Well the girls are moving at a fair pace, since my last blog they have moved from Bali, to Singapore - Singapore Slings in Raffles, Thailand - Phuket, Phi Phi Island, Koh Samui, Bangkok (an experience) and they are now in Vietnam. Hanoi was a shock to the system, as it was cold and damp, but having bought a couple of fleeces they went on a trip to a Home Stay in Sa Pa, with long treks through the rice fields. I have all on keeping up with where they are. They have sent some beautiful photos and they are having a fantastic time, although the money must be running low as there is talk of a mid March return home.This video from Hanoi made me smile, the public are no longer allowed to walk down to the railway line as it us deemed too dangerous, but if you want to sit and have drink at one of the train line cafes, that's ok!
At home I've skipped all the 'lets stop for January' campaigns, I can't think of anything worse than denying myself some of the small pleasures I enjoy for a month, life is too short. However, I have made a momentous decision that, having put on a little bit of weight over the past year, that I am going to start to prepare my beach body for the summer. I can tell you that its going to be a battle and the beach might to have to accept some compromises. As a target and just to tantalise Mrs Riley with what she has to look forward to, the budgie smugglers are bought ready and waiting for my new toned body to slip into. There was some comment along the lines of "if you think you're wearing them on the beach with me think again" and "I hope you've kept the receipt", but I'm confident her views will change when she sees the new me strutting along the beach, she should just be grateful I didn't buy the Mankini!
We bought a treadmill a couple of years ago which has only been used a handful of times. Apart from the motivation factor, I think the real problem is that I put the running machine in the garage. It's not the best place and to be honest there is nothing more demotivating on a cold winters day than stepping from a nice warm house into the garage to exercise. If you do manage to overcome that barrier then you are running in fear that if you slip or make one false step, you will be flung off the treadmill and into the paint storage section of the garage. (I think its fair to say we have more tins of paint than B&Q), we always save the used tins 'just in case' I've no idea why, I don't think I've ever known us go back to find a tin of paint and most of them must be over 10 years old.
So the decision was made (new January, new me) to partition off part of the garage and build a gym room - sounds very grand but it's really just a home for the treadmill. Now the thing is I'm quite handy but suffer with low motivation. I can't rush into these things, it takes me a while to think about it and plan it before starting a job like this. Quite often there can be a pause of several months during the thinking stage! However, determined to crack on, I thought I'd order some wood, and that's where it all started to go wrong!
I can honestly say I've never known anything get so complicated as ordering wood, the whole project nearly stopped at that point. If I was a woman, I would just have picked the phone up and spoken to someone who knew what they were talking about and ordered it, but that's not the way the male brain works. I didn't want to speak to Travis Perkins or Jewsons without knowing what it was I wanted and throwing in a few 'pals' and a 'mate' or two. Asking for advice on DIY projects is like asking for directions when you are lost, it's an unwritten rule embedded in a man's DNA, you just don't do it.
So I set off researching on the Internet; sawn timber, planed timber, CLS timber, sawn treated carcassing, sawn carcassing unseasoned treated, kiln dried regularised carcassing, kiln dried regularised carcassing C16 and so on and so on. The thing I did know for certain was that the wood should be 4"x2" (because that's what Tommy Walsh said on the Tommy's trade secrets video about how to build a stud wall, it all looked so simple), but of course everything is in metric and nothing quite matched. If there was something close there was then a finished size always about 5mm less than the advertised size.
So after 4 hours of research I came to a decision - stop! I'd had enough, I haven't got a bloody clue and the project almost ended before it had started, I was so frustrated, I was about to stick the treadmill on ebay and go to the pub. If it hadn't been 11am that's exactly what would have happened. Anyway after a calming cup of Yorkshire Tea - the cure to most ills, I decided to throw myself on the mercy of my local DIY store, 5 mins later the wood was ordered and delivered the following day.
I relayed this story to a couple of mates in the pub, which led onto a what are you doing conversation, "don't worry pal, we'll be there next weekend and give you a hand". Thank god for good friends, the gym was built and finished in record time, whilst I made cups of coffee and bacon sandwiches (that's where my skill set is). We now have a lovely gym room, has anyone used it? Well, no not yet because we've still got to plan where the TV and those inspirational posters need to go! - in the next few months as BBQ season approaches, I can see the gym being converted to a bar!
The girls sometimes ask if Oscar the Dog misses them. I think he does but it's difficult to know, he does adapt well to the many changes that have happened since he came to live with us a couple of years ago. His ears certainly pick up when the girls video chat and he will sometimes wonder into their bedrooms to look round. I always tell the girls that he's looking for them, but to be honest I suspect that hes just on the hunt for that mouldy coffee that's been there for three weeks, or plates with left over food. Mmmm, mid March, I really need to get on with changing the door locks, I've only got 6 weeks to think about it and do it - the pressure is on.
So the decision was made (new January, new me) to partition off part of the garage and build a gym room - sounds very grand but it's really just a home for the treadmill. Now the thing is I'm quite handy but suffer with low motivation. I can't rush into these things, it takes me a while to think about it and plan it before starting a job like this. Quite often there can be a pause of several months during the thinking stage! However, determined to crack on, I thought I'd order some wood, and that's where it all started to go wrong!
So I set off researching on the Internet; sawn timber, planed timber, CLS timber, sawn treated carcassing, sawn carcassing unseasoned treated, kiln dried regularised carcassing, kiln dried regularised carcassing C16 and so on and so on. The thing I did know for certain was that the wood should be 4"x2" (because that's what Tommy Walsh said on the Tommy's trade secrets video about how to build a stud wall, it all looked so simple), but of course everything is in metric and nothing quite matched. If there was something close there was then a finished size always about 5mm less than the advertised size.
I relayed this story to a couple of mates in the pub, which led onto a what are you doing conversation, "don't worry pal, we'll be there next weekend and give you a hand". Thank god for good friends, the gym was built and finished in record time, whilst I made cups of coffee and bacon sandwiches (that's where my skill set is). We now have a lovely gym room, has anyone used it? Well, no not yet because we've still got to plan where the TV and those inspirational posters need to go! - in the next few months as BBQ season approaches, I can see the gym being converted to a bar!
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