The place where I document the stupid stuff I do
Another smashing afternoon out with Charlie and Ellie. We drank in Afflecks, we ate in My Thai and I managed to get the train home again without too much drama. Even managed a cheeky mid afternoon “nightcap” in The Windmill on the way home.
During lockdown we got adopted by a cat. Pickle, AKA Moses, we found his owners and returned him but he kept coming back, probably because Emma kept feeding him. Eventually we started letting him come into the house but he really is a smelly cat and it was sometimes a bit unpleasant. I’m not 100% sure if it was him or our actual cat Willow that would poo in the house so we ended up kicking them both out. This is fine in the Summer but I always felt a bit sorry for him in the Winter.
So I decided to build him a house.
I had to buy some 2×1 wood to make the stud walls but all the other materials were leftovers from building my workshop.
I gave it a test run with Violet to make sure it was big enough.
Then I gave it a test run with Jason to be doubly sure. Since all 6’3 of Jason can make it in there I’m pretty sure a cat will be comfortable
It took two of us to carry it down the garden as it weighs an absolute tonne. It’s mounted on wheels to move it around a bit. It’s not 100% finished as the roof is just resting on the top but it’s pretty heavy so will survive all but the strongest of storms. The roof covering is a bit rubbish but I’ll make improvements over time.
It took Pickle about 5 minutes to move in after Emma placed some cat treats in there. The dog is also quite interested but hopefully she can’t fit through the hole. Moderately proud of myself.
The annual reunion/pilgrimage/drinking-session took place in Cambridge on the 12/13/14 of Cambridge depending on when you arrived and when you left. The sensible folk arrived on Friday and left on Sunday. Just the crazies Scouse and Mikey did all 3 days.
After a relatively quiet night out on Friday, ahem, Aggy and I decided a Saturday morning of Voi scooter fun was necessary
We had a few mini quests. To go take a look at the place of my first proper employment [ Philips/Simoco ] and after much head scratching and thinking “I’m sure it was around here somewhere” comments – we found it. Or rather, we found where it used to be before it got knocked down and had a housing estate built on it.
Then we went in search of the Green Man – found it – and then remembered it was called the Green Dragon – or to be honest it may be the other way around.
After scooting we went to the pub.
Obviously we started the day at The Prince Regent and had a few warm up drinks there. We then headed off to play Shuffle Board and Beer Pong at some Boom Bar place in Cambridge. Hands up I fully expected it to be shit, however we all had quite a lovely time.
We tend to visit Thaikun each year and try to soak up the beer with Thai food. This time we [ or maybe just “i” ] was/were absolutely hammered.
It got messy. Clothes were removed. Beer was spilled. Videos were made. Not entirely sure we’ll be allowed back next year. Should have left a much bigger tip.
It all gets a little blurry after this but we went to Sainsbury’s which was like an episode of Supermarket Sweep and I woke up with all kinds of random crap in my bag and then we finished the night at The Butter Bar in Christ’s College which since we were all guests there was very much like our own little Gentlemen’s Drinking Club.
Wake. Breakfast. Voi to car. Charge car in Bar Hill Tesla and then shoot up to visit Mr Howarth before finally making it home on the morning of the Monday – definitely in need of some rest.
My newly built workshop was beginning to look a bit of a mess with tools strewn hither and thither. My good friend Jason made a “shadow board” in his garage and so I thought I’d do the same with some left over OSB.
So far so good. But I still had a crap load of Ryobi tools scattered around the workshop. My first thought was to put up another piece of OSB and then have little shelves for the tools to sit on. This didn’t feel like a great idea though, the shelves may get knocked and then an expensive bit of kit falls on to a concrete floor and breaks. I realised I couldn’t be the first person to be suffering from this problem so I did some googling and found these Ryobi-green plastic wall mounts that you screw in and mount your tools on the fake battery connector shape thing that protrudes from the mount.
I only ordered 5 as a bit of a test, but they’re great. I’ll be ordering 5 more….hmmmm, maybe 10.
Not so long ago I was driving around in a big ass Porsche. Skiing in the French Alps. Renting private villas in the Summer and generally having more money than I knew what to do with.
Now.
Now look at me.
Can’t even afford to buy real Vimto!
