Anyway, suffice to say healthy eating hasn't been going to plan for most of the time that I have been away. I did want to come back and start the blog at the beginning of this week, but kept starting off the day ok and then it all went a bit wrong again and I just didn't feel like confessing where I went 'wrong'.
Let me tell you what I have been doing this week though. Our next door neighbours had a summer house, a tree fell on it a number of months ago and since then they have been waiting for the insurance company to decide if (and how much) they were going to pay up. They couldn't do anything about the summerhouse (or tree resting on top of it) until it was all sorted.
Just before we heading off to Whitby for the film festival it was all sorted out and they had some chaps come in to take it apart. Knowing we have an eye for a bargain (some what scavenger like and hating to see things go to waste) they asked if we wanted the wood, we said yes please and shifted the various sized panels and assorted bits of timber over to our sheds and the van port (empty because Mildread was still at the garage). So once the festival, stall prep and ensuing 'holiday'/duvet days were over I started to take the panels apart. I want to use the tongue and groove planks to strengthen the vanport which I built last year (with father-in-laws help), the sides are clear corrugated roof sheets so adding the planks on the inside with make the structure so much stronger. At some point in the future I might remove the plastic and use it for the aviary extension that we are thinking of doing but that is for next year...maybe...lol
Now these panels have been put together with a nail gun it seems as the nails are mostly in pretty deep, so not easy to extract with a claw hammer, and trying to pry up the planks caused the one I tried it on to split. So I investigated online and found something called a 'Faithfull Nail Puller', there was even a demo video...
I ordered one from Amazon and when it arrived...time to play!
So Monday I managed to remove about half the sheets from one of the two largest panels, it wasn't the easiest job as the panel had to be laid on the floor and I sat or knelt on it to work. My back and arms were aching when I was done, but was pleased with the amount of good planks I had stacked up. I did however realise when I got in that using the nail puller and caused a blister the somehow I hadn't felt and it had popped meaning a few layers of skin missing.
Tuesday - I was still very achy, but cracked on and did most of the rest of panel. I put plasters over the skinned bit of hand and wore gloves (hmm, should have done that from the start...hindsight is a wonderful thing eh) so the hand didn't get worse. Pile of planks had grown higher, but couldn't quite finish the panel as I didn't want to push myself too hard and have to miss a day to recover.
Wednesday - I headed out and finished removing the rest of the planks (there were only a couple left on the first big panels) and ended up with lots of nice 1 x 2 inch long timbers as well which the planks have been nailed to. Made a start on the second large panel but gave up when I got too achy.
Paul was out that evening watching a football match, so I was free to have a nice long soak in the bath and not have to think about making dinner. Mind you when it came to getting out of the bath my arms ached so much and nearly didn't want to lift me out...I did worry for a moment that I might just have to stay there until he came home, emptying out some water and topping it up with hot to stay warm. Luckily it didn't come to that ;-)
Thursday...guess what? Yep, more plank removing...you are sensing a theme now perhaps...lol
I got well over half the planks off the second panel (really starting to get the technique of this nail puller now, as well as using other tools when needed)...
As I had been working it started raining, hard! Now I was under the van port so it wasn't a
major problem except that I realised rain was finding its way into the
workshop extension and dripping onto my nice saved planks. I could see
the corrugated roof was in need of clearing of Autumn debris (the
workshop, extension and van port are partly under trees). I put empty
storage tubs under the drips and went inside as it had dropped cold.
After
half an hour inside it stopped raining and the sun came out...hooray! I
thought I had better strike while it was dry and headed out to clear
the roof. Used the hose pipe on concentrated, hard spray to clear most
of the muck off. A one point I used the step ladder to climb up onto the
roof (not in a many health and safety would approve of either) so I
could clear a particularly stubborn bit. Later I climbed up onto the
edge of the bay window (again not health and safety approved!) so I
could hose the van port roof...which is too high to reach just with the
ladder. I did breathe a sigh of relief when I got down safely...and
realised I probably should have taken my phone with me in case the
ladder had fallen down either with me on it or left me stranded on the
workshop roof! But next time eh ;-)
Anyway, finally it was all done which was just as well as it was getting dark. I headed in cold, damp, mucky and in need of a soak in the bath to clean up, warm up and help my aches.
Anyway, finally it was all done which was just as well as it was getting dark. I headed in cold, damp, mucky and in need of a soak in the bath to clean up, warm up and help my aches.
Which brings us to today (sorry for such a long post...I really should have written day by day even if I didn't mention food) which brought...more plank removal!! (You are surprised aren't you...go on, admit it...lol). I headed out to finish off the last big panel ...
I used some tubeflex bandage and a bit of gauze as well as plasters today to protect the still somewhat tender bit of hand with skin missing, as previously the plasters had fallen off too quickly.
I finished off the big panel and one of the smaller ones. Yes we have several smaller ones left...loads of wood for the van port, aviary extension and to fix the garage door surround...plus a couple of doors for the garage and aviary too! Definitely worth having :-)
When I was done I was left with a large amount of used nails...I estimate the large panels had approximately 480 nails in each...
When I was done I was left with a large amount of used nails...I estimate the large panels had approximately 480 nails in each...
I will really try and write something every day from now on. The past couple of days I haven't done too badly food wise, I have even lost a little weight...but sadly not enough to compensate for the damage done whilst off grid as it were. Still not to worry, tomorrow is another day eh ;-)
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