I swear I’ve never earned beer as much as I’ve earned beer today.

I started mixing mortar around 10:30 and I’ve just finished (at 20:20).

So I’m tired.

The ex-festival lights (both sets) are holding up well though.

Shower then pub I think.

Scaffolding arrived this morning. At 7:45. I had, still have, mixed feelings about it though. I’m pleased about finally making a start on the front wall. But my fear of heights has been getting the better of me.

I mean, even you can’t see the top in this picture, you can see that it’s pretty high.

And, while it made me shake a little, the view’s nice.

Strange. ‘Dead cat’ didn’t turn up anything on the Gateshead Council web page. But after digging around a while, I found it under spillages.

There’s a cat under the car. It’s a little dead.

Breaking Bad series five is rather good you know.

I decided against the old film, so feel quite pleased that I’ve managed to motivate myself to remove old mortar. Well, some of it. I’d guess I’ve removed around a quarter, from ground level. The remaining three quarters may be something of a challenge.

I’ve been reading-up on pointing stonework and it seems that the surveyor’s report (of nine years ago) was right. The protruding mortar, while decorative, was allowing water to settle and:
1. Collect behind the surface mortar
2. Erode the face of the stone

So I’m trying to convince myself that I’m doing the right thing. Despite finding things like this.

I can almost fit my hand inside that hole. Worse, there appears to be a cavity of sorts. Fortunately, it doesn’t seem as bad as the one I found in the rear wall a couple of years ago.

I’m now sitting in the sunshine in the garden, with a well earned beer. The strawberries are doing well, to the extent that I needed to hunt out another couple of old recycling bins to cope with the shoots. So we should have lots next summer.

Our strawberry containers now represent a large part of the northeast; Sunderland, Stockton and Gateshead. I’ll possibly have to source from other areas now.

After finishing some work I’d brought home to clear-up, and having something quick to eat, I started to dig out some tools I’d need to begin digging out old mortar (to speed-up next week’s pointing). But then an old film started on TV. Now pondering.

I must say, I’m really impressed with Wickes. The discount for buying in bulk, the calls to arrange delivery and the fast delivery itself weren’t expected. They even dropped the pallet right outside the house.

It’s all packed away now, just need a few bags of yellow sand.

Hope I don’t regret this!

Series (as opposed to season) five of Breaking Bad. Definitely a good thing, since I’ve just worked my way through the fourth series.

Rather less pleasing is the apparent failure of the three network. I have an iPhone and wifi, so aren’t exactly cut off. But Wickes may have a problem communicating with me to arrange a delivery time for the huge amount of sand and cement I’ve ordered.

Everyone has one. A cupboard of doom. Mine is was under the stairs in the kitchen and its doom-ish properties had evolved over a period of years. Originally, it held a fridge (the one that blew up a couple of years ago, tripping the power and turning the contents of the freezer to soup), a freezer and some power tools. Then, as is the norm, the contents grew to the point that the space was no longer accessible.

When decorating the kitchen recently, i couldn’t face the cupboard, so painted round it. If the light wasn’t turned on, you couldn’t see how badly in need of paint it was.

But, after my second in command pointed out that the cupboard could be put to a better use, I resolved to tackle it. It’s now freshly painted and contains only the fridge, freezer and the kitchen computer. I’m feeling quite proud of myself.

I’ve even thrown stuff out and the bin’s full to capacity. I probably need to do something about the potentially useful things I’ve rescued and crammed under the bed, but I’ll probably wait a while before I move them back into the cupboard.