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Nov 26, 2011 14:03:31 GMT
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This is going to be photodump with a thin thread through it. As most of you know I had been made redundant after 14 years with my previous company. We decided that I would look for work, not panic and keep busy in the mean time. The downside was that I have specialised over the years and was looking at niche market jobs, so not many about. The last time I had interviewed for a job had been 20 years before, as the company that made me redundant, had head hunted me in a time when a chat over a cuppa tea (Or in my case on a hotel verandah in Cape Town overlooking the ocean) could land you a job. We got married in August 2010 and having moved here in September 2010 we knew there was a lot of stuff we wanted to do to the house over time and set a 5 year plan in place for the modifications and changes we wanted to make..... you know how it goes though..... Redundancy announced in October and enforced in January and a misserable winter with loads of snow. The first job was to turn the "office and dinning room" downstairs into a single room, known from the outset as the "Green room" as Nicola had bought stuff for it even before we had bought the house. Due to cost and me being tight it was decided that we would do as much of the work ourselves, leaving plastering and final electrics to the pro's. I would still finish and prep for paint etc, but getting that bloody stuff up on the ceiling was left to our mate Glen, who has worked on 3 houses for us in the past. He gets a key and comes in after hours or whenever it suits him, keeping our costs down in the process. Looking outward to the garden..... The kitchen and utility area was a boiled egg yellow, that had to go ASAP. Resulting in this..... a bit bland, but easier on the eyes. At 8pm one night the walls were up, and by 9pm it started to look like this. 9.30 it was here and by 10pm the walls were down and Glen was away. We need to pause here for a moment. In an unusual show of concern, I will just say that safety equipmend like glasses should be used when working with plaster board and circular saws when working above shoulder height. This really did hurt in the end. Next morning, in typical Grizz style, I was removing nails from all the timber etc and storing it for future use. My trusty angle grinder came out of course and I moved the wires the way I saw fit (was not going to open the ceiling to do it all the right way) A couple of days later Glen was back, doing what he does best..... Leaving things like this. Followed by a nice mix inside the house as it was bloody cold at this point, filling the groove in the floor where the dry wall had been. This also showed the two floors having a diagonal difference of about 40mm which I did manage to doctor in the end. At this point the weather turned nasty and we never saw Glen until after Christmas. With our deadline and also the flooring being booked for the 23rd December we had no option but to just get on with stuff. Outside looked like this and even if he tried, Glen would not have made it to where we live. Nicola out making sure the bird feeders were full. We also had a lovely Christmas market up at Rochester Castle. With Nicola at work every day, I carried on, sanded and prepped the walls. Nicola helped wherever she could. Green Room taking shape paint cutting in. Watching paint dry. Looking out after the floor went down. So that concludes that job. On Boxing day I made a BBQ for about 25 people here and everyone loved the room, which made Nicola gloat about the green theme. I did paint other rooms in the house while I was at it and made some Biltong. On the 31st December I bought a Madass, which caused ructions as I had not discussed it with Nicola.... oooppps. Other little jobs included repairing the paving on the driveway etc. More updates later on other stuff I did while at home. I think I worked harder at home than at the day job, but it must have saved us a fair amount of money doing as much as possible ourselves. That is if you are interested in seeing more?? Let me know.
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Last Edit: Nov 27, 2011 9:35:38 GMT by grizz
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dungbug
Posted a lot
'Ooligan!
Posts: 2,852
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Nov 26, 2011 15:23:31 GMT
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The 'Grizz' effect will take hold again now, half tempted to start building that rockery I've been putting off. ;D
Did you keep the Madass?
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Past: 13 VW Beetles from 1967 - 1974 Bay Window Campers (1973 & 1974) Mini's (1992 Cooper lookalike & 1984 '25 Anniversary) MK2 Polo Coupe S (1984 & 1986) MK2 Polo Breadvan (1981 & 1984) MK4 Escort (1989) MK2 Granada Based Hearse (seriously) Fiat Uno 60S (1986) Punto 60S (1998) Cinq (1997) 1998 Yamaha YZF600R Thundercat 2003 Ford KA
Current: 2004 Ford Focus (barely alive)
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Mr S
Posted a lot
10-4 Good buddy.
Posts: 2,654
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Nov 26, 2011 16:08:11 GMT
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Always interested in seeing your work Grizz, keep the pics coming ;D
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Suzuki GSXR1000 K2 BMW R1150GS BMW K1200RS Chevy K5 Blazer Chevy Suburban LT Jaguar XKR
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cavman
Part of things
feeling inspired :)
Posts: 233
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Nov 26, 2011 18:02:14 GMT
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nice work fella, good to see what we all when we're not scraping our knuckles in the garage! I'm about to make some modifications to our bathroom. You've inspired me to get on with it and start a thread about it too when I do!
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'78 Mk1 Cavalier Coupe - I wish I had a pound for every time someone told me "my dad used to have one of those"!!
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Ray Singh
Posted a lot
More German exotica in my garage now
Posts: 1,985
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Nov 26, 2011 20:35:05 GMT
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Well done Grizz. I lost my job this year too. I have been working for Nokia ever since i left University 15 years ago. It was a difficult time, and i went the opposite way, sitting at home and doing nothing except drinking.....
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You cant beat having time on your hands! For most people time isnt your own what the demands of the modern day life and familys etc. I'm lucky I work a firemans type shoft 4 on 4 off days and nights so thats 6 months of the year really! I couldnt half the things I have with just a weekend off. I'm a little dissapointed you have shoes and socks on whilst working in these photos, feel you went all health an safety mad on us. I've got some spare hard hats if you want them;)
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The 'Grizz' effect will take hold again now, half tempted to start building that rockery I've been putting off. ;D Did you keep the Madass? Yep, Madass is still in the garage.... one of my "failures" Failed MOT on a few bits, I fixed most, excluding the indicators (electrics are a bit foreign to me) which I have not tried to fix in earnest, as the speed is too high of the flickering. Also the rear brake dics actuator is made of soft cheese and probably cast from cock cheese (can I say that?) It is broken in about 5 places, so I need to fabricate a new one. The disc is mechanically actuated with a small mushroom shaped thing rolling over 3 ball bearings in teardrop shaped grooves to make it push the disc pads onto the disc...... make sense? Tom wants the Madass quite badly as he is 16 now, but untill spring, and until he rides a lot better on the 250 trials bike, he will not go for the CBT thing and his license. I want him to ride and enjoy motorbikes, like I did since age 14, but I also do not want him to end up under the local bus, Tesco delivery truck or mr white van mans wheels. I had thought of selling the Madass and getting him an auto scooter, but gears are the way in my view.
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Well done Grizz. I lost my job this year too. I have been working for Nokia ever since I left University 15 years ago. It was a difficult time, and I went the opposite way, sitting at home and doing nothing except drinking..... @ Bladerunner, Cavman : Thanks a lot. As mentioned before, I think we all learn a lot from these forums. So sharing is easy. @ Rav : not sure what you are drinking But I guess we all respond differently to the nasty curved balls life tosses at us. Not sure I should say this, but start looking at small jobs around the house to do, or if you have a neighbour who needs a bit of help (mine are 84 years old and Mickey is 65) and get out there and help them, cut the grass, paint a fence, trim a tree, whatever..... these things will keep your mind and body busy and increase your selfworth.... just stating the obvious. In the mean time, keep looking for a job, and look outside of your comfort zone and experience base too.
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You cant beat having time on your hands! For most people time isnt your own what the demands of the modern day life and familys etc. I'm lucky I work a firemans type shoft 4 on 4 off days and nights so thats 6 months of the year really! I couldnt half the things I have with just a weekend off. I'm a little dissapointed you have shoes and socks on whilst working in these photos, feel you went all health an safety mad on us. I've got some spare hard hats if you want them;) Ahhhh Ashley, i do have to appologise. It started out with the room doors being shut due to all the free dust, and the heating had been removed and then disconnected, so the room was bloody cold most of the time..... trainers are my extreme in comfort (I do have steel capped boots for serious stuff though, like cutting with a diamond tip, or 2mm disc on the floor) I used to love working shift when I nursed a lifetime ago. My wife was a nurse as well, so we could work similar shifts, up to 8 on, 8 off which meant you got loads of time off. Night shifts are the best, especially in Summer as you get so much done.
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dungbug
Posted a lot
'Ooligan!
Posts: 2,852
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The 'Grizz' effect will take hold again now, half tempted to start building that rockery I've been putting off. ;D Did you keep the Madass? Tom wants the Madass quite badly as he is 16 now, but untill spring, and until he rides a lot better on the 250 trials bike, he will not go for the CBT thing and his license. I want him to ride and enjoy motorbikes, like I did since age 14, but I also do not want him to end up under the local bus, Tesco delivery truck or mr white van mans wheels. I had thought of selling the Madass and getting him an auto scooter, but gears are the way in my view. Great attitude towards it, I think too many people see a bike as a death trap without appreciating that with the right training and some common sense they're perfectly useable. As Tom is taking interest in bikes I'm sure you'll have him on the Madass with the tools as he's coming up to CBT time, always great when kids can pick up practical skills......My little 'un was 3 in September & points out the carb, airbox, brake disk, engine, chain & yokes are on the GN. ;D She's already asking for a bike when she's older, Mrs Dungbug isn't overly impressed but I'm of the sme opinion as yourself, do things properly & be safe. Oh & good move going for a geared machine rather than a 'rev & rip', his time on the Trial bike will make the clutch use a breeze. Best of luck to him when the time come's.
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Past: 13 VW Beetles from 1967 - 1974 Bay Window Campers (1973 & 1974) Mini's (1992 Cooper lookalike & 1984 '25 Anniversary) MK2 Polo Coupe S (1984 & 1986) MK2 Polo Breadvan (1981 & 1984) MK4 Escort (1989) MK2 Granada Based Hearse (seriously) Fiat Uno 60S (1986) Punto 60S (1998) Cinq (1997) 1998 Yamaha YZF600R Thundercat 2003 Ford KA
Current: 2004 Ford Focus (barely alive)
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Right, next bit. Between hanging out, taking down and folding laundry, I also got to cut the grass, do the hedges, both ours and the neighbours on both sides (Hard bloody work swinging that thing all over with hedges up to 12 foot in places.) I also had firewood to prepare for winter, logs to chop up and I make recycled paper mache bricks for the fire place. They burn/glow for up to 2 hours and I use sawdust etc in there too. Chased some rats that had moved into the loft and managed to destroy a bunch of my mementos, and chew the wheels off many of my model cars. Worked on the Madass up to the point where other priorities pushed it onto the back burner. Spent a lot of time and effort on this bike, until I could go no further. Sold on Ebay and had Nicola share the money between 2 charities we support. I had some interviews and some included these sort of equations...... no bloody idea what for. The one I failed was the one I tried to figure the answers for. The next one I passed with flying colours, in spite of absolutely randomly answering the questions. Cut some hedges down, and cast a concrete path. Did this on the Royal Wedding day. Mickey and I work well together, thankfully. Various welding jobs, including the bits for the BBQ build, wichas to be my best project during t time off wook. While I had time I made a wall hanging for my study. I find having old certificates and diplomas etc on the wall a bit boring. So went for a busy theme. Cartoons. Got given this table and chairs that was destined for the tip. sanded back the bits the dog had chewed, sanded the rest back and gave a few coats of varnish then replaced the 4 seater table in the house, this one can seat up to 8 people. Of course everyone knows about the garage saga, where Nicola kicked my plums in with one carefully constructed sentence. Got that sorted too, thankfully, and now have a functional garage. Last pic for now, the thread is elsewhere. BBQ built, and enjoyed thoroughly. More reports later, off to the shops with the missus now.... gotta keep earning them brownie points.
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recarouk
Yorkshire and The Humber
Posts: 435
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Nov 27, 2011 16:43:16 GMT
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Grizz, i love reading your threads. i come on here most of the time and have a mooch about but really enjoy reading everything you post.
like ive said previously you have the right attitude towards life, you never seem to let things get you down, you just soldier on.
i wish i lived closer so i could drag you down the local pub for a pint or two and a good old chat about things, as people like you are very few and far between.
cheers.
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Nov 27, 2011 16:43:25 GMT
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I had some interviews and some included these sort of equations...... no bloody idea what for. The one I failed was the one I tried to figure the answers for. The next one I passed with flying colours, in spite of absolutely randomly answering the questions. I've had to do the exact same test twice now this year I think the most frustrating thing is not knowing which ones you got wrong to able to improve for next time. Pain in the . Anyway, I'm enjoying this thread as ever, the Madass looks like great fun. I'm very tempted when I'm making a bit more money to do my CBT, I have no real desire to ride Japanese mega-bikes at any point but something like that, and many of the other bikes I've seen in this section, look like they could be fun.
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1989 Peugeot 205. You know, the one that was parked in a ditch on the campsite at RRG'17... the glass is always full. but the ratio of air to water may vary.
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ruffgeezer
Posted a lot
Attracts french tat.
Posts: 1,252
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Nov 27, 2011 19:45:20 GMT
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I must be bloody thick, I can't suss that question out. Can someone point out the workings for us thickies?
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Nov 27, 2011 21:51:05 GMT
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I must be bloody thick, I can't suss that question out. Can someone point out the workings for us thickies? That was one of a whole load. I think the idea is to see if you can prioritise and just say sod it, and move on to the next one. Maybe there is no answer.
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Nov 27, 2011 22:08:43 GMT
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I must be bloody thick, I can't suss that question out. Can someone point out the workings for us thickies? 0.3 (thousand million passengers) departing from europe travellingon average 1000km versus 0.9 (thousand millio) departinf rom europe travelling individually 20% less far so 800km on average 3x1000 versus 9x800 3000 versus 7200 140% increase thats how i did it anyway i know the 3x1000 and the 9x800 seem like random numbers but it saves doing 300,000,000 x 1000 and 900,000,000 x 800
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skinnylew
Club Retro Rides Member
Posts: 5,595
Club RR Member Number: 11
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Nov 27, 2011 23:35:51 GMT
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Inspirational stuff as always Rian I was gonna say 140% but purely based on the fact that although the average was down the numbers were triple lol
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Nov 28, 2011 22:46:55 GMT
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For those of you with sharp eyesight, you will have noticed the railway sleepers in the background. Delivered free of charge by Nicola's brother, so that his baby sister could have an ericacious garden bed. Planned and laid out, I carried the first few, then woke up to modern technology Made a lot easier with a wheelbarrow. I used 6 inch nails and steel strapping on the inside to keep it all together. The next bed was a bit more awkward due to its shape....but had to be done, as the area was a dead corner of the garden. I soon found the mains electricity cable down to the garage running 50mm below the grass, so needed to dig a trench under and then recess it all, and add chevron tape and also a strip of wood over the top. Thank goodness for chainsaws, so I was able to shape the side sleeper to fit the space and also go over the cambe where it went under the driveway. The final locking piece was also the heaviest and thickest sleeper I had got. From the front, looking rearward. Some recycled newspaper paper mache bricks with a load of the sawdust from the chainsaw.... these are being used on the fire every night right now along with the loads I made through the year. Next up few tons of mature farm manure and some "top soil" delivered by a local farmer. Quickly dispatched by us. Then two more bags of quality topsoil for the ericacious bed, which was also chemically treated to get the Ph correct etc. At this point I had pressure cleaned all the paving, driveway etc, and also the deck, which then got about 3 coats of decking sealer. While I was at it with the pressure cleaner, also cleaned the outside of the house and then proceeded to change the colour, painting it all with a 2 inch brush. WHY ?? You will ask me.... Because if you loo closely,the all are covered in a rough textured pebble dash surface,and no roller was going to cover that propperly. It took me about 2 days to do the whole outside of the house. More updates when I get time. Off to bed now.
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Nov 28, 2011 23:00:22 GMT
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My god, near ready to sell my house and move to Kent it has.nt really stopped raining here in three weeks, I am near ready to cry and you out working in the gloryous sun shine ;~]
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Fulla the pipe Hi!
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bailey
Part of things
Posts: 125
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grizz it is awsome to see all your workings what sort of time scale did it take to compleate the garden and bbq. Have you got any block/ brick work experiance when you started it or was it a have a go type thing like the rest of your escapades lol
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