The Retirement Thread

[ebikeerwidnes]

I had a patio done by a guy that was a general builder. It was OK at first but after a couple of years started to 'move' and became uneven. He was a genuine guy and I still use him for general work but as someone said to me later "if you want a patio, get a patio specialist not a Jack of all trades".
Had it redone last year and am very pleased with it.

Guy who did mine was a proper patio person

or so I thought
I was told about him by people I worked with ( a Primary School" and I taught his son at the time

I reckon he was OK - but he had just taken on a big contract in Warrington and spent all his time there
thus leaving 2 blokes who had worked for him for years to do the job for me
He did come round every evening to check where they were up to and with 20:20 hindsight I reckon he knew they were not doing it as well as they would if he had been here

The lawn - which he also "fixed" was a right mess and he did come back a few time after to try to restore it - with his wife actually and they seemed genuine
They also said they he had stopped working with the people he had grown up round as he had found he couldn;t trust them
Basically he grew up in the area (the local Counsel Estate) and tried to give those people jobs
but they took the whatsit and screwed him up so he dumped the

but then he stopped bothering coming round at all in spite of there still being problems

I heard that his company that did the landscaping and garden maintenance folded
and he started another one doing "property maintenance" and I have seen a few smart looking vans with his name on around from time to time

So I reckon he dumped the people the had been taking him for a mug when his back was turned and started up something else

He did seem like a decent bloke

but I am in 2 minds about whether he was and was screwed by people he thought would not screw him
or whetehr he was just a cowboy

 

[Tenkaykev]

They sound ideal. May I ask where you got them from ?

This is the sort of running Gilet type thisg that Mrs Tkk wears ( of course, hers is a suitable colour, made by Salomon, and considerably more expensive 😉 ).
https://www.decathlon.co.uk/p/kipru...bladder-included-black/312059/c382c71m8607680

My " Manbag " I picked up in Rohan quite a few years ago, I'm not sure if they still make them. It's usefulness is enhanced by it being frameless and a soft material so you can stuff a fair bit into it if necessary.

 

[ebikeerwidnes]

As far as water goes - I do wonder about how much people take nowadays
compared to "the old days"

I used to go out on my bike as a kid and never took anything - just some stuff for fixing punctures

I seldom stopped to a can of whatever - just rode
and I was often out for several hours and was riding the whole time

I am not pro cyclist, and I am not saying that was necessarily a good idea

I also did a lot of hill/mountain walking, and we did take drinks etc - but nowhere near the volume that people seem to consider that ABSOLUTE minimum nowadays

If I drank the same on my ride as some people I see around then I would be "nipping behind a tree" several times a ride!!!


I do find it amusing when I see a "proper rider" on a "proper bike" which has everything lighter than everything else

and 3 bottles strapped to it and a hydration backpack - which weigh far more than the bike!

 

[numbnuts]

Better have a lie down after that!

I may have only done a short distance, but I have circumnavigated my kitchen many times
and made a fruit cake and cooked a ckicken curry and then went on to make seven chicken curry pies

 

[Gunk]

Which part of the country are you In?

You get a bit more your money there than we do here!

 

[Dave7]

Guy who did mine was a proper patio person

or so I thought
I was told about him by people I worked with ( a Primary School" and I taught his son at the time

I reckon he was OK - but he had just taken on a big contract in Warrington and spent all his time there
thus leaving 2 blokes who had worked for him for years to do the job for me
He did come round every evening to check where they were up to and with 20:20 hindsight I reckon he knew they were not doing it as well as they would if he had been here

The lawn - which he also "fixed" was a right mess and he did come back a few time after to try to restore it - with his wife actually and they seemed genuine
They also said they he had stopped working with the people he had grown up round as he had found he couldn;t trust them
Basically he grew up in the area (the local Counsel Estate) and tried to give those people jobs
but they took the whatsit and screwed him up so he dumped the

but then he stopped bothering coming round at all in spite of there still being problems

I heard that his company that did the landscaping and garden maintenance folded
and he started another one doing "property maintenance" and I have seen a few smart looking vans with his name on around from time to time

So I reckon he dumped the people the had been taking him for a mug when his back was turned and started up something else

He did seem like a decent bloke

but I am in 2 minds about whether he was and was screwed by people he thought would not screw him
or whetehr he was just a cowboy

Difficult to know isn't it.
The guy who does all my normal jobs is, as I said, excellent to the point i dont even ask him for a quote now. He does electrics such as moving plugs/sockets but not qualified to do a 'from scratch' job. Again, as I said, he did a good job on the patio with laying flags but the guys who did my full patio (about 40+ feet long) were craftsmen and imo it looks classy.

 

[Dave7]

Back from my walk.....a tad over 2 miles in lovely sunshine. A cool breeze to start with but that soon disappeared. I was pleased as my legs behaved better today.

 

[Dave7]

This is the sort of running Gilet type thisg that Mrs Tkk wears ( of course, hers is a suitable colour, made by Salomon, and considerably more expensive 😉 ).
https://www.decathlon.co.uk/p/kipru...bladder-included-black/312059/c382c71m8607680

My " Manbag " I picked up in Rohan quite a few years ago, I'm not sure if they still make them. It's usefulness is enhanced by it being frameless and a soft material so you can stuff a fair bit into it if necessary.

Ive got one of those bladder backpacks from my cycling days. Its a Decathlon one and very good but I want something super lightweight just to put a bottle plus phone in.

 

[Dave7]

As far as water goes - I do wonder about how much people take nowadays
compared to "the old days"

I used to go out on my bike as a kid and never took anything - just some stuff for fixing punctures

I seldom stopped to a can of whatever - just rode
and I was often out for several hours and was riding the whole time

I am not pro cyclist, and I am not saying that was necessarily a good idea

I also did a lot of hill/mountain walking, and we did take drinks etc - but nowhere near the volume that people seem to consider that ABSOLUTE minimum nowadays

If I drank the same on my ride as some people I see around then I would be "nipping behind a tree" several times a ride!!!


I do find it amusing when I see a "proper rider" on a "proper bike" which has everything lighter than everything else

and 3 bottles strapped to it and a hydration backpack - which weigh far more than the bike!

Yes, how did we ever survive ?

 

[Binky]

Well my patio is solid. I laid slabs on bed of cement and not one slab moves after 25 years.
Grouting gets washed out by pressure washing the slabs as north side in shade a lot of time in winter so gets slippery.
I'll redo grouting this spring, just need to get right stuff to redo.

 

[Dave7]

I may have only done a short distance, but I have circumnavigated my kitchen many times
and made a fruit cake and cooked a ckicken curry and then went on to make seven chicken curry pies

Well done that man.
I have 2 curries left in the freezer so need to start planning the next batch.

 

[Dave7]

Well my patio is solid. I laid slabs on bed of cement and not one slab moves after 25 years.
Grouting gets washed out by pressure washing the slabs as north side in shade a lot of time in winter so gets slippery.
I'll redo grouting this spring, just need to get right stuff to redo.

Dread to think what mine would look like if I attempted it....no wonder the family nicknamed me Mr Bean

 

[Dave7]

I am going to have a light snack then do a Numbnuts and sunbathe in the side garden. Its very private so I won't frighten the neighbours.