Shed update - old & new

With a temporary power supply rigged up to the new shed and power sockets installed along with the initial security measures (more to follow) it was time to take down the old shed, yes, demolition time had arrived.

The weekend starts...

... and from another angle.

The easy bit was always going to be removing door and windows, the simple tongue and grove panels and the liner floor panels laid over the original (rotten) wood floor. The hard bit was going to be the roof with it’s multiple layers of roofing felt. Well that is what we thought so we removed the easy bits first....

Window glass removed....
Followed by the door.


Then as we tackled the structure the roof developed a distinct V shape so the plan changed to remove all the wood in the sides, weakening the structure and then just push it over...

Well that plan worked a treat.

So with a power saw to cut it all up, a broom to clear it up, and a skip to take it all away, here is the end result...

Then there was one.

This was the shed (and some of its contents).


The next stage of the overall plan is to install lighting in the one shed, complete the security measures and then get Bestcrete back in during the first week in September to replace the slabs with patterned, pressed concrete to match the patio done last year.

Shed - it's coming along 2

The decision taken was to build my own bech, greatly assisted by finding a suitable 'kitchen' worktop to use as the worktop for the bench, and for the princely sum of £5. So with the additional purchase of £10 worth of M10 bolts and some carefull design and planning I now have a work bench with back splash custom built to fill the available gap between some purpose built shelving that I made and the racking that I purchased for the back of the shed (I worked out that I couldn't build it for what it cost to buy).

So next step is to put in some lightling, power points and PIR based security system (the latter because lately there has been a spate of burglaries from garden sheds locally) and run the power up to the shed from the old one, before that is demolished and the path laid to the new one. That should keep me busy for a few days but as I have just been advised that I am to be made redundant I should have the time on my hands to do it.

Impressions of Canada

It has been a week since we returned from our vacation in Canada so time to reflect. Unlike China 2 years ago which was an adventure, Canada was much more of a holiday. Yes, we travelled 2,000kms but the plan worked and we got to see all the attractions we planned to see and more. Wildlife wasn't as abundant as we had been lead to believe, but we still saw an impressive list of creatures; ground squirrels (chip monks), marmots, brown/black dears and grizzly bears, bold headed eagles, sea otters, seal and sea lions, whales (including a mother and her youngster), and numerous birds I couldn’t identify.

The Rockies are spectacular and despite warnings that we would overdose on mountains and forests to the point of boredom we just kept on enjoying the ever changing views – that is the beauty of touring. Due to the high temperatures and low spring rainfall (the wet season ended 2 weeks early) there was a distinct lack of waterfalls and water levels in the rivers were low.

Main Street, Banff - just so pretty.

But it is the people and places we will always remember. Calgary, Banff, Lake Louise, Jasper, Clearwater, Harrison Hot Springs, Tofino, Victoria and Vancouver were the main places on our tour. Banff deserved more time and Lake Louise is vastly over-rated and should have been omitted (it was an expensive diversion) as there are so many lakes more deserving of the tourists’ attention such as The Emerald Lake, Moraine Lake, Lake Medicine, Maligny Lake to name just a few.

How can you tire of vistas like this one of Moraine Lake?

Banff and Victoria were the two surprises of the trip. Happily we spent a couple of days in Victoria but Banff only got a few hours of exploration and deserves much more. Jasper would be a good base from which to explore if you had a week to spare although Jasper town is not up to the standards of Banff or Victoria, and Victoria… what can I say? Given the chance I’d move there tomorrow. The people in Canada are friendly and welcoming but Victoria winds it up to a whole new level.