What have you been doing today?

[Harry Bloomfield]

I am now up to CKD level 5, so today had a home visit from the dialysis specialist nurse, to explain the future options for dialysis. She says my numbers suggest, this could still be several years away, hopefully, but best to be prepared early. Options seem to be 3 dialysis trips to hospital, per week - or a home printer sized unit, and DIY at home, during the night, as I sleep.

 

[crystal ball]

Put some mealworms out around the nest boxes on some "balconies" I have made, the bag upended in the garage, spent 20 mins sweeping up mealworms

 

[Brigadier]

I did promise to dig out my homemade wine recipe for @Harry Bloomfield months ago. Things very much got in the way.

Not from a kit, and far superior for it.

I'll have a look and post it, if I can find the book I wrote it down in.......

Found it!
(Made this in 2012 according to my homebrewing diary, so you may have to substitute some of the ingredients).

- 6 x 1 litre cartons of red grape juice (I used Rio D'Oro from Aldi at the time). It MUST be "pure pressed" stuff though, NOT "from concentrate" (these have something in them that deactivates the yeast, so it will never ferment).

- 3 gallons of warmed tap water

- 3 x lemons (juiced)

- 3.5kg granulated sugar

- 4 teaspoons Youngs Dried Active Yeast

- 4 teaspoons Youngs Yeast Nutrient

This took just over 5 weeks until bottling, and made almost 5 gallons of lovely, medium-dry rose-type wine.


MIx the ingredients together in your large mixing tub, then siphon it off into (in my case, 5) demijohns.
Add 1/2 teaspoon of pectin to each DJ.
Stick the little swanneck-type valve into each DJ, to let it bubble while keeping the dust and flies out.
Leave somewhere warm - I just left the DJs at the bottom of my bedroom wardrobe, where they were undisturbed, dark, and quiet).

After about 10-14 days - when the bubbling (fermentation) has basically stopped - rack the liquid carefully off the sediment, into clean DJs. In my batch, about 41/2 DJs' worth.

After 21-28 days from starting, I bottled it up - about 6 bottles from each DJ - so you're pushing 30 bottles.


Cost:

- £10 for the grape juice?
- £5 for the sugar?
- £2 for the lemons?
- £15 for the yeast, nutrient, and pectin?
- tap water; basically free.

Just north of a quid a bottle, all in a month

 

[Mottie]

Started to take down some old kitchen cabinets. Mrs Mottie wants to clean them all thoroughly before they are taken. I’m taking them down quicker than she can clean them. She’s got the 'ump. We've had words and the kitchen refit hasn’t even started yet. This is going to be fun!

 

[Mottie]

Found out why our extractor wasn’t very good. The ducting wasn’t even connected! I got a mate to fit this kitchen for me about 20 years ago while we were on holiday so no critical Mottie supervision (ie poking my nose in) took place. Also explains why there’s an 'orrible thick sticky film of grease all along the top of those units. Wait till I next see him, the swine!

The fridge/freezer and ovens arrived today. Stacked them in the hall along with the sink, the taps and the pots and pans. Spot the nosey dog!

House is starting to resemble a building site already. Old kitchen will be gone by Saturday, new units coming on Tuesday. My back and legs are aching already.

Currently cooking my last meal in our old oven. That’s coming out tomorrow alomng with the hob - after my last fry-up.

 

[freddiemercurystwin]

You screw this up you'll literally be eating a 'last meal'.

 

[Brigadier]

On my second screen, watching the PO solicitor being eviscerated by JB KC.

On again at 1400.

 

[Mottie]

Been up since 5.20 trying to get this bloody kitchen out. Think I’m going to have to start breaking things, especially the 'L' shaped worktop. Can’t seem to get it loose - apart from not being able to separate it at the join (glued, biscuits and clamped) it’s been chased into the wall. Going to have to cut the dishwasher waste pipe as that’s been glued in after the corner cabinet was fitted. The sink appears to be held in just with mastic too. Wish I hadn’t have sold it now - would have been easier to get out with a jigsaw and a sledgehammer! Buyer said he and his brother will take it out so I might just leave it for them.

 

[noseall]

Wish I hadn’t have sold it now - would have been easier to get out with a jigsaw and a sledgehammer! Buyer said he and his brother will take it out so I might just leave it for them.

View attachment 342121

Yeah, its a downside. If customers want to sell stuff on, then we advise that do it well in advance of us turning up on site. We have took loads of connies down lately and all have ended up in the skip. Simply because of the effort and lead time needed to sell these items on. We can destroy a good size connie and have most of it skipped in a day. Second hand kitchens and the like, do not enjoy being re-fitted. There are always the inevitable broken or forced apart, bits and pieces. The facade bits are easy - the built-in bits, not so.

 

[Mottie]

Yeah, its a downside. If customers want to sell stuff on, then we advise that do it well in advance of us turning up on site. We have took loads of connies down lately and all have ended up in the skip. Simply because of the effort and lead time needed to sell these items on. We can destroy a good size connie and have most of it skipped in a day. Second hand kitchens and the like, do not enjoy being re-fitted. There are always the inevitable broken or forced apart, bits and pieces. The facade bits are easy - the built-in bits, not so.

Yeah. The bloke is getting it for his sister who has just moved into an empty flat with a mouldy kitchen. He’s getting it for the fridge, oven & hob plus a selection of the cabinets. He knows he’ll have to get a new worktop.

 

[Harry Bloomfield]

My workshop, has two windows, over the workbench, between the windows, long ago, I fitted a deep, heavy duty stack of shelves made from kitchen worktop. It was a major mistake to fit it there, obstructing use of the bench, but I'm always desperately short of storage space in the garage and workshop. It filled the entire wall space, between the windows, and made the bench, and workshop even darker.

Yesterday, I decided to remove it, and refit it on a side wall, moving a filing cabinet - used for storage of electric tools, into an unused corner of the garage. The shelves were crammed with lots of small items, old drawers, knife and fork trays, used for smaller items, trays full of SDS bits. I to pull them all out, just to drop the shelf unit off the wall, and stack them on the floor.

Yesterday, I managed to get the shelf jacked back up to it's new location, balanced temporarily on my garage jack, and fixed into place. Today's task, is to put all the removed items back in place.

 

[Mottie]

Removed all of my kitchen. Bloke was supposed to pick it up today. I phoned him at 8.30 to find out what time he was coming and he said he thought it was tomorrow! To be fair, I did initially say the 5th but I thought I’d rearranged it for today. He has to borrow a van and his wife is in hospital having just had a baby and she was coming out at 12.00 today. I said to leave it until tomorrow but he said no, today is fine. I carried on removing stuff and getting it outside. His brother phoned me at 2.00 apologising and asking if they can come tomorrow. I said ok but by now I had everything outside - in my garden and on my drive. Had to put it all away in case it rained tonight so I took my bike out of the garage, put some in the garage, some in the shed and the rest I took back indoors. He's paid a deposit but Mrs Mottie says the kitchen resembles a pile of firewood and says I should give him some money back as he's doing us a favour taking it away. All I know is, I’m bloody knackered - I’ve got aches in muscles where I didn’t know I had muscles!

 

[Brigadier]

Up at 0600, to take second-born to work.

A 30 minute session on my mtb, bolted to the smart trainer.

Mowed the grass.

Bought some more Guinness 0.0.

Collected second-born.

Did some washing.

Sharpened a chef knife.

Lounged around, listening to Burnley getting battered.

 

[freddiemercurystwin]

I’m knackered

Nah, he can pay, my take on this kind of thing is if they're willing to remove it all then they can have it but if you takes the time and effort to remove it on their behalf they can pay for the privilege.

 

[fillyboy]

What sort of money are you asking for the old kitchen Mots?