The Bells Have Made Me Deaf

With Saddam finally out of the equation is the world a better place? I somehow doubt that his parting will change anything but if anyone deserves to be hanged by the neck until dead, it is surely those who have taken the lives of countless innocent people and think it’s justified. Isn’t it sad that in century 21, human kind have not yet learned to live in peace.

I’m spending the last day of this year cleaning up plaster dust that seems to have found it’s way into everything. Here’s to a dust free 2007…

A nice fuzzy photo. By the time the curtains were hung, I was pretty fuzzy too. A 10 foot drop and three layers of fabric becomes quite heavy to handle while balanced on a wobbly set of steps that just aren’t high enough. Driving home, all I could think of was a hot bath before bed, only to be disappointed. My Dad had left the hot water running in the bathroom before he went home. Today it gives me great pleasure to take out all frustration with a large hammer on the old kitchen.

This evening I feel like drinking beer in a fast car listening to Jan Hammer playing very very loud with my jacket sleeves rolled up but instead I am compelled to finish a super sized pair of hand stitched cream linen interlined curtains as a fitting backdrop to this not yet ironed loose cover what I finished earlier in the week for a very non symmetrical sofa. It’s no illusion, it’s a nightmare… the right side really is higher than the left by a couple of inches.

And all pleasure must be sacrificed just so as the lady who commissioned my services doesn’t have my guts for garters when they aren’t hanging in her window (the curtains, not my guts) to catch the splashes of red wine and turkey gravy come Monday. Hopefully this time tomorrow there will still be somewhere open to buy a crate of something numbingly fine and drink in the last dregs of celebrating my entrance to the world.

Monday is demolition day when the weevils from hell will surely die the death they deserve.

It’s not very clever skiving off when you’re self employed but none the less, I have taken the morning off to catch up with e-mail and drink too much tea. Last nights activities are partly to blame, not getting to bed until 2am and waking up feeling like I’d been hit by a sledgehammer. Not one drop of alcohol passed my lips.

I bought a new kitchen… well … new to me and I have to say… it might as well be new. I reckon that had I purchased the whole thing from a reputable kitchen vendor, it would have cost somewhere in the region of an arm and a leg and maybe another leg as well. Instead, I had the pleasure of gleaning an eBay bargain for a very measly sum of £250. Anyhow, last night we took a big van all the way to Larne (the place of my ancestors) and filled the big van with the new to me, dismantled kitchen and drove it home only stopping briefly in Bangor for pizza.

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The living room is now warehousing for carcasses which will be fitted over the holidays. No big deal when you don’t do Xmas, and I don’t do Xmas. I hope it doesn’t upset the neighbours too much while gnawing on yet another plate of turkey in the conservatory and watching the DIY activities in my kitchen. Then there’s the power tools and all the noise. I’m sure they’ll think I’m quite mad but then I’m not the one telling children lies about old nick disguised in a red suit.

I’m looking forward to 010107 when the silly season officially draws to a close and working hours go back to a normal 20 hours a week. Sixteen hour days aren’t my idea of fun no matter how much money is involved. I have at least another two weeks of this kind of madness before things start to ease off or I drop dead… whichever comes first. Nah… it’s not really that bad but bad enough to need help if only it would carry on beyond December. Chance would be a fine thing and so I do the work of 2½ people on a short week rather than complicate life by hiring in temporary help. Besides, it’s impossible to find somebody who can do the job without training.

This evening I get to relax with a bottle of Spanish plonk and a plateful of steak. Yay!