Letter To A Very Old Mate .....

  Just this minute sent this e mail to my old mate, Kev'. We're of an age and he's been uncharacteristically silent for long enough now that, frankly; Ye just have to check for a fucking pulse!

 Shocking, isn't it? When ye need to nudge ye peers, just to reassure yeself they're still drawing breath.

Upholding my own, stated principals though, I didn't just shoot him a " Too long. How are ye? " job. I made some effort. In fact, I decided the effort would be wasted if I didn't fetch it here and use it to let everyone know what's going on with me right now, look.

 So, here it is. What I'm up to, right now. And a good idea of what to expect in the immediate future ~ Until something else crops up which I want to comment on. For now though? This is where Ditch is at .....

I'm, as I suspect you might be, just head down and arse up. Amongst the sort of work that being pretty much forced in doors for the coming duration tends to focus the mind on.

  Been working like a boss on my Panelling. In fact, it's 'done' now :-) Just have to caulk the countersinks and so forth. Then paint it and that's that.

  Only snag is, I have three doors to strip first. Actually set to, today. £15.00 can of Nitromors and a brand new scraper. Set about this door .....

  Complete and utter waste of time and money! FFS! Gave the door a good drenching. Fucked off in here for the proscribed fifteen minutes.

  Went back out there and had at it with the scraper. Might as well have just used the fucking scraper! Second good lathering had as much effect. Fuck that.

 Irony is; I've been telling everybody how I'll have to use stripper, because it's bound to be old, lead paint?

 Ripping out the last bit of the hallway, the other day, I found some newspapers folded in there and in good order. 1975!

  I shouldn't imagine they were even selling lead paint then? Went out in the fifties or sixties, surely?

 Anyway; Nitromors is pretty fucking shocking stuff to work with. So much so ~ and so useless! ~ I've now decided to go with a hot air gun.

  Mate told me, the other day, how excellent the later types are. I had one, years ago, and wasn't too impressed. Bit tedious. But, it seems they're better now?

 I'm fucking sure Pat has one. I seem to remember kneeling next to it, on the floor of one of his sheds, as I set and attended a rat box.

 Anyway, get up there tomorrow. See what he says. No way I'd use a naked flame here. Been there. Done that. Fuck!

 Up a ladder, stripping back the top of a first floor window frame? Suddenly, I'm frantically blowing like fuck at the flame that's now eating into the dry old wood and reaching, fast, for the eves!

 Told the governor straight; 'No Fucking Way!'. Give him his due. Rental property of his. But, he had that old frame ripped out and an entire replacement built and fitted.

 Cliffy Haworth that was. Christ almighty; The stories I could tell about Cliffy! LOL!