Sunday, November 01, 2009
PPS
Continuing to ponder gun fun, I realise that while in no sense whatsoever a collector, in addition to my posh French pen knife, I own further five of the things. First a budding knife, that is to say a gardener's knife specially adapted for budding fruit trees, not too much use for anything else and which I have not seen for some months; second a pruning knife; and, third an army knife. This last bought for 50p from one of those army surplus shops you used to get in the back streets of bigger towns, equipped with one of those spikes said to be intended for the removal of stones from horses' hooves. I never used it for that purpose, but I did find it just the ticket for undoing knots that had been pulled seriously tight. Maybe that is what the nautical marlin spikes were all about. Fourth, one of those so called Swiss army knives with its collection of dinky blades. A hand me down from sprog 2. Fifth, a smoker's knife, not really a knife at all, more a miniature drain clearance tool. Perhaps just as well I have not smoked a pipe for some time.
Yesterday a bit of DIY for once in a while. The joints in one of our elderly Stag dining chairs - joints mainly of the push fit round tenon or dowel variety. Rather than go for the invisible mend which the ladies like, went for the up-front, in-your face wire strapping. Two mild steel wire straps, one on each diagonal under the seat, stressed by turning dowels in them. Locking the twisted dowels down with another bit of wire. Pulled the joints up OK and all looks very strong, but I am not so sure. Does mild steel hold its tension for any length of time? How can one be sure that one has not pulled it beyond its quite low plastic limit?
If I had bought the wire in the regular way, specially for the purpose, I would probably have spent more on wire than a new chair would have cost from a junk shop - although, to be fair, such a chair might well have had loose joints too. And, as it happens, the wire came from a car boot sale in Hunstanton. The dowels, which I have had for years without use, came from a car boot sale in Hook Road Arena. A case of something kept in case it came in handy, coming in handy.
And now off to address the tea crisis. I thought I had a packet of Sea Dyke Oolong tea in reserve. But as I hit the bottom of the tea caddy, I find I am mistaken. And the nearest place I know for restocking is Lisle Street off Leicester Square. When can I take a slot out of my busy schedule to get up there?
# posted by Jim @ 11:50 PM 
