I came to North Shields this morning in search of beaded skirting board. And I was very pleased to find a close match to the 1800s skirting in the house. 

The timber yard was very busy, a Saturday morning thing I guess. A man helped me find the right skirting; they have a huge range. He asked me how much I needed and i said around 2.5 metres (knowing the limits of public transport). 

He went off to find a piece and returned a few minutes later. Apparently, it only comes in four metre lengths, which is actually great, but he’d cut off a metre and a half to match the size I wanted. He had to sell me the whole length, but it’s good to have spare. He said he’d left it outside for me, so I paid then went to collect the wood. 

The wood is currently with beer kegs out back at the Magnesia Bank. I realised that, even reduced in length, I’d not be able to transport it on the Metro. And, so, I needed to find somewhere to wait for a lift home. The Maggie Bank was an obvious choice. 

It’s six years since I’ve been here; I came for a pint with Ellen before a pretty cool wedding. Well, the pub’s just round the corner to the register office. 

It’s not a bad place to wait with a piece of skirting board.