20th May 2014 - Last Post ??? Kid stuff!

Thought for the day : (paraprosdokian)  "If I could just say a few words…I'd be a better public speaker." (Homer Simpson)

It's never easy traveling with children and often it can be expensive. In the early 1900s, some people decided cut costs by mailing their children via parcel post.
Sending packages via the U.S. Parcel Post Service began on January 1, 1913. Regulations stated that packages could not weigh more than 50 pounds but did not necessarily preclude the sending of children. On February 19, 1914, the parents of four-year-old May Pierstorff mailed her from Grangeville, Idaho to her grandparents in Lewiston, Idaho. Mailing May apparently was cheaper than buying her a train ticket. The little girl wore her 53-cents worth of postal stamps on her jacket as she traveled in the train's mail compartment.
After hearing of examples such as May, the Postmaster General issued a regulation against sending children by mail.

I can think of some children that I see around town that could do with a long posting - oops - NSPCC supporter .. I think there are a number of parents in the Llanelli area who could do with being posted...

But back to Sunny Llanelli.. well rainy Llanelli..
And the Storage and the boxes.......
And the search for the camera....
Found !!!  So more piccies later

.....

19th May 2014 - Of Breaks and Box Trailers, Snoozes and Storage...

Thought for the day:  (paraprosdokian) "I haven't slept for ten days, because that would be too long."
(Mitch Hedberg)

On that subject, I am a great believer in a power nap in the afternoon. Many do not agree, and some think that the siesta is only appropriate for those areas where the temperature goes through the roof in the day.
But I came across a study today which reassures me in my dotage...

"Experts say a 10 to 20 minute “power nap” is best for refreshing your mind and increasing energy and alertness. The sleep isn’t as deep as longer naps, which allows you to get right back at your day upon waking.
A 30 minute nap can lead to 30 minutes of grogginess, as you are often waking just as your body enters the deeper stages of sleep. You’ll experience some of that same fogginess if you sleep for an hour, but 60 minute naps are good for memory boosting.
The longest naps—around 90 minutes—are good for those people who just don’t get enough sleep at night. It’s a complete sleep cycle and can improve emotional memory and creativity."

For my own lifestyle, I enjoy the luxury of being able to pop back for a sleep in the afternoon, and I generally go for the 60 or full 90 minutes. I rarely need it when I am working at full tilt, but as a previous thought for the day mused "the problem with retirement is that it is hard to stop if you have no momentum !!" No for a normal day - a nap is key to an enjoyable day and evening...

And so the saga continues regarding the boxes!! .... Sadly no photos this evening as I seem to have mislaid the camera...    No! Not my good Canon, but the handy - pop it into the pocket and take some instant piccies camera. Which is a blow as well as Susie wanted it to take photos for Ebay Sales tomorrow - considering the weather is going to be rain again..

But with the box trailer - care of Roger and Maxine, the warehouse is getting cleared. This morning, the boxes were cleared in a single unload - and then two more trips have made a substantial hole in the stores.
Hopefully tomorrow, an empty first thing as I left the trailer full overnight, and two more loads will clear the building..

The knee brace seems to be working, and dull aches is the order of the day rather than cringing agony, and at the end of the day every muscle seems to be aching - a feeling that is very reminiscent of loading and transporting the tavern in the old days...

But at 4.30pm I felt today that I deserved that quick crawl back to my "scratcher", and head down for an hour.. 'Thena and Rusty also approve and feel it is a good time to come and join me in the bedroom...
A quick run around and retrace of steps this evening - just in case the camera was lying on a floor somewhere - after all I had only been to three locations all day - but sadly no lucK  - We will see what tomorrow brings..

So, a successful day. Susie's water catcher for the Plotment ( also sadly no pictures yet ) is having a good test. The ground is getting some much needed moisture. Well on schedule for the transfer of storage.
Maybe a Gin and tonic ??   Don't mind if I do !!!

18th May 2014 - Progress but no boxes..

Thought for the day : (paraprosdokian)"I've had a perfectly wonderful evening, but this wasn't it."  Groucho Marx

Actually the day has not been too bad - though the best laid plans of mice and men oft go astray!
For example, I decided to take a trailer of rubbish to the dump!. Not unusual really. Part of it was wood from the Shoreline which I thought I would take away as a favour, but most of it was smelly "stuff" from the back yard as we were clearing.  Black bags and smelly stuff including a dead rat which was far larger than it should have been in our garden and rather deteriorating, wood and old metal.

So, best laid plans head through town. Not a good idea these days. They have changed the timing on the traffic lights by the old cinema and every time i get into the queue I say to myself - I should have gone the other way! Does not matter how quick you are - if you are in the queue they will turn red before you get to them - and then wait !!  But having traversed the lights (it took two sets to get to the end) I headed the quickest way to the dump, straight down the main road and passed the railway station. Now as you approach the level crossing you can see if the lights are going red and barriers are closing.... so you can take another route...  Did this and saw that unusually,the level crossing at the other end of the station is also red . Meanign trains coming form both directions at the same time.

No problem - turn right and follow the road around to find the bridge... and there we have it ! They have managed to sneak in a new one way system (the other way naturally)  so I am re-directed back to the traffic lights in the opposite direction. Not to be outdone, I do a smart turn left and take the coast road. Aha !! I have them now - only to find that the road is closed for some  road race or similar - with nice security yellow clad people sending me down the other way!

So I get to the other side of the level crossing, which is of course now open and the traffic is flowing freely.... along the main road, not the road I am on which is now the diversion and  backed up for 200 yards... When I finally get to the junction, the delay is clear, the road is restricted by parking on both sides and not expecting this additional traffic in both directions...   Again I manage to sneak off down a side lane - only to find that the number of speed bumps have increased exponentially  - which does not help the trailer behind with its untied down smelly and wood...

I think that I could have gone via Timbuctoo faster than I managed the trip to the dump today...

The trip onto Swansea was fairly uneventful. Found machine Mart who did not stock the wheels for the sack truck so bought another one - it was cheap enough and I will need it int he short and long term. (Later found some replacement wheels on Ebay so they will be sent to repair Werner's truck that I have to take back to Germany later in the year)

Thought I would pop into Tesco to get a support bandage for the knee which is very painful today. I over extended it when pushing the freezer on the broken sack truck yesterday. Decided £20 was too much for a piece neoprene. I think I have one in the house somewhere... 

Got to Lidl and B & Q and decided that I had done enough for one day..

So the boxes will have to wait until tomorrow !

Meanwhile Susie has finished constructing the chicken house, and with great foresight and taste has painted it Green !

Just the finishing touches required and then the netting over the Chicken Run itself ...

An on other projects, I have started the plans for the Volls Wagen - the Vollsanger Instrument Transporter...
It is still only a humble Golf Caddie - but tomorrow and the day after - who knows what it may become ...

The simple Caddie in its natural environment next to the soft drinks (fosters). It is rather clever as it does fold up..  But the problem is how to carry a 6 string guitar, a 12 string guitar, possibly a banjo, and maybe some other instruments around - especially over rough ground as in Germany ...

The concept is simple. The shape of the guitar lends itself to resting upon the structure..

Just need to devise the right structure that sits on the caddie..   So that it can lift it on and off ...   Plans!!

Best have a glass of port and think about it ...  Ideas always seem better after a glass of port....

17th May 2014 - Starting the Saga of Boxes - Again!!!!

Thought for the day: "Where there's a will, I want to be in it."

I learned a new word today ... "Paraprosdokians"  The above thought for a day is one of those... It is a statement with an unexpected ending - often funny - apparently Winston Churchill was famous for  liking and quoting them so I am in good company..

"A paraprosdokian is a figure of speech in which the latter part of a sentence, phrase, or larger discourse is surprising or unexpected in a way that causes the reader or listener to reframe or reinterpret the first part. It is frequently used for humorous or dramatic effect, sometimes producing an anticlimax. For this reason, it is extremely popular among comedians and satirists. Some paraprosdokians not only change the meaning of an early phrase, but they also play on the double meaning of a particular word, creating a form of syllepsis. "


Always nice to have a new word of the day - especially when it gives me a few thoughts for the day for the future..

But yesterday was a day for building and clearing and boxes !!!


The ivy in the hard standing at the back garden was covering one wall. We thought that we had stopped having to take greenery to the dump - but no - we managed to get three large building bags full of the stuff ready for a trip to my mother's favourite day trip..


Having cleared, Susie had the opportunity to start looking at the chicken run and the chicken house and to see if we could build it in the space available and get the Bothy into the yard. It was tight and we found a lot of oil that we had gathered for the purpose of conversion into bio -diesel - a project that is on the back burner at the moment ... Sad to say - rumour has it one of the drums has split and is dripping oil into the back lane - have to see if we can clear that up !!!

But the Chicken Run is a little larger than I expected - though it is one section less than the fullsize - so could be another 8 feet longer!!! 

But there is just enough room for the Bothy and the chicken House is ready to be built inside...

So what about the Chickies!!!

They are certainly growing... even the littl'un who we thought was not going to survive...   But they will be ready to go out soon ...

So- don't mention the boxes!!
Found a new home down at the Shoreline at Burry Port, care of a great and generous friend... So started the task of moving today.. Of course without a box trailer it is a lot more difficult to get a full load in one trip - using the small trailer... But a couple of trips was about all I could manage today - Sadly the Sack truck burst a tyre - so everything had to be manhandled box by box!!

But with a bit of luck and a few good days and good weather we will succeed in transferring everything in the timescale - have to be out by the end of May - should be do-able !!

Meanwhile - on other news, 'Thena is settling down well and did not even try to jump up properly at the BT engineer - though she tried licking him to death - he was very patient !  Didn't find anything wrong with the line of course - they never do !  But the Broad band is doing well again - seems to happen that way every time ....

All three dogs were out for a roam around the big field today ..

Smiley Dogs !!!
Must be time for a glass of wine !!!
Cheers

16th May 2014 - Inspirations and Ideas

Thought for the day: "Spell Czech … Every time!!"

When storage becomes a problem, there are people who have very innovative ideas...  I love this version of the box and shelves. There are others out there showing the use of staircases to keep "stuff" by acting as shelves. This is one of my favourites.

Of course if you are really wanting to hide things then you can go over the top - such as hiding a garage under the drive ...

But I think that you would have to be able to afford the Porsche as well as the driveway for that sort of thing...

This was a simpler idea which rather took my fancy - and simple to do ...

But on a more simple level I came across some ideas for storage around the desktop, and found that I had used most of them already - all with the simple paper binder.. But as they were on the net I thought I would list my favourites that surround me at the moment ...

I have many cables annoyingly draped around my desk and yes - I use the clips to feed the wire through and keep them  out of my way - but handy when I need them. Headphone Cables, extension USB, camera connections all work very well.

This idea is a little retro - I think I have some of these in a box somewhere - reminds me I should be moving the boxes !!

Also a useful idea for keeping headphones accessible but uncluttered, Liked the use of the rubber band to form a cradle

And that looks similar to my desk - with rubber bands and pens and brushes .... You can store lots of stuff with a little thought..

So - back to the boxes I suppose... Will help to build up a thirst!

Cheers !

15th May 2014 - In search of Trailers

Thought for the day : "It was the biggest spider in the world :  I met my Arachnorok!!"

The next stage of the Box Move is to get a trailer to sort move everything. This should be relatively easy one would think. Find a reputable trailer firm that you have worked with before and hire for a week. Of course, if they do not want to answer the phone then it is quite possible that the phone will be on continuous engaged. I am not saying that they have taken it off the hook, but it seems to be a very long call!!

Option two is to look for another branch of said reputable company, and if it happens to be a little closer than Carmarthen then all well and good. Well it seems that Swansea is 11 miles away rather than 17 which makes them closer5 and they are a larger depot so they are likely to have a box trailer there. Indeed it turns out that they do which is all well and good until I check the price with them. They want £180 for the week or £50 a day as opposed to Carmarthen wanting £130 and £35 respectively. Ahh - I think to myself they must have a larger trailer for hire - but no - apparently as they are a larger depot they have higher overheads and therefore charge more for the same item - though they are the same company !!

So I am currently waiting for Carmarthen to answer an email I have sent them asking them to put the phone back onto the cradle or call me !!

I think it may be a long wait !!!

A check on Ebay shows some rather nice trailers for sale - but the one that looked best was going for £360 but was in Cambridgeshire so another 560 mile round trip - Maybe not!!!

But on the subject of boxes I have some inspiration..

Must Try harder !!!

14th May 2014 - Of storage Found

Thought for the day : "If you can’t convince them, confuse them."

Day started with a distinct lack of future prospects..
Finishing with a very different tack to be honest ...
But let me go back to the start....

To begin.. at the beginning....  well - maybe not that far back...

I have a plan...  It is a weird and wonderful plan and a good example of what I am good at .. Ideas! Getting it into reality may be something that will take a little more application that I am capable of - but then I do have some good support...
The problem - I now have a desiore to be an entertainer - and for me that includes having my 6 string guitar as well as a 12 string for extra volume, I am starting back with the banjo, love my autoharp - am still working on the 16 string lyre, have a banjo ukele in a case, and my travelling guitar...


In Germany last year - I found it very difficult to carry the 12 and 6 string around with a stand through the heat of the Mythodean countryside...


So, I had the idea of a music box - a store for my instruments that I could take around with me - that would collapse and fit into the Bothy ..  And then I thought of an answer... A golf Caddy !!!


It is designed to cover all terrain - carry a certain amount of weight - the larger ones would carry a lot of golf clubs... and they fold up ... All I need is to create  a storage unit to fit on the frame...


While strolling around town with the intention of visiting all of the estate agents looking for new storage rental I chanced upon a second hand golfing shop that I had not noticed before..  I called in an started examining the various caddies there. The helpful owner approached me with the obvious intention of discussing golf and handicaps and my golfing requirements - to which I admitted my lack of knowledge of  the sport and to be honest the lack of any interest as well!!


As I started to explain my purpose for a caddy to carry instruments, another shopper, with whom I am well acquainted who is also a drummer started getting enthusiastic about the idea ...  and so we sat talking about how to safely attach guitars to caddy's ... It was quite surrealistic...


During the course of the conversation I mentioned my problems with storage, after all that was my main reason for trawling the estate agents, and a number of options came up..  To which a mention of a common friend who owned the local Caravan Site, and who had just opened a new Bar and Leisure area so the old one was probably not being used for a while....   which might be appropriate for storage ...


Result !!

A few phone calls and a new warehouse option is available.. Only have to transfer everything over the next few days ...  So Special thanks to my mate Phil for allowing me access until October - an extension of 3 months on my previous terms...

Oh... I bought the caddy ..
Have to work out how to construct the music box now -  think it need a special shelf and storage for a bottle of Gin and two bottles of tonic...  maybe some solar lights as well ...    hmm


I'll drink to that !

The task ahead.....