A Grand Erection....

That's it then, the new garden shed is erected, completed around midday on Friday. I then spent 5 hours painting the outside with Protek treatment in golden cedar cover. Yesterday Ros and I spent just as long painting the inside, which of course is a greater surface area as the roof and floor needs to be done as well.

Anyway, I am well pleased with the result - it was worth the wait. The tree sculpture to the left of the shed used to be a lilac tree, which needed a good pruning. You know how these things seem to gain their own momentum; I got carried away I guess. Mind you, we won't be bothered with falling leaves this Autumn.....

I'm thinking about painting it the same colour as the shed...

BTW

For those of you who might have followed the garden shed saga, well, we are about 36 hours away from delivery and erection. We have enjoyed about two weeks of fine weather here in Southern England and today was no exception. Overcast at times but plenty of sunshine. But as Sod's Law predicts, things will go wrong at the wrong times. The weather forecast for Brighton on Friday 27th June is for 'Heavy Showers'....

The shed company has assured me that delivery and 'on-site' erection will take place no matter what the weather conditions. So, I am likely to finish up with a new garden shed that is thoroughly wet on the inside as well as the outside and in need of 'paint treatment' when it ultimately dries out.

In no uncertain terms this could be a bit of a 'bummer'....

E2EG

A little late posting this but I have been occupied with preparations for the new garden shed... Yawn. Yeah, OK...

Anyway, on Wednesday I travelled into Brighton wearing an E2EG as I thought about the lunch I was about to enjoy with brother Dave and good friends Graeme and Leslie. The E2EG was somewhat stimulated by the 83-page glossary of internet terminology, which has been leaked online from a certain US government agency. Who? No, I'm NSAW, that's FMTKFYTFO ( can you believe folk actually use these acronyms?)

I met up with the others at http://www.bellotabrighton.co.uk/ our favourite Bar y Tapas place, which has a wonderful, bright decor and friendly atmosphere...

So, there we were, a BOGSAT.... OK, that's Bunch of guys sitting around talking. Sheesh! Mind you, we ALOTBSOL ... You can work that one out...

And here are Los tres réprobos as my brother puts it:

Another great lunch, San Miguel beer, Valdepeñas red and Torrès 10 Spanish brandy. A fun day.

E2EG - got it yet?  Ear-to-ear grin.  Sheesh......

The Shed - Phases 2 and 3

After the enjoyment of a holiday in Copenhagen I have now returned, with vigour, to the garden shed project. Having dismantled, broken up and dispatched the existing wreck, my builder friend has laid a solid concrete base over the slabs that I originally laid some 25 years ago.

Today I purchased seven 20 kilo bags of 10-20mm Aberdeen pebbles. This took two trips to the local garden centre, a great deal of heaving and loading into my city car and an equal amount of heaving and unloading when I arrived home. I have now packed the entire circumference of the concrete base with these pebbles to a width of around 16 inches (40 cms) and a depth of some 2 inches (5 cms). The result is very satisfying and looks fantastic.

Opening each bag resulted in a whiff of salt, this shingle was obviously harvested from a beach somewhere (Aberdeen I suppose!) and the pebbles were wet and covered in a considerable amount of sand. Anyway, the net result is exactly what I wanted to achieve.

I now have to complete an amount of pruning of the lilac tree that sits close by to ensure that there is no incumbrance for the tradesmen who will deliver and erect the shed on the 27th June.

The mundanity of this post does not escape me, but little else has happened over the last few days, save of course the FIFA 2014 World Cup occurring in Brazil.

Frankly, I find the preparations for my new shed rather more interesting......

Shed Down

That's it then. Phase 1 completed. My good friend Graeme joined me today to dismantle my existing, ramshackle shed. We both wore wide-brimmed hats, just as well. As the roof came off we were showered with hundreds of woodlice! And as for the size of some of the spiders that were lurking amongst the woodwork. Oh boy! They were rather displeased at their home being demolished....

Tomorrow morning a local tradesman will bring his van to load up the shed wood and on Friday a builder friend of ours is coming to lay a solid concrete base over the slab base that I originally laid 25 years ago!

All that remains then is for Skinner's Sheds to deliver and erect the new shed on 27th June. Meanwhile all the contents of the original shed are stored under a tarpaulin on the patio.

The anticipation of having a new, bespoke built garden shed is rather exciting. It's a bloke thing....

Time to Catch Up

It has been a while since I last posted to my blog. Ros and I are now back home from our wonderful five day trip to wonderful Copenhagen. And it is wonderful. I will be posting photographs for those of you who are interested, but not until Wednesday...

Tomorrow, come rain or shine, I have to dismantle our existing garden shed to make place for the new shed to be delivered on the 27th. Before then, my builder has to set a new concrete base for the new, heavier built unit. So, it's back to the usual with a vengeance.

In the meantime, here is a pic of the Danes favourite transport...

Shedding the Shed - Part 2

I have had a particularly busy day today. I could put it off no longer. Clearing my garden shed of 27 years of detritus including rusted implements, old bathroom tiles, broken storage containers, warped MDF shelves and not forgetting the numerous woodlice that crawled out of every nook and cranny, the snails that had attached themselves on every available surface and of course, the spiders. Six heavy duty bags of 'stuff' were dispatched to the municipal tip. What remains will be stored under a tarpaulin on the patio in readiness for Phase 2.

Phase 2 requires a logistical approach to dis-assembling the incumbent shed. My good friend Graeme has been coerced to help. This event is planned to take place on the 11th June when Ros and I will have returned from our vacation in Copenhagen. A local tradesman is booked to carry away the various panels of this dis-assembly. So far so good, if all goes to plan.

A builder friend has agreed to then lay a solid concrete base ( a level concrete base) to accommodate the new shed, which should be delivered and assembled on 27th June by Skinner's Sheds. So, the base has to be laid soon after the 11th June. One can only hope for clement weather.

That is the plan - to have a robust, shiplap tongue and groove shed installed by the end of June. Somewhere I can sit with a good book and a glass of beer and watch the nature in my garden. Sad, I know, but I am rather excited about having a new garden shed...

A Shed Load

In the sense of a load shed, I spent a shed load of money today on a shed. £500 to be precise, or approximately $830, on a garden shed. Ros and I went to Skinner's Sheds at the Lewes Garden Centre in Kingston as they have numerous wood built sheds, potting sheds, log cabins, workshops and summer houses on display. It is satisfying to be able to see what you are about to spend a shed load of cash on.

Skinner's are noted for their build quality and this was certainly evident in the shed that we selected. A 6' x 4' pressure treated shiplap pent roofed - garden shed. Delivery and on site erection is free. The shed is built with extra strong framework with diagonal bracing for extra strength and durability and is fitted with a tongue and groove floor and tongue and groove roof. They claim to build the strongest sheds on the market.

The only downside is that we have to wait until 27th June for our new shed to be delivered and erected. This is an indication of just how popular Skinner's sheds are.

It does provide adequate time for me to dismantle our existing shed, which is 25 years old and looks it, and have it disposed of. The content of the shed will need to be stored on the patio under a tarpaulin until the new shed arrives. I will need to shed some of the paraphernalia that has accumulated over 25 years.

I will need space in the new shed for a comfortable garden chair and somewhere on the shelf to strategically place a few beer mats.....

Three Dead After St Jude Storm

The storm hit the south coast with a vengeance with winds gusting up to hurricane force 100mph. Following the morning's events here there are:

• three reported deaths
• 270,000 homes without power across southern England
• Hundreds of felled trees block road and rail links
• Heathrow cancels 130 flights

My garden shed has been shifted so violently on its foundation it has been twisted from the base up to such a degree that the door will not shut properly. I have had to work up some 'Heath Robinson' repairs to temporarily fix it. Bird feeders were scattered across the garden and my lilac tree has suffered a severe battering. One garden fence panel has been torn apart. The amount of damage is almost as bad as that suffered in the great storm of 1987.

So, I have busied myself this afternoon making a shepherds pie. Comfort food for this evening...