Month: November 2013

So no rumpy pumpy for us as we “have the painters in”, this is something humans must have needed since the stone age, to come in and spruce up the cave with charcoal and dulux. It is a bit of a minefield as the first thing you have to do is find one. That is not a simple process. You can look in various places, but no where actually tells you if they are any good – perhaps in the big city, but out in the sticks like me, its just not there. So I got a couple over, and they look and give some prices, which include nothing, the one guy we had to add money for paint, rollers, sandpaper, filler etc etc etc I was sure I would see sandwiches and toilet paper in the list. So anyway, by means of picking the most “professional” we booked him.

Then you have to find a date that they can come, this was 5 weeks after we saw him, and we had tried some colour pots in our lounge 4 weeks ago, so we had a front room which was like an abstract picture – and by the end we started to like it!. Once you get the timings you then have to pick the paint. Liking the paint in a brochure is inversely proportional to the colour you get, but we decided on Mud and Orange. Two guys came, and stayed for 3 and a half days, they took their time, but did a really good job. Slowly slowly catchy monkey. We did try to get them back, but they are booked until end of Jan – with the speed they are I am not surprised.

Only problem was we didn’t have the front room, until Friday, then had to spend the weekend without any curtains – not great. And the fact they but the glossyist gloss I have ever seen, but they did take 15mm off the doors.

Next up was a visit to the pub to get another painter, Pete suggested one, who without getting into liable – was shit. But this week Pete got me another, and he seems pretty good so far, so we are getting our bedroom and the first spare this week – nice one.

Anyway we picked up paint, and looked at curtains on Sunday, then as we were in Newport we went over to Tredegar House for a look as we had not been there for a while and its quite a nice place.

It was shut.

So, the electronic marketplace – I don’t like it. We have been updating the house recently, and because of this we had some stuff which we no longer want and its all too big to take down the tip, so we stuck in on “the ‘bay”. The idea in my mind all the time is that even if we get a quid, its better than having to cut it all up and take it all down the tip – but in reality that’s not the point. I hate ebay, I hate the people who use it to attempt to get that absolute cheapest possible price. I am not too naive to realise that all people want is a bargain, but the way they do it makes my skin crawl. One bid we had this week was to trump an offer of a fiver, with a fiver and four pence, four bloody pence – the tight arse tw@. I really wanted to just set fire to the item as they came to pick it up. I mean I am probably just stupid, but I would bid by 50p at least.

We also had another imbecile who bid some doors up to 137 quid – great one I thought, then they didn’t realise that where I live was in Wales and not sodding Oxford – so they didn’t want it then, luckily the next in the list agreed to take it, but for a ton – still, that’s more like it, don’t mind selling things at that price, as it was useless to us. We also sold a bed which took a PHD in astrophysics to dismantle – so gawd knows how they will re-assemble it – still we only had 33 quid for it.

So glad I don’t have to use it much. Which brings me to Stella Tortoise, love it in its chalise glass looking moist and tempting, but it is the demons drink I tell’s thee. It must have been a couple of years now that I moved to the dark side, not any more. It’s not that it makes me mental or anything, but I have just stopped enjoying what it does to me – and I am sure it does something more than other beers. I had six Amstels the other night and felt really great and happy and straight headed. Six Stellas and the story isn’t quite as rosy. So for now I am switching to Heineken, or Amstel or even, heaven forbid – Fosters.

Sunday was a little deary, but we thought we would go out for a walk, I had jogged a little further than I had wanted to in the morning, and assembled Kate’s new wardrobe – so it was time to get out and see the world. We decided to pop over to Tintern and more specifically the Station. This is yet another place we used to visit before it got “commercial” – they even had a sodding pay and display there now, so if you are popping down in the winter for a quick walk you still have to feed it a quid. We had misty rain and it was getting a little dark, but its quite a pleasant walk along an old railway line and then down to the River Usk. We tried very unsuccessfully to creep up on some sheep, and Kate pulled me over, but we decided to go for a beverage in Brockwier, where we have been some time back when a walk we did didn’t turn out too successful. Tiny little bar and unfortunately a very limited budget as I was the only one with money and I only had a tenner. So just a pint, half and a coke – it was quite nice though, in the tiny room with a fire and a pint.

Off back then to the car and home – and because I had the taste I had to get some cans in – Fosters.

Nice walk. 7/10.