong.

Rian and Steve, Americans eat all kinds of animals. Squirrel, possum, quail and doves are popular in parts of the country. If you need a recipe, this one sounds delicious. This guy describes raw Parakeet as "really mild..." and once cooked "a little chewier than dove." If you catch more than you can eat, I bet more than one restaurant will pay a premium for your surplus. Seems like a great substitute for kidneys in a full English breakfast for those folks who suffer from gout (like Liane).

 

[sawduststeve]

Rian and Steve, Americans eat all kinds of animals. Squirrel, possum, quail and doves are popular in parts of the country. If you need a recipe, this one sounds delicious. This guy describes raw Parakeet as "really mild..." and once cooked "a little chewier than dove." If you catch more than you can eat, I bet more than one restaurant will pay a premium for your surplus. Seems like a great substitute for kidneys in a full English breakfast for those folks who suffer from gout (like Liane).

Hmmmmm, I’ll give it a miss thanks Bob.
That has to be one of the funniest lines ever
“A little chewier than Dove “ Monty python right there. Cheers

Just returned from Norfolk , not a swan to be seen. gotta be way more meat on it than a ****** parakeet. If they weren’t all owned by the king (sort of) I’d send you one for Xmas.
A little chewier than turkey.

 

[sawduststeve]

Speaking of Norfolk
A weekend spent delivering things and moving stuff about.
I knew it was good idea to board the back of the boathouse. A staging post for materials


Barge boards, windows and roof panels.
Old roof

No roof

Friday/Saturday very noisy with the wind and the membrane flapping about.
Sunday morning beautiful and calm.
No one on the river except us




Steve

 

[sawduststeve]

The boring oak doors turned out well
T&G fitted vjoint inside

Leaving a flat surface for the beads


Before and after two coats of Osmo clear oil
No 420.

Just hope the good lord approves.

Steve

 

[jon72vega]

Those doors turned out very nice!

 

[captain14]

Steve

Your work always looks good.

How far do you have transport the new material to McFloaty on the boat and how far way is the disposal location?

 

[sawduststeve]

Those doors turned out very nice!

Thanks. You can tell that they’re going to last,
some of them oak is like concrete. I’ve always thought you can leave it in a puddle and it’ll be just fine.

Steve

Your work always looks good.

How far do you have transport the new material to McFloaty on the boat and how far way is the disposal location?

Thanks mate
We’ve got two staiths to park at, the main one by Potter Heigham bridge is about ten minutes away.
And now we’re a bit less self conscious, I don’t mind parking the van right up close to the moorings, in the middle of all the day trippers.
The other is in the opposite direction on the other side of the river maybe five minutes away and I can park close and leave the van there while we’re up and down.
The fun part is trying to get it all on and off the boat, so far I’ve lost a pair of glasses and put my foot in the water once, I think that’s pretty good.

There’s a couple of guys with barges that will take your rubbish for a price, they off load onto a trailer then take it to the local tip.
The local tip is about 15/20 mins away.

Steve

 

[Old tool guy]

We’ve got two staiths

Over here the doctor can prescribe medicine to treat staiths.

 

[littlebean]

and put my foot in the water once

only once...............you're clearly not trying hard enough
I've only been on the Broads once and managed to put my foot in the water within 5 minutes of reaching the marina car park

 

[captain14]

Steve

Check out Amazon for a floating neck strap for your glasses.

 

[sawduststeve]

Over here the doctor can prescribe medicine to treat staiths.

. No no , I’ve just googled it and it’s definitely a Norfolk word , just back off with the
ointment

 

[sawduststeve]

only once...............you're clearly not trying hard enough
I've only been on the Broads once and managed to put my foot in the water within 5 minutes of reaching the marina car park

Let me know if you’re holidaying here again and I’ll stay well away. If we ever meet up one of us will probably have drowned by the days end.

 

[sawduststeve]

Steve

Check out Amazon for a floating neck strap for your glasses.

Good call, will do. Thanks

 

[sawduststeve]

End of last week we fitted the new doors at the house of God
These came off

They had been butchered to open out, when with the right person they could have been done properly
Anyhoo we got to make and fit these



And a moody one

 

[Old tool guy]

Very nice. That’s one point for you at the Pearly Gates check-in. They didn’t want the peaked doors? Sorry, i like the black finish better.

 

[sawduststeve]

Very nice. That’s one point for you at the Pearly Gates check-in. They didn’t want the peaked doors? Sorry, i like the black finish better.

Cheers
The Father wanted something lighter in colour to match the doors behind and something that keeps more of the heat in when opened.
Luckily for us.

Steve

 

[sawduststeve]

Today we got the other oak door out of the shop
We tried to hang it out but we arrived on site at 8.30 and were off to the cafe at 11.


It doesn’t take long when there’s no making good to do.
As I tell the customers the money is in the making not the fitting.

That’s us done for the year. (Paying work that is)

Happy Xmas
Steve

To add. The bottom rail isn’t as white as the photo shows.

 

[Grizz1963]

I have said it before Steve, you really do turn out beautiful work.

Church doors are magnificent in completion and I understand the motivation but also liked the black finish, based purely on the photos.

House door looks deceptively weird sized

I guess a new step is in the offing.


Well done on finishing the year.

 

[littlebean]

Let me know if you’re holidaying here again and I’ll stay well away. If we ever meet up one of us will probably have drowned by the days end.

very likely we also hit a tree and ran aground.........I don't think I'm allowed in the Broads any more in spite of the fact I was only about 10

 

[littlebean]

all those doors look great, personally I prefer the oak finish on the Church doors

 

[sawduststeve]

I have said it before Steve, you really do turn out beautiful work.

Church doors are magnificent in completion and I understand the motivation but also liked the black finish, based purely on the photos.

House door looks deceptively weird sized

I guess a new step is in the offing.


Well done on finishing the year.

Thanks Rian.
Merry Xmas to you.

The house door is pretty standard 32” x 80”
New step isn’t the only thing needed. The whole house is half finished every where, and for some strange reason they have decided to carry on with a new door.
The rendering is going to be knocked off both sides of the door and a ton of materials taken through it.
Each to their own.

Steve

 

[sawduststeve]

very likely we also hit a tree and ran aground.........I don't think I'm allowed in the Broads any more in spite of the fact I was only about 10

For a 10 yr old that sounds like a great time.
At my age, I’ve no excuses.

all those doors look great, personally I prefer the oak finish on the Church doors

Thanks

Merry Xmas
Steve

 

[sawduststeve]

Made a bit of a mess today
Started with this
Outside and in



At one stage it all looked like this

My little helpers did well (ish)


It a 5 meter run of window.
The new ones are in, but it got a little too dark for photos. Insulation and photos tomorrow.

Steve

 

[Old tool guy]

What was on the existing windows to make the glass so obscure?

 

[sawduststeve]

What was on the existing windows to make the glass so obscure?

Condensation and a boat load of it.

Not a drop this morning
Nice and toasty(ish)



Merry Xmas
Steve

 

[sawduststeve]

Out this evening for a birthday dinner
Dined here for the first time, and very nice it was too



Xmas lights at the marina
Good effort we thought


Steve

 

[captain14]

This weekend’s project looks great.


(As usual)

 

[Bob Heine]

Well Steve, as usual I'm a day and a shilling short.
Happy Birthday Steve!
We used to own a boat so we would go down to the Intracoastal Waterway in Boca Raton and watch all the yachts cruise by, decorated to the nines with lights and inflatable Christmas characters. They stopped in 2023 and probably won't return but they still have big boat parades south of us in Fort Lauderdale and Miami with smaller ones up and down the coast. We tried decorating our little 19-foot boat and join the parade but with concrete seawalls on both sides of the Intracoastal, the wakes from the huge yachts turned it into a berserk washing machine. In an under 30-foot boat you were going to get wet.

 

[Geoff289]

This nautical stuff is all very well, but you want to avoid this sort of thing

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c2lvq0yk9dko

 

[Grizz1963]

Merry Christmas and an awesome holiday season to you and your whole team.

It’s been a good year watching you make us realise how much work goes into even the smallest tasks.

 

[zanyad]

Merry Christmas!

 

[sawduststeve]

Well Steve, as usual I'm a day and a shilling short.
Happy Birthday Steve!
We used to own a boat so we would go down to the Intracoastal Waterway in Boca Raton and watch all the yachts cruise by, decorated to the nines with lights and inflatable Christmas characters. They stopped in 2023 and probably won't return but they still have big boat parades south of us in Fort Lauderdale and Miami with smaller ones up and down the coast. We tried decorating our little 19-foot boat and join the parade but with concrete seawalls on both sides of the Intracoastal, the wakes from the huge yachts turned it into a berserk washing machine. In an under 30-foot boat you were going to get wet.

Thanks Bob

That doesn’t sound like much fun, the intracoastal
Waterway looks impressive though. Our 5mph limit stops all the silly ness.

 

[sawduststeve]

This nautical stuff is all very well, but you want to avoid this sort of thing

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c2lvq0yk9dko

Hi Geoff

We watched that on the news, all pretty scary, no one hurt, so that’s good.
The canal side wall gave way and all the water drained out into a field, luckily not houses.
Three 60ft barges down a very big hole.

Earlier in the year there was an exceptionally low tide in Norfolk and because our boathouse had never been dredged the little boat was sitting on the mud. It’s dredged now so we have more room under the boat.