CLICK ON ANY IMAGE IN A CLUSTER TO ACCESS ITS GALLERY. EACH ONE CAN BE VIEWED FULL SIZE BY SCROLLING DOWN AND CHECKING THE BOX AT BOTTOM RIGHT.
It was touch and go whether I would be able to post at all today. This was because my iMac disc was allegedly full, and I couldn’t open anything.
Apart from a pleasant early lunch at Redcliffe Garden Centre where I enjoyed a breakfast bap containing bacon, sausage, and egg; followed by half of Jackie’s moist Victoria sponge that followed her excellent vegetable soup with thick crusty bread, I spent much of the day positioned between necessarily noisy labour of Kitchen Makers in the kitchen and a computer screen shared by James of Peacock Computers.
Richard and Lee were severely hampered in the kitchen by the state of the electrical wiring exposed when the old equipment was removed. Apparently most of the wiring, although connected, was dead and not doing anything. Admirable patience was displayed as they attempted to find the cable from which everything on that side of the wall and floor was actually doing anything.
Throughout this struggle Richard remained his cheerful, affable self.
An additional factor was the evidence of a ravenous rodent. Richard showed me the affected wiring. The red and black wires had been nibbled. He was of the opinion that at least one mouse had been “just one tooth away from killing itself”.
Lee was tireless in chipping adhesive away from the floor tiling, clearing up afterwards, and leaving a good surface for the preparation tomorrow for the final flooring to come later.
Meanwhile, James sent my cursor careering across my screen, lighting on a likely culprit, cleaning it up, dashing across to another, and leaving sets of figures to mount up or die down. All in all it was really reassuring relying on others remedying electrical and ethernet enigmas.
Further offerings from Hordle Chinese Take Away afforded us our evening sustenance, with which I drank more of the Madiran.
Everything will soon be okay and you two wil look back at this temporary incovrnience and be glad you got it done. Good tines again soon in your new kitchen! Gary
Quite right, Gary. Many thanks
Don’t be fooled by this temporary lapse into efficiency in the kitchen and computer departments… The both have mice …
🙂 super comment, my friend. Thanks a lot
Bwhahahaha … and both of which will trip you up when you least expect it. 😀
Derrick your turning four blog into the Home Improvement Network. lol Nice post my friend
Many thanks, Andrew
That’s kind of scary about the mouse. Years ago, we had a squirrel in our attack and I was petrified he’d chew some wires and start a fire. Richard looks as though he enjoys his job!
Many thanks, Jill. I’m sure he does
Right now Mr Chatty Man is the primary winner in your renovation process. I bet he beams when he sees you coming! These stages of renovations are crazy aren’t they – lost wiring, rodents dead or alive, jack-hammered flooring and all….. Counting down the days yet?
Oh, yes, Pauline. Yes, indeed. Many thanks
We once had a mouse kill itself on a farm where I worked. It chewed through a cable in an electrically driven feeder, a fact which I discovered when I grabbed the feeder whilst working. It tingled a bit. 🙂
Ouch. Many thanks, Quercus
🙂
I’m hiding indoors from the heat wave that is going to take the thermometer to the mid thirties (nineties ºF) and I am not cooking either. The kitchen and I are going to remain cool.
Good for you, Mary. Many thanks
You are showing good patience during this process. What camera do you use? I notice good depth of field on the portrait shots. By the way, did you sell your country house with all the wonderful gardens?
Thanks a lot, Steve. It is our country house that is having the work done. For some shots I use Canon SX700 HS – point and shoot – for such as the portraits, it’s a Canon EOS 5D Mark II
Beautiful portrait shots
Quite a day!
Yep. Slept well 🙂 Many thanks, Laurie
I bet you and Jackie are exhausted. But so exciting. Because of your blog, I feel as though I am right there with you.
That’ so good, Laurie. Many thanks
That is one lucky rodent … I do admire computer tech geeks who can create that sort of magic. 🙂
Many thanks, Widders. Me too
Quite a day–I’m glad everything worked out with the help of experts. I laughed at the one tooth away remark. Several houses in our neighborhood once lost power because a squirrel apparently committed suicide by engaging with a transformer.
Many thanks, Merril
Glad everything is back on track.
Thanks a lot, Peggy
I have a feeling the rodents have an extra sense, or maybe two, of identifying danger. For even though they nibble away merrily at the wiring they are always a tooth away from getting electrocuted. Now is a good time to make those ducts rodent-proof, assuming it’s possible. Those gentlemen are hard at work: something great is in offing.
Many thanks, Uma. Interestingly, it was only at floor level that the nibbling occurred.
I had to have Microsoft do the same for me. It is quite strange sitting there watching the mouse zoom across the screen. If you have having storage issues can I suggest using a cloud, works great for me.
Thanks a lot, Eric. I have both cloud and external back-up, but the computer thought the disc was full and nothing could be backed up. All fixed, now.
Pleased to hear that.
That was one lucky mouse!
Many thanks, Geetha
Welcome Derrick 🙂
You have such a knack for taking pictures of people–
good luck with your renovations
Many thanks, Pleasant
It’s an amazing experience to watch real pros at work, isn’t it? The good ones are treasures!
They most certainly are, Anna. Many thanks
It’s great when people succeed at fixing things. I hope the mouse has moved on to another place now.
No sign of it (or them). Many thanks, Sylvie
So pleasant when workmen are cheerful and amenable rather than grumpy and obviously just ‘doing you a favour’ as so often happens. They are always the ones who do a better job too.
They are, indeed, Roland. Many thanks
What a day! Its fun to see the progress
Many thanks, Lynn
I’m glad you didn’t have a fried mouse to contend with!
🙂 Thanks very much, Helen
Wow, this is really a major upheaval. Good on your team for their hard work and good nature. That wiring looked like a fire waiting to happen, so it’s really good that this is happening and you can nip it in the bud. Will you be getting new cupboards and everything?!
We will be getting new everything. Cupboards and services were all far too low for Jackie. We had everything on trailing sockets – so you are right about the danger. Many thanks, Boomdee
Lord god in heaven I’d be pissed to the gills on several bottles of whatever was handy if i was surrounded by all that chaos! This is why I will forever live in an outdated shabby little villa with cracked linoleum and 1980’s oak cupboards in the kitchen. You’re a braver man than I, Gunga Din.
Superb comment, Susanne. There is a problem about finding the bottles – or anything else. Thanks very much
one tooth away from killing itself and probably blowing up the house in the process
Thanks a lot, Brian
I have had my fill of house renovation. But at least you have been sensible and got someone else to do the work for you.
Necessity, Paol, not sense 🙂 Thanks very much
Hi Derrick, I have been tasked by my mum, Anne at Kitchen Makers, to collect your photos from you of the installation of your new kitchen. I notice that you use an iMac, I was wondering if it would be possible to share them with me on the iCloud?
Mark Pearce
markjpearce@gmail.com
Many thanks, Mark. I’m afraid I don’t know how to do that! I’m not really competent enough to do other than learn as I go along Are you near enough to pop over some time.
I am sure we could arrange that, I am in Bitterne and I would be happy to come over and show you how the iCloud works as well.
Excellent. When would suit? As I’m retired, I’m pretty flexible