Saturday, August 24, 2013

We missed our flight.

OK, so that’s a cheap shot.  Kind of like saying, “Hey, look over here!”

But it’s true.  When we came home on the first of February,  we had booked a return flight on the 17th of August. 

Didn’t go back.

We talked about it, briefly.  But then realised, we’d then have to figure out how to get back here again.  Plus you know, there’s the hotels and a car rental and all that.  Been there, done that.

Travelling Companion could have very well booked a one way flight to get us to Canada,  but one way flights are quite a bit more expensive than return flights.  Even though the Company that Cannot be Named was paying, she wasn’t about to waste their money.  I’m certainly OK with that, why pay more than is needed?

Anyhoodle,  I guess I’ve had my nose to the grind stone or something over the last couple of days,  since I haven’t had much of a chance to come here and blather on.  Or, maybe just didn’t feel like it?

I’ve been busy.

Of course,  there’s always one last little bit of painting to be done,  and I had just enough paint to make it work.

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The convector had been painted white before,  even though the paint in the room was some sort of burgundy.  Note the use of knee pads.  They help, but man of man, not as much as they used to.

HOWEVER, that wasn’t going to be the end of the changes.  

Before we went over seas, I had purchased a new set of taps for this room,  and basically forgot about them.  I try not to do that,  but it happens.  Found them over top of the bookcase that we moved a couple months back.  Maybe a good idea to move sh*t around once in a while? 

Never know what you might find.

 

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That’s the “old” taps,  which work just peachy keen, except that muggins here got a little carried away with some cleaning products a few years back, and did a little number on the finish.  *ulp*  You can’t really tell from the photo, but it’s buggered up, trust me.

 

Hence the replacement:

 

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Meanwhile, we had a bit of an overage in the banana department,  so *of course* I had to get that sorted out.

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We have lots of freezer space,  thankfully.

We don’t provide a “musical interlude”,  so a loaf of banana bread will have to do.

 

So,  on with the show.

In order to put up the wall sconce,  I had to make some minor adjustments.  As I mentioned a few days ago,  they don’t use boxes in Europe,  and there’s just wires coming out of the wall.  You make your connections,  install the appropriate wall plugs and mount the fixture. 

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I’m glad I bought those little European style connectors (see the white thing?) on one of my shopping trips to “Bauhaus” or “Baumax”.   They come in a strip,  and you break off whatever number you need.  I’m running out,  but whatever.  I always use Marrettes, but in this situation this type of connector takes up less room.

 

In order to put the thing where I wanted,  and have it mounted to the wall where there was NO BOX (horrors, won’t pass the electrical code!)  I had to add some wires. Blue is hot, brown is neutral and green is ground. 

That’s the only one that makes sense.

This is when having an assortment of “stuff” in little drawers does tend to come in handy.

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See.  Stuff.

By the way,  when we first moved to Europe,  I was really missing my “stuff”,  and had to go out and actually buy things that I knew I already had….four thousand miles away.  Such a hardship.

 

Anyway,  I think I’m going to just skip ahead. 

There it is.

 

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In behind it is a small mirror that I used to cover the existing box…

Not sure if you can make it out.

 

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So now we just have to figure out what we’re going to put back in there. 

Next,  I’ll be putting the “old” set of taps in the bathroom downstairs.  (In the basement,  where most cast offs tend to end up)

 

 

Know anyone who could use some 220volt chandelier lamps?  I got a couple.  And soon there will be more…

I could be a real horse’s hind end and put them in the package that I bought from Home Despot and make a “return”.  Hey, they work!  They just happen to need 220.

That would be bad.  Not worth the five bucks.

I won’t do that, so never mind alerting the authorities.  

 

Not sure which project will be next.  I do cast an eye towards the ceiling in the dining room once in a while.  That’s where I’ll be putting up the “real” chandelier.   I’m not looking forward to it.

 

Enjoy the rest of the weekend.

 

Thanks for stopping in.

 

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7 comments:

  1. Hmm that "real Chandelier" will be a project I think, have fun though.

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  2. You certainly don't sit still much. Home repairs and upgrades are an addiction that never ends! ;c)

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  3. You may have disappeared for a couple of days but it's certainly not because you weren't doing anything. You remind me of my BIL. He always has a project going with another one waiting in the wings.

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  4. Everything looks like new again....wait, every thing is kind of new again! Want to work on my RV?
    ;-)

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  5. That "thing" with all the little parts looks like trouble to me!

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  6. Hope you can get to the connections behind your light fitting European term for fixture, brown wire is live or hot if you prefer blue is the negative or neutral, green ground. Hope it all works ok, looks good.

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    1. You're right. Brown is hot. I miss-spoke earlier.

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Well, I've been getting too many spam comments showing up. Just a drag, so we'll go another route and hope that helps. So, we won't be hearing anything more from Mr. Nony Moose.
I guess I'll just have to do without that Gucci purse.