Making Hay While The Sun Shines

All the photos of DIY / construction projects are on a hard-drive that is in pc hospital for the forseeable future, so not much to post about.

In other news - I have been doing loads of new fitness training recently. Reckon I will stop TaeKwonDo training on account of my feet having mal-aligned joints (and other personal reasons) but still want to keep fit and learn self defence stuff.

I’m fairly fit anyway but over the past few weeks I can see big changes in my body.  I’m a rare specimen, i reckon, in that I’ve had a positive body image all my life, so I’m not hung up on my appearance… it’s just new and exciting right now to have muscles where there never were before and to have lotsa energy.

It’s probably something all of you have concluded years ago when I compare heavy training to heavy session.

Heavy Session: not right for a few days afterwards, thirsty and sore, feeling a bit guilty and don’t know why, sore head reminding you of the permanent damage you’ve done to brain cells.

Heavy Training: not right for a few days afterwards, thirsty and sore, feeling happy and proud of yourself not sure why, sore muscles reminding you of the positive changes you’re making with long term benefits.

There was a swallow in the garage today, winter is officially over. yay.

Each year at my birthday I take a day off work, climb the nearest mountain with my dawg chien then eat cake, that’s my tradition.

This year was a bit more sociable and I’m only getting around to the mountain and the cáca milis today. It’s a reflective time of the year and i’m grateful because a year ago I was in a real jocker.  I had undergone very, VERY minor surgery and had some stitches which meant I couldn’t walk far, wear jeans or walk the dogs and also it hurt to laugh, boo hoo. I had my first urinary tract infection…. but the worst was feeling low after anaesthesia.

I think the main point of sharing this is to make people aware that if you have a friend who’ll be getting anaesthesised - make time for them afterwards ‘cos it’s strong medicine.

Now .. back to scoffing cake.

If the sofa could talk….

Bought a 1979 Dodge50 by the name of wee lindy from the bould Colly formerly of Belfast in 2004.  Over the course of nine months we stripped the van out and rebuilt her - keeping this fantastic piece of furniture that colly had made. It’s a reworked futon that sits 3/4 smelly punks on tour with Easpa Measa during the day then folds out to a really comfortable double bed at night.

Not much remains of the van now, she was sold for her legendary Perkins Engine.  The bonnet is on the wall in the garage and the bed (above) is in the dining area of our kitchen.

Foam is quite expensive, it would have cost about 200 euros for foam to cover this. The Gaffer’s mother had some sofa cushions that she didn’t need and they fit perfectly.

I’m not particularly sentimental but it’s really nice to have this piece of personal and band history in my home, having a practical use.

Returned from an amazing trip visiting old mates and meeting new ones at the awesome EQUAL FEST in the UK.

Myself and the gaffer fell exhausted into bed and woke up to the sounds of fast flowing water in what is called the “Hot Press” in Ireland, a cupboard containing a water heater and various water pipes.

A mains pipe in this cupboard had burst, in no way connected to the cold weather and had been gushing water out of it for about six hours. 

I nearly cried when it was discovered, panic and chaos ensued in the cold dark muzzy headed morning. But we were lucky: 99% of the water flowed out of a tiny gap in the wall where central heating pipes enter the house.

The remaining 1% is under the sitting room floor boards safely under the plastic insulation and not touching the wood at all. 

This has to be removed of course, first step is renting an industrial dehumidifier…. but fucking hell, so lucky, lucky, lucky.

I grab twigs and broken drum sticks if they happen to be lying around to use as kindling.

Fake Fish

Tried to re-create some “lecker” band food that we were served in Cologne a few years ago. It’s a slice of tofu, wrapped up in a sheet of nori seaweed (the stuff you make sushi out of) dampen it slightly to create a nice tight package. Then dip in batter and shallow fry. Slices of lemon are essential. Fucking Schmeckt!

On Septic Tanks

“Septic Tank” is ( i’m afraid my white american comrades) a rather unpleasant rhyming slang for you lot.

In this case it’s a concrete box a coupla metres squared buried in the garden that all the sewage and water from the kitchen sink goes into The waste rots down and then some time later, crystal clean water flows out of it and, em, harmlessly joins the water table of the surrounding land.

This method is a total waste of resources of course… how could a big container of fermenting shite oozing out into the earth be a good idea? It being a great place for rats to live is only one draw-back.

Alternatives include a reed bed; my cousin told me he drank the from the outflow of one and the water was lovely, I’ve never had the opportunity myself.

On the TV programme

http://www.channel4.com/programmes/kevin-mcclouds-man-made-home

McCloud ferments his poo and harnessed the methane created to use as a fuel for cooking.  Which is pretty amazing.

We don’t use a lot of chemicals in the house and the sepo is working efficiently so I’m not worried that I’m polluting the land around me.

Clothes washing powder is probably the worst chemical I use.  It’s used very sparingly but the eco stuff is still pricey, I was always curious about these things, so recently saw them for sale for 7 euro so bought a pair:

They are a smart invention, the balls are full of water softening pellets, agitating your clothes in soft water gets rid of dirt and bacteria.  There’s no “fragrance” on the clothes when they come out but they definitely smell clean… if that makes sense.  Apparently these bad boys are good for 150 uses. And they’re vegan/not tested on animals.

at newgrange

Not a great pic (i was morto as they say in dublin) but anyway nice to have a shot of it beside the rock that inspired.  This tattoo was designed and done (inked?) by Helen at Skullduggery Tatu, Belfast.  The stone is the same shape as the newgrange entrance stone but with various designs on it from other stone-age monuments and the human shape snuggled in there too. deadly!