Today is going to be a quick update as my neck aches leaning down to my laptop to type! Seriously though, any tips for curing neck aches would be very much appreciated. Also, I'm home alone so bear that in mind.
Apologies for the lateness- it was a busy week last week and I spent the Bank Holiday with Matthew. Before I start though, last Thursday was Matthew's birthday so as tradition goes (the surprise element has also gone too unfortunately) I made a cake and ventured to his house after work with presents and cards in tow.
Matthew really liked his presents, and the cake went down well too. We had dinner from Pizza Hut which was really good and had the cake for afters.
For our Bank Holiday weekend, the weather was looking good. This meant that Matthew was magically drawn to his garden to undertake some of his long-awaited projects. Is it a man thing or a Matthew thing, a want for projects and to feel productive and useful? Saturday was spent in the garden sorting out stuff for the shed as well as going for the weekly food shop. I admittedly felt a bit redundant as being me, I tend to be clumsy with stuff and I probably wouldn't have been much help. So, with that I helped in a different way- by keeping Tilly entertained. The whole day was spent in and out of the garden but the best thing was the warmth. I love feeling warm. I love being able to go outside and not have to worry about a coat and having that sunny glowing feeling.
Onto Sunday now....
Sunday started with a trip to the car boot. I love a good car boot and with the sun out, it all looked promising and as soon as we got within sight of the field, we knew we had a busy morning ahead- it was chocka-block, and it was only just 9am!
It seemed like people had been let in early (at a £5 premium) and were already leaving with all the bargain booty. We had to act fast if we were going to get anything at all.
Matthew and I went to the back of the field to have a look from there up, and his mum did the opposite. The search at first was proving fruitless but as we got to the middle, things started to look up. First it was a lady selling clothes at a pound a pop. We'd both started looking when Matthew fell hook line and sinker for a yellow shirt with blue flowers on. He was so convinced, he started modelling the shirt and trying to persuade me to go for it. Even the seller was suggesting it looked good on him and that he should buy it. However, I wasn't convinced and instead, I went for a grey and red jumper and a white and blue striped t-shirt much to Matthew's disappointment. I don't think I'll ever be able to escape the ghost of that yellow and blue top.
Matthew's disappointment at the lack of yellow and blue flowery top was short lived as he soon found himself something- another garden gadget- a Woolworths gazebo. After eyeing it up, Matthew asked the price. £8 and selling on the behalf of the local girl guides. As the gazebo was worth over £30 in its day, £8 was an absolute steal. Matthew paid up and we arranged to come back later to get it and haul it back to the car.
The gazebo was less of a haul than I dreaded. I walked across the field with the gazebo in tow like a valiant steed. Matthew did offer to help and went to hold one end of the box, but I had to tell him to let go as his help was actually a hindrance. It was the first time that weekend that I truly felt useful. I felt like Mrs Muscle carrying that thing. Not that I'm bragging or anything....
When we got home, the real test was about to begin- the gazebo assembly. Everything was still in the box including the instructions helpfully so all 3 of us were soon out in the heat of the garden again but this time we were counting and sorting poles and unfolding tent canvas. Let the hilarity begin...
First to get into position were the legs. 6 of them, 3 of us. You can imagine how well this started out. We needed those girl guides to come and help us out. For me and Matthew's mum, the 20 minutes was spent positioning the poles and keeping them there while Matthew reached up trying to get the roof poles in. As you can imagine, he struggled to reach as much as me and his mum tried to keep all the leg poles straight and upright.
Soon, Matthew resorted to getting out his 4 in 1 step ladder in order to better reach and secure the roof poles. This went as well as an indoor BBQ and as we all struggled to hold our own with the poles, the tension came to an epic climax as Matthew shouted from atop his 4 in 1:
"Can everyone stop being people!!"
I think this fantastic quote sums up the whole experience of putting this gazebo up. No sooner had one pole being secured, another one across the structure came out meaning that he had to start again. If you've ever built flat pack furniture or just anything from scratch, you'd probably know this feeling. However, I was too busy trying not to wet myself laughing and keep hold of the pole I was in charge of. I remember looking over to see his mum smirking as well as Matthew has reached breaking point up on the step ladder.
Once we'd all got a grip on the situation, the gazebo started to take shape and Matthew's face had now returned to a normal colour as the final touches were made to the gazebo. The tent pegs went in as did the table and chairs ready for all the al-fresco dining and sun worshipping to take place.
As we all sat down to lunch in the gazebo, we all reflected on the whole experience and how big the gazebo was. For £8 it was a pretty good find and the gazebo itself was in good shape considering it was over ten years old. The gazebo also proved popular with the local flies, wasps and bees who were literally all flying over to check out the new garden installation. All in all, Matthew was (and no doubt still is) very proud of his car boot find and even proclaimed on Sunday that it might be up there with some of the best things he's ever bought at the car boot. I have to say, even after the hassle of putting it up, the boy done good. I mean just look at it...it's a spectacular thing.
So, 5 tips for building anything flat pack:
1. Get your mate's round. The more the merrier. You'll need as many spare hands and as much brain power as possible to get through the experience.
2. Prep, prep, prep! Read the instructions thoroughly or watch a Youtube video first. While we did sort the poles and arrange things as best we could beforehand, what we thought was preparedness turned against us, making the whole building experience take longer.
Apologies for the lateness- it was a busy week last week and I spent the Bank Holiday with Matthew. Before I start though, last Thursday was Matthew's birthday so as tradition goes (the surprise element has also gone too unfortunately) I made a cake and ventured to his house after work with presents and cards in tow.
Matthew really liked his presents, and the cake went down well too. We had dinner from Pizza Hut which was really good and had the cake for afters.
For our Bank Holiday weekend, the weather was looking good. This meant that Matthew was magically drawn to his garden to undertake some of his long-awaited projects. Is it a man thing or a Matthew thing, a want for projects and to feel productive and useful? Saturday was spent in the garden sorting out stuff for the shed as well as going for the weekly food shop. I admittedly felt a bit redundant as being me, I tend to be clumsy with stuff and I probably wouldn't have been much help. So, with that I helped in a different way- by keeping Tilly entertained. The whole day was spent in and out of the garden but the best thing was the warmth. I love feeling warm. I love being able to go outside and not have to worry about a coat and having that sunny glowing feeling.
Onto Sunday now....
Sunday started with a trip to the car boot. I love a good car boot and with the sun out, it all looked promising and as soon as we got within sight of the field, we knew we had a busy morning ahead- it was chocka-block, and it was only just 9am!
It seemed like people had been let in early (at a £5 premium) and were already leaving with all the bargain booty. We had to act fast if we were going to get anything at all.
Matthew and I went to the back of the field to have a look from there up, and his mum did the opposite. The search at first was proving fruitless but as we got to the middle, things started to look up. First it was a lady selling clothes at a pound a pop. We'd both started looking when Matthew fell hook line and sinker for a yellow shirt with blue flowers on. He was so convinced, he started modelling the shirt and trying to persuade me to go for it. Even the seller was suggesting it looked good on him and that he should buy it. However, I wasn't convinced and instead, I went for a grey and red jumper and a white and blue striped t-shirt much to Matthew's disappointment. I don't think I'll ever be able to escape the ghost of that yellow and blue top.
Matthew's disappointment at the lack of yellow and blue flowery top was short lived as he soon found himself something- another garden gadget- a Woolworths gazebo. After eyeing it up, Matthew asked the price. £8 and selling on the behalf of the local girl guides. As the gazebo was worth over £30 in its day, £8 was an absolute steal. Matthew paid up and we arranged to come back later to get it and haul it back to the car.
The gazebo was less of a haul than I dreaded. I walked across the field with the gazebo in tow like a valiant steed. Matthew did offer to help and went to hold one end of the box, but I had to tell him to let go as his help was actually a hindrance. It was the first time that weekend that I truly felt useful. I felt like Mrs Muscle carrying that thing. Not that I'm bragging or anything....
When we got home, the real test was about to begin- the gazebo assembly. Everything was still in the box including the instructions helpfully so all 3 of us were soon out in the heat of the garden again but this time we were counting and sorting poles and unfolding tent canvas. Let the hilarity begin...
First to get into position were the legs. 6 of them, 3 of us. You can imagine how well this started out. We needed those girl guides to come and help us out. For me and Matthew's mum, the 20 minutes was spent positioning the poles and keeping them there while Matthew reached up trying to get the roof poles in. As you can imagine, he struggled to reach as much as me and his mum tried to keep all the leg poles straight and upright.
Soon, Matthew resorted to getting out his 4 in 1 step ladder in order to better reach and secure the roof poles. This went as well as an indoor BBQ and as we all struggled to hold our own with the poles, the tension came to an epic climax as Matthew shouted from atop his 4 in 1:
"Can everyone stop being people!!"
I think this fantastic quote sums up the whole experience of putting this gazebo up. No sooner had one pole being secured, another one across the structure came out meaning that he had to start again. If you've ever built flat pack furniture or just anything from scratch, you'd probably know this feeling. However, I was too busy trying not to wet myself laughing and keep hold of the pole I was in charge of. I remember looking over to see his mum smirking as well as Matthew has reached breaking point up on the step ladder.
Once we'd all got a grip on the situation, the gazebo started to take shape and Matthew's face had now returned to a normal colour as the final touches were made to the gazebo. The tent pegs went in as did the table and chairs ready for all the al-fresco dining and sun worshipping to take place.
As we all sat down to lunch in the gazebo, we all reflected on the whole experience and how big the gazebo was. For £8 it was a pretty good find and the gazebo itself was in good shape considering it was over ten years old. The gazebo also proved popular with the local flies, wasps and bees who were literally all flying over to check out the new garden installation. All in all, Matthew was (and no doubt still is) very proud of his car boot find and even proclaimed on Sunday that it might be up there with some of the best things he's ever bought at the car boot. I have to say, even after the hassle of putting it up, the boy done good. I mean just look at it...it's a spectacular thing.
So, 5 tips for building anything flat pack:
1. Get your mate's round. The more the merrier. You'll need as many spare hands and as much brain power as possible to get through the experience.
2. Prep, prep, prep! Read the instructions thoroughly or watch a Youtube video first. While we did sort the poles and arrange things as best we could beforehand, what we thought was preparedness turned against us, making the whole building experience take longer.
3. Know your roles. It's all well and good having a team or a set of instructions, but without team organisation and communication, it'll all come crashing down- literally!
4. Trying to keep calm. Use perspective. No, the world won't end. Neither should relationships and friendships. It's just a flat pack- pull yourself together!!
5. Stay hydrated. Whether you're building in direct sun or you're about to build something mammoth indoors, staying hydrated is key. Well, staying hydrated is important whether you're building or not. Life skills, people!
That's all for now folks! I hope you all have a great (and hopefully sunny) weekend. I'll catch up with you all again soon!
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