Nice People 12: Nice in Nice

Masomnia

Smashing my way through this portfolio.

Just wrote 500 words in 20 minutes

I think it's pretty good.

Phoned my mum and told her to put the Prossecco in the fridge. I'm damn well celebrating later.

Right, back to it.

PasturesNew

lostinrates wrote: »

He then started talking about trousers the colour of Battenberg cake in the gap, for a tenner, with great excitement.

Somewhere, in the city there is a man wearing swimming trunks ( which he pretends are gym shorts because they are ' more jolly' and a shirt, possibly with cufflinks. Prey to god he left his bag of cheese somewhere.

..... oh dear, he's finally lost the plot....

Doozergirl

lostinrates wrote: »

Only NDG, chewy and michaels are close enough. NDG's hands are full, I'm not sure michaels is up to it ( after the car packing and leaving on time example) and I think chewy would probably keep a safe distance while cheering DH on.

Doozer is in London but I am afraid that I have had to stop him walking around Next in nothing but his undies in the past, so fear that any help he may provide may just end up being similar minded company for fir.

GDB2222

LydiaJ wrote: »

I suspect that actually most people start off by doing the job with somebody who knows how - dad, friend, etc. Then they pick up the basics. After that, if they discover that they have some aptitude and inclination in that direction, they try picking up further skills on their own. Only after they've done quite a lot either with assistance or in a situation where it doesn't really matter how good the job is, can they go on and start charging people for their skills.

PN is still at the stage where she posts in triumph when she's assembled flat pack furniture without left over pieces and without the end product being wonky. She can tell that her curtain pole fixings aren't up to the job, but she probably doesn't know that that's because it's a newbuild house with flimsy stud walls, or what kind of special fixings would be necessary to overcome the difficulty. I think that's quite a long way from being able to show up to somebody else's house to get paid for fixing whatever they've decided is too hard for them to do themselves.

Curiously enough, my dad was firmly of the 'get a man in' ilk. I learned from reading books, and trial and error. Certainly not from him. What I did learn early on is that you need the right tools for the job.

For what I can do, it's much quicker usually just to get on with it, rather than trying to get someone in. For example, I need quotes for an insurance job of redecoration due to water damage. After a couple of weeks, I have been promised quotes "tomorrow", but nobody has actually called round.

I was thinking that, for PN, it would make more sense to try to conquer her fears and just get on with some of the easier jobs herself. I wasn't suggesting that she should go into the little man business, but the £20-25 per hour she is saving will enable her to buy some tools, so she can do more of her own repairs in future. She seems to have the time, and it may bolster her confidence if she finds that she can actually do some of these jobs she's afraid of.

PasturesNew

The stick is out of the hole.

Plan didn't go too well as my string wasn't slippy enough .... so I had another genius plan..... which worked.

Stick was extracted using: an expanding curtain pole, a length of string - and a hagstone (secret, witch, magic stone).

So I should sell hagstones on ebay as Magical Stick Extracting Stones.....

I knew the approximate diameter of the stick... and decided that the endstop of an expanding rail was "just a bit bigger, hopefully" - and I figured if I made a loop at the end of the string, using a small stone to weight it down .... then if I could poke the rail down to meet with the end of the stick, so they were effectively "joined", then I could move the stick away from the side - and the weight of the stone would make the string drop from being (loosely) around the curtain pole to being round the stick .... then I pulled it tight and, keeping the pressure on the rail-to-stick I pulled it all out together.

Available for stick extraction duties within a 25 mile radius - Rates £15/hour + travel at £1/mile.

PasturesNew

GDB2222 wrote: »

.... for PN....

It'd bring on an overwhelming wave of disinterest, anxiety and fright.

Seriously - if I have to paint a wall, I get feelings of deep depression after just 1 square meter.... then huge waves of hopelessness, loss.... I become morose and downhearted.



It's not for me.

I'm good at Heath Robinson inventions for sticks though.....

michaels

lostinrates wrote: »

Only NDG, chewy and michaels are close enough. NDG's hands are full, I'm not sure michaels is up to it ( after the car packing and leaving on time example) and I think chewy would probably keep a safe distance while cheering DH on.

FIR is very welcome to my trousers but the problem this would create, me in my y-fronts, would be a lot more unpleasant to all witnesses than the problem we are trying to solve.

Nikkster

Doozergirl wrote: »

Doozer is in London but I am afraid that I have had to stop him walking around Next in nothing but his undies in the past, so fear that any help he may provide may just end up being similar minded company for fir.

For some reason I'm now thinking of the Father Ted episode where they all get lost in the lingerie department

Nikkster

Masomnia wrote: »

I think it's pretty good.

Very jealous!

Almost there. Enjoy the well-earned prosecco tonight :beer:

lostinrates

michaels wrote: »

FIR is very welcome to my trousers but the problem this would create, me in my y-fronts, would be a lot more unpleasant to all witnesses than the problem we are trying to solve.

You're also taller than fir, so he'd ruin the legs of your trousers