WELL OILED

Helen bought her third E-cigarette we traveled over to Huddersfield town centre this morning  and went to Smkd a shop selling various vapourising units and liquids we bought a adjustable voltage battery 2200mah and a clear vapour tank and three liquids all in all we spent £32 if it works brilliant ,

I guess i have been stopped smoking for over ten years i think it might even been longer and to be honest i miss it you can get zero liquid which contains no nicotine i am thinking about buying one just for chilling at home whether i do i will have to think about it if it relieves stress and is 95% better and safer than smoking normal cigs and is a hell of a lot cheaper than why not . I will dwell on it and if i decided that i do ,then  i want a decent unit .

SATURDAY
Oil stained the decking i did all the posts and spindles and handrails and stair string and cross piece it took a good four five hours that was after i had fixed some post caps and round post balls the end result a very posh deck i need to buy some more oil to do the floor . tomorrow i am going to creosote the garden gate , the drive gates and the front fence panels and all posts i already fixed the post caps in place with liquid nails and round headed nails.

SUNDAY
Did all the fence at the front of the van four fence panels and three gates both sides with creosote took best part of the day .
After i finished i was sat out on the decking with my iPod classic and iPad relaxing when Ken over the road asked me over for a glass of wine we shared a bottle of red i wine  sat out on his decking we both had two glasses i can honestly say i have never had two glasses of red wine before ,  i don't think i have ever had a full glass of red wine to myself before either it was ok i enjoyed it but still prefer the pear cider.

PAYDAY THANK YOU

Discovered the master penman Jake Weidmann he is one of only twelve or eleven masters in this art form and he is absolutely awesome at what he does  i be happy with one 20th of his skill saying that he is more likely 100% committed to what he does and of course practices and practices i wish i could have been that committed to something when i was younger unfortunately i wasn't .

I am now committed to making what we have here more of a home we will eventually have the money to buy and do the things we want to do , so far everyone who has seen our van love it including my daughter and sisters and Helen's Mother and Father .

There is now more park homes or static homes in England then ever but it is only a few of us living this way compared to America , so it is kind of a novelty way of living its amazing how many people once you tell them of your life choice think we live in a caravan and do not realise we are connected to the water and gas and sewage that we have broadband and cable tv , and that we have all modern conveniences and lack for nothing that a house provides.

Phoned the tax office I was on hold waiting for an advisor for forty minutes to speak with someone what took only five minutes , the outcome was they received my tax rebate form which is nice to know and it should be sorted within the next fortnight , for how much I get I do not know . Hopefully it's four figures .

It's Wednesday mid week it's also payday midnight tonight thank you , which can't come too soon the amount I have to pay out is not good roll on November will have a extra £500 a month it seems way off one reason I need a cheque from the taxman..

I really need a ladder to clean out the guttering on the van i have nearly eighty foot of guttering to clean out in parts we have plants sprouting up which need removing .

I have done very little this week one thing i have done is joined the company shop , and i have had an email to tell me that i can go pick my membership card up in store sometime  in the next twenty eight days.
 its suppose to be very cheap food and drink but as i have not been i don't know exactly what brands are available and what is the actual  cost .

OIL CAN AND GREASE

Going to be skint paying my sister the money back i borrowed is leaving me very little free money from my wages , until the end of this November .Last month was ok because i had less direct debits coming out but least its only another three months of struggling and i should be getting some tax back.


Helen put more seed down on top of the grass already sown ever time she throws seed down the heavens open up and we get a down poor unbelievable a few days later we planted a bag of some 25 tulip bulbs ,  it poured down thunder storms with in half an hour of the bulbs going in .
But as the picture below its not really done it much harm its grown incredibly fast and some seeds will take longer to establish .

SATURDAY.
Picked my son up from his cottage in Skirpenbeck and drove him to Leeds to pick his car his Vauxhall Corsa Vxr up its been there four weeks getting a head casket and pistons done when we got there it had a massive crack in the windscreen he was not happy he needs a new one fitting he drove home and will have to sort it out Monday , at least he know as his motor back .

In the Afternoon my Daughter called to visit us with my Grandson Jensen she liked our van and thinks like everyone else who has visited us that it was money well spent and a great investment it will do me until we win the lottery .

Went to Ikea bought a ivy plant and hanging canister along with some batteries it was mainly to get out bought some of the pear cider they sell own brand it is quite good as was the first ever pear cider i bought  , we also stopped at the supermarket bought some Indian nan breads loaded with chicken and peppers and curry sauce.

On the way back home we stopped of at McDonald's prefer Burger King got a cheese burger was ok .
The picture is the actual McDonald's we visited it was about half past nine it was quite dark we dined in the car .

SUNDAY
Went to the Oil Can Canteen for breakfast with the couple who live opposite to us although w lived in Holmfirth for two years it was the first time we have eaten there , they have some very old cars for sale a couple of Bristol's Liam or noel Gallagher owns own and he couldn't even drive .
It was not the best breakfast although it was very edible and very filling and all the food is locally sourced ,  i got the mechanics breakfast which is two of everything with beans  and mushrooms and toast .it is all very nostalgic and retro they even have shops that sells antiques clothes had a very loud shirt with colourful guitars covering it and unusual items they have a book i will go back and buy when i get paid on caravans one for the coffee table.

So this weekend is almost over its dark and wet and another four hours it will be Monday start of another week , this week ain't been bad hoping next week is a bit better as long as it is not any worse at least its payday Wednesday and who knows i might get a cheque from the taxman.

Listening to - Bon Jovi "Burning Bridges "

Watching - Gotham series one.

GRASSED UP

We have green stuff coming through the earth it is very patchy at the moment but grass as appeared in just under seven days yippee.The following day there was even more grass spreading across the lawn and it was growing in height the other area we seeded is also coming through so its looking good .

We have also got our sunflowers appearing this happened overnight its amazing how things grow with a bit of rain and sun . Helen planted the seeds for these flowers late but the have bloomed.

Well Thursday is here two more days at work then its the weekend i doubt we will be doing much my daughter should be visiting us on Saturday afternoon with my Grandson .

NO MORE GARDENING

Went back to work yesterday all i can say is i preferred the drive home rather than the drive there.
Already looking forward to the weekend and thinking about booking more time of at the end of September .

I really love living in the can and i do miss it when i am not there specially on a sunny day sitting on the decking drinking coffee whilst on my iPad or just sat watching Pip and George getting up to mischief.

There is grass growing but it is in the top soil in the borders which we got when we was swapping soil for pea gravel , the vest area rest we have seeded or sown what ever the technical term is , absolutely grass free fcuking typical , i guess the amount of seed Helen throw down it should be Sherwood forest out there .

I don't know when we are planting the vegetable plot or what we are growing i guess potatoes and carrots will be somewhere near the top of list i like to grow some strawberries but it always seem you never get that many of a plant so it seems pointless waste of soil.

When i have  the money i will buy a two seater swing chair for the garden along with  a Mexican chiminea or maybe even a  fire pit . at the moment we do have a log burner  i also i want to get some railway sleepers and a decent quality pond liner to build a fish pond to house water plants and  lilies and a few fish but i  think that will be a project for next year .

Essential items on the list is a chest freezer and tumble dyer we cant be drying wet clothes inside .

I also want to change the linoleum in the kitchen dining area from the wood block effect that is down now to either a grey slate or Yorkshire stone , and to change the light fitting that is currently hanging down in the living area to something more modern with less bulbs .I hate over light bright rooms its my pet hate along with drawn bedroom curtains i like to see the night outside and mornings first light who needs curtains not i.

FROM WEEDS TO HERB

Went to Sainsbury's bought two chicken Kathi wraps for dinner , we bought more grass seed for another patch of soil that we want green .
Helen has another reading tonight so far she has had one every night and another two booked in tomorrow in Leeds.

I go back to work Monday which is pissing me off already and I have still three days off .
Helen wants to go to Meadow Hall Sheffield least its driving rather than gardening so i am happy .
We sowed the grass seed it really was overkill the  amount of seed that went down trouble is the day after it rained torrential and the water butt tap was left open so all the water that should have been contained in the plastic butt ended up going all over the soil and seed which is not what we wanted to happen. The best thing to do is leave it and see what comes through and reseed it later .
We have gone out and bought a water butt that will hold 250 litres it is now connected to the other water butt via a pipe we should be able to contain all future down pours.

SATURDAY.
Helen took some jeans back to Next and with the refund got a hanging pendant  light fitting  to go over the dining table , it looks a bit like a giant jam jar with the bottom open we also bought a  halogen bulb and glitter cover for it , i wired it up when i got home after turning the electric off before disconnecting and connecting wires , it puts out quite a bit of light .
Also bought a plaque with the words "And They Lived Happy Ever After " printed on it in italic writing .I also put that up when i got home .

SUNDAY
Boring i know but i dug out old plants and weeds and nettles and ,  things with thorns on the stems which always seem to grasp on to your jeans all this effect and scratches  is to get the soil ready  to make way for our very own  veggie garden . So we can do a bit of  home grown we have already got some herbs growing .

Its back to work tomorrow for a well deserved rest i won't be doing much , as  i will have about three hundred emails to get through , and i am a slow reader .


Listening to - Charlie Puth.

Watching - BBC Production "Amy Winehouse  In Her Own Words ".

Eating - Corned Beef Hash .

GRASS , WEED FREE.

Quality  grass seed is so expensive weed free guaranteed we bought enough to do 150m square the amount we sowed should keep Wimbledon tennis courts and Wembley green for the next few years .
Helen reckons we will see growth in the next six days ,  i am less optimistic i think it will be in weeks rather than days but time will tell who is right .What we need is rain and sun.

Be Thursday tomorrow all down hill until work on Monday be here before i know it , its like having a long weekend off , i did the lottery today if i don't do it i have no chance of packing work in .

Went to the local council tip i had some paving slabs and Yorkshire stone to take it took three trips i did not want to over load the car the tip is only fifteen minutes drive away but its a hour and half out of the day.

So far this two weeks i have either been shovelling , digging or raking either soil ,  muck or gravel i have had enough of wheel barrows picks and spades. Now all i want to do now is to water the plants , shrubs and bushes and if i am lucky to mower  the grass and hopefully my gardening days are now over .

George our Tom cat is settled in he is out most of the night he was terrorising next doors birds their cage was hanging in the garden and George was in hunting mode .

Pip our Jack Russell as also settled in she is out sunbathing most days she is a proper lazy gal .

Listening to America - Back Pages.

Watching - 6 Way To Die.

Eating - Jacket spud with chilli and cheese.

Wanting - More Pear cider .

THE LAST SHOVEL

SATURDAY
Spent a good part of the afternoon loading the gravel on to the trailer over the road opposite to us i reckon i have a good third of it shifted i showered i ache across my shoulders i am not use to manual work anymore .

Went to a local Inn The Sun for eats with Charlie and Erin first they had no steak then they forgot to cook my dinner i ordered the same as Helen Fish then they made a mess of the deserts even the chef said he id not expect us to eat them as they where poor quality , so why send them to the table but we had a laugh regardless and did not suffer food poisoning and it was only five minutes up the road might go there for drinks again won't be going back for the food .

SUNDAY
Moved the last of the pea gravel i lost count of the shovels and the wheel barrows all i know is its all off our garden some of it or most  is in the trailer parked up across the road the other barrow loads on a neigh-boughs drive as requested .

We had full English breakfast cooked for us by Helen , Erin stayed the night seeing that we have an extra bedroom in the can .
Helen's Mum and Dad called over we took took them to the Strines Inn we had giant Yorkshire pudding filled with roast beef and veg washed down by a pint of apple cider .

MONDAY
My second week off the first week went fairly slow but the second week will fly by and i will be back at work in a blink of a eye .

We are getting three ton of top soil on Wednesday our friend Charlie is bringing it over for us on his trailer then all we need is the grass seed the sun and rain for our new green lawn hopefully .

The can is still great we enjoy it immensely we have been sitting on the decking for our breakfast and through out the day and evening , and we love living here it is our home and just because it is not bricks and mortar makes no difference to us at all.

Tomorrow i will wash all the windows with the hose and  mop that will take a good half hour i still need to clean the gutters out but this is not possible until i have a ladder to work of.

Watching Pilot episodes of  - " Blindspot" and " Minority Report ".

Listening to - Lianne Le Havas.

ANOTHER WEEK PENDING

There is an Asda supermarket pretty close to where we live we have not been midnight shopping in ages and went the other night its a great time to shop less traffic loads of parking spaces less people out its a great time to go out and buy goodies then going home and unpacking it all .

Still waiting for the inland revenue to get in touch regarding the money they owe me due to over payment of tax i guess it will take another few weeks .

I had to get two new rear tyres the ones i have on are barely road legal i got two part worn Pirelli's  for £30 each which was a really good buy they look like new ,cant risk getting a fine its a max of £1000 a tyre or worst a accident ,  whilst i was out i thought i would also get my hair cut in Holmfirth at the Men's room   ,
Bought six solar powered orbs for the garden Helen also bought some more plants and frees for the garden .

I started to load the trailer which is made from the chassis from a caravan and it is hitched to a V8 Landrover Defender .
 I did around t thirty wheel barrow loads  before i had enough it was seven o clock and the trailer is now  about a third full and i was loading it for around three hours . i don't think that we will fit all the remaining pea gravel in to the remaining space on the trailer  .

First week leave is just about done i have another week off before i return to work the sun was out and it was quite warm  today hopefully we will get hotter weather next week , i want to go to Yorkshire Sculpture park son=me time next week which is only about a ten minute drive away .

SHOVEL , BARROW AND LIGHTS

I need to buy a hacksaw and a socket set i also need a ladder i will get them all off Ebay when i have the funds.I also need a hard point panel saw and a hard point tenon saw which i bought today ,  i gave all these items away thinking i would have no use if i was renting property the rest of my life there be no need .

Now i have my own house  be it a static home there is still work that needs to be done which can only be done with the right tools .

We went to Leeds today to the Trinity centre to take Helen's I-watch back they gave her a new watch no questions asked as always .

I have someone who wants our pea gravel they brought a trailer round for me to fill up i reckon i have at least six ton of the fcuking stuff to move and i reckon there is around ten wheel barrows to the ton so i ain't doing it in half a day . I think i have three days to load it up .

I have dug out more of the garden for flower beds and i have moved the arch to the end of the path we have also got some more solar powered lights so all in all i have been working harder than what i do at work and when i do go back the week after next it will be for a fcuking rest.

Listening to - Marina And The Diamonds.

Watching - Mission Impossible " Ghost Protocol and "Mr Robot".

Eating - Jacket chilli  and cheese .

LEAKED

MONDAY

Both my sister's called yesterday they both loved our new home and was happy i am living rent and mortgage free.

First day off on my two week holiday
Got most of the border dug out  and have started the planting we need a little bit more wooden edging to finish of the main front edging , one of the neigh boughs opposite Ken is trading us top soil for pea gravel which is a fair exchange we have already had to mix in 550 litres of compost , and i have added  around six wheel barrows of top soil , the same Ken also lent me his pressure washer and i manage to do  all of the concrete base our home sits on and most of it came up like new i might have to go over it again tomorrow just to remove some grim dirt patches that  i did not get the first time round .All this gardening is back breaking work and to be honest  i ache all over i use to be a joiner but have not  don't any physical work for ages .

TUESDAY
Keep waking up early took the dog out to the wheat fields for her morning walk George our ginger tom cat had been out all night and was waiting by the door when i opened it .

We had water coming from under our static home i thought it might be coming from the kitchen sink so i took the panel off under the kitchen window as we are all boxed in on all sides .

 I needed to borrow a ratchet wrench and a 8mm socket  to remove the bolts eight for the metal sheet so i physically get could get under to see what was leaking , when i ran the water it was leaking the pipe ran all way under to the opposite side ,  i had to remove the opposite side panel some how the pipe and fitting had separated and all i had to do was reconnect the push fittings and  run the water leak fixed i also tied it up using tie wraps to the steel  framing the underside of the house looked really tip top condition because we are raised of the ground the water posed no threat but because it was the sink drain it did smell hopefully it will dry out ok.

everyone who as visited  us loves the layout and the space we have compared to the room we had at the cottage that we lived in for two years we have loads of out door space which is a massive bonus , we are surrounded by oak trees which are great apart from the leaves that drop we also have squirrels running over roofs fences and up and down the acorn trees .

George sitting on top of our fence 

HAVING A DIG

Last day at work i am off for a whole sixteen days and i cant wait i am going to chill out and do nothing much maybe some painting a little bit of gardening , walking the dog and some exploring other than that nowt.
TFIF and it's sunny its the best day so far this week i was digging over the garden and the sun was hot  i was sweating .

It's great being back online i have set up a standing order on Internet banking for my monthly ground rent so all the bill payments come out on the first of every month then whats left is mine to spend on food and other essential items like pear cider and food , and of course petrol or gas to work.

SATURDAY
Spent the first half hour paying bills and setting up standing orders that i did not do yesterday seeing as it was the first day in the month . I also paid the first £500 to my sister which means that there is only four more payments to go until my wage is mine which will be just in time for Christmas .

As of yet i have not heard anything from the taxman concerning my rebate which would help me purchase a few things for the home that i saw in the supermarket today a cutlery set i have been looking for a real heavy weight set and i seem to have found it which is a godsend .

Been hard at it in the garden yet again been having a dig and rake for removing stones and rocks from the area that we have designated as a flower and planting area its around twenty five foot long and a few feet wide with the corners at forty five degrees  it as took a lot of digging to get it half decent and 250 litres of compost which might go to another 125 litres to finish it off.

Listening to - The Cure

Watching - Mr Robot

Wanting - Hotter weather