OS Singlies - We Do It Our Way!

Byatt

I don't usually read/follow instructions, I find them too difficult. I'm better with visual instructions. I think confidence comes with trial and error and no-one telling you that you are stupid for making a mistake.

I am Welsh born, so should learn Welsh, but my dream is to go to Italy and so I'm planning on learning Italian, very slowly and for free!

Winter_Phoenix

moneyistooshorttomention wrote: »

In my more "mellow" moods I try and remind myself that many men would quail at the equivalent in reverse and, if someone said to me "Make a white sauce" or somesuch cookery equivalent I'd say "Yep...no problem" because I've taught myself how to. Hence I guess that the "male" equivalent is how to get an unwanted nail or screw out of something and I will be standing there puzzled, but yer traditional male wouldn't understand why I was concerned, as to them it would be Easy Peasy Territory.

Some skills are transferable - if you can ice a cake, you can certainly replaster a small area of wall!

cornishchick

Hi just wanted to post this link. My SIL has this book and said it's brill. She is redoing her own flat with just a little help from trades like electrics..

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Womens-Home-DIY-Owners-Workshop/dp/1844259730/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1391303479&sr=1-1&keywords=diy+for+women

lostinrates

Byatt wrote: »

I know my physical strength has weakened as I've got older, and although not having the same strength as some men, I think I overcome those problems through sheer strength of will and thinking outside the box. I have always had a go, and hauled various things about that whilst taking me probably a lot longer than some men would, I do usually succeed.

Combined with my DD, who is surprisingly strong, (she's 5ft nothing), we have managed moving house, once completely by myself. :eek:

I think a lot of men are useless at DIY, my ex certainly is...my father was brilliant at all those sort of things, so I wrongly assumed all men were!

Both brothers are useless too (in more ways than one, I have to add:rotfl:) although good at other things (music/art/buLLsh!t).

OTOH, a female cousin completely renovated a house, building work, as well as the more decorative aspects.

I think if I had had the choices/was taught by father/was interested when I was younger I could do DIY with the best of them. It's a learning curve, unless you try, you don't learn.

I must admit at my age of 60, it's the last thing I'd want to do as a project now, I'd rather learn Italian! :rotfl:

edit, I don't do batting of eyelashes, I'm very independent, too much probably.:eek:

This, this this.


My weakness is caused my physical ill health, not sex. I have different types of strength sure, I'll never have the upper body strength of my DH, but on a strong day I can get my hips into something. I can shift a room of furniture around. Some men wouldn't dream of it...I remember my fil asking me when I was healthy who had rearranged the furniture......( me!, nothing daunting, heaviest thing was the piano but was only an upright)

I get depressed the days I cannot even change a bed, but its not to do with my sex. And I HAVE done plenty of eyelash batting in my time, its one of the tools I had in my box:o and I employed if it helped, but never stopped me having a go.

(As an aside Fwiw, when asked what we do ( tedious question)DH and I have taken to saying with a grin that he's a polymath and I'm the factotum, though he really grafts and does everything, especially in my bad weeks. . )

The other thing that amuses here is when animal feed sales men or other farm enquiries come to the door and ask for 'the farmer' or immediately address DH. Its a natural assumption, healthy, fit man.......or unhealthy woman with limp......

MummyBobble

I have a pink Swiss army knife type of tool if anyone needs to borrow it, it was a gift from Next so I'm sure it's really useful :rotfl:

My confidence in my ability to do anything has reduced dramatically over the last few years, largely I think due to the ex and his family pointing out how useless I am . Fortunately I know they are wrong and that they're the ones with the problem, but it does put me off doing things in case I prove their point!

I remember many years ago, (when most electrical products came without plugs on), falling out with my dad when I put a plug on a new fridge and he insisted on checking it before I was allowed to plug it in. Now I would actually be quite nervous at the thought of fitting a new plug, how ridiculous is that?

Hopefully I'm not passing this on to DD and DS. They both cook (washing up and cleaning is something we need to work on :eek:) and DD has been repainting her bedroom, including moving furniture around with the help of her friend). Only wall left is the one behind her wardrobe and this is where brute strength comes into play. Wondering whether to go for the painting around it approach, or whether to risk life and limb to move it...

Hope all us singlies are enjoying the weekend :beer:

moneyistooshorttomention

:rotfl: at LIR's comments re shifting furniture around. I've had out a carpet-fitter recently, who looked at the room concerned and told me he would be moving all the furniture for me and wouldn't charge extra for it. Heh..."new best friend" I thought...

I did say that I can manage to move the lighter-weight stuff myself, but gratefully accepted that he will deal with the heavier stuff (still sitting here ruefully feeling the effects in my back after yesterday's efforts).

Don't think Mr Carpet Fitter was being sexist...maybe he wouldn't have automatically said that to a woman who is "built like a tank" and 20 years younger, but little me/at my age means that's a perfectly accurate assessment of the "state of play".

I am gearing myself up to painting several of the rooms in this house myself though, having realised that may be the only way to get things done to my standard (tells self that even an amateur who tries to do things properly is likely to be better than a "professional" who isn't that concerned with proper standards). Also trying to persuade myself into re-painting the outside of my house myself.

Personally, I'm not going to even try at moving anything that realistically is too heavy for me again. Daft of me to try yesterday and in a part of the country where men make "great play" of how physically strong they are and seem to love any opportunity to demonstrate it.

dibuzz

I always did the DIY when I was married so there's no difference now I'm not.
I have got into a few difficult situations though such as bringing a huge bookcase downstairs on my own and it overtaking me so I was trapped upstairs for ages and also blocked myself into my room for a couple of hours whilst moving furniture, I only realised when I needed a wee but luckily there was a jug on the windowsill
I don't do much these days but that's more lack of motivation than anything.

lostinrates

moneyistooshorttomention wrote: »

:rotfl: at LIR's comments re shifting furniture around. I've had out a carpet-fitter recently, who looked at the room concerned and told me he would be moving all the furniture for me and wouldn't charge extra for it. Heh..."new best friend" I thought...

I did say that I can manage to move the lighter-weight stuff myself, but gratefully accepted that he will deal with the heavier stuff (still sitting here ruefully feeling the effects in my back after yesterday's efforts).

Don't think Mr Carpet Fitter was being sexist...maybe he wouldn't have automatically said that to a woman who is "built like a tank" and 20 years younger, but little me/at my age means that's a perfectly accurate assessment of the "state of play".

I am gearing myself up to painting several of the rooms in this house myself though, having realised that may be the only way to get things done to my standard (tells self that even an amateur who tries to do things properly is likely to be better than a "professional" who isn't that concerned with proper standards). Also trying to persuade myself into re-painting the outside of my house myself.

Personally, I'm not going to even try at moving anything that realistically is too heavy for me again. Daft of me to try yesterday and in a part of the country where men make "great play" of how physically strong they are and seem to love any opportunity to demonstrate it.

But you see, I'd agree, and would say the same to a man of 'half pension age' who wasn't physically strong. . (And take same advice now)

When I was shifting the piano I was in my early twenties and while not burly I was very athletic, completing in one of the few sports women compete in equally against men , and keeping fit in many other ways too. Of course I could move furniture, probably better than some of my male friends at the time! Was I as strong as a man who did as much or different exercise to me, no, of course not, i was a slip of a girl but compared to many ......yep!

Byatt

LIR, my parents moved house a lot, so got into carrying/moving furniture at a young age and now have an "eye" for how things can best be moved. However, last year I decided to haul a large heavy bookcase upstairs, got half way and realised I just didn't have the strength to haul it any further, so I was precariously balanced in front of it, unable to pass it as stairs are narrow, so I clambered on top with the intention of carefully easing it down and we both not so gracefully slid down...:eek::rotfl: edit; just read dibuzz's post,

Mummybobble, yes! Comments from family and ex shattered my belief in myself, since being alone I have found I can do more things than I thought I could...try not to listen to those voices, and believe in yourself. :T
My parents were very much of the generation that girls did "this" and boys did "that"...alos they were perfectionists so didn't leave a lot of room for failure.

MTSTM, I've noticed funnily enough, now I'm older, more people offer to carry things for me! :rotfl: :eek:

lostinrates

Byatt wrote: »

LIR, my parents moved house a lot, so got into carrying/moving furniture at a young age and now have an "eye" for how things can best be moved. However, last year I decided to haul a large heavy bookcase upstairs, got half way and realised I just didn't have the strength to haul it any further, so I was precariously balanced in front of it, unable to pass it as stairs are narrow, so I clambered on top with the intention of carefully easing it down and we both not so gracefully slid down...:eek::rotfl: edit; just read dibuzz's post,
:

Its happened to me too, A very light wardrobe not a not a bookcase, I definitely thought I'd be ok, and wasn't. . I was stuck upstairs till DH came home. AT that time the loo was down stairs and I had NO JUG

Edit....lesson learned.....I am much stronger pushing than pulling. I know this, I know this well, not sure why I tried other.....