When not attending to garden tasks what other things have filled your day?

I won't say it "filled my day," but as I've no chores to do and it's too wet for gardening, I decided I'd a plan a small "project."
This is the wall unit we have had in our front room since the mid-seventies. It's Danish, with teak veneer.



It has a huge capacity, which as often happens with storage, it's full of stuff.
This is where I used to keep all my vinyl albums, above it were racks for cassette tapes.



Over time, most of the albums went to the unit in a spare bedroom, replaced with an increasing number of music folders for my electric piano. The cassettes ended up in one of the drawers and were replaced by CD racks I had to adapt to fit.

The problem I have, is that of an evening, with the sort of lighting we have in this room, I find it hard to read the labels on the CDs. I can't pull the racks closer to the edge as the CDs in at the top of the end racks wouldn't pass the doors' hinges.



These are actually eight ,"one and a half" racks, they are made to interlock, so don't move when you drag a CD out.



So I've ordered a stick-on one metre light strip to make it easier for me to read the CD titles in the evening. It's OK in the day as it was when I took the photos.

It comes with an off/on switch which can be hidden on top of the corner of the unit, within easy reach. For eight quid, with free postage. It's worth a try.




I can connect it to the electric supply behind the unit. I will have to drill a hole in either the back or the top of the unit. Not a worry. There's already a big aperture I made in the back wall of the unit behind the tuner/amplifier. Four power cables pass through it, as well as all the input and output leads for my audio gear.

I rarely play CDs these days, but I'll know the facility will be there if ever I need it, as I did the other night.

 

@Doghouse Riley I have a strip like that that's got a watch battery in a remote that turns it on and off. Mine also has different color settings. I got a 6' tape that I think was around 6.99 US.

 

@Doghouse Riley thanks for the information about smart meters. The gas one is still not working so he'll just keep on reading them himself.

Those strip lights are good we have one on the back of our TV when watching movies.


Hubby has a appointment at droitwich hospital to see a consultant about his squashed nerve in his elbow.

 

List of things to do around the house during winter. Just in case your left with nothing to do….

• Build a blanket fort: Use couches, pillows, and blankets to create a cozy, secret hideout.
• Have a dance party: Put on some music and have a silly dance party in the living room.
• Create an obstacle course: Use household items like pillows, chairs, and laundry baskets to build an indoor course.
• Play hide-and-seek: A classic game that can be played inside or outside.
• Make a "What's in the Box?" challenge: Put a strange object in a box and have people guess what it is just by touching it.

Arts, crafts, and silly activities

• Have a fashion show: Try on different outfits and have a fashion show for your family or pets.
• Draw with shaving cream: Squirt shaving cream on the shower wall and use it as a canvas for finger painting.
• Make veggie stamps: Use cut vegetables to create unique stamp art.
• Write funny captions: Look through old photo albums and write humorous captions for the pictures.
• Make homemade paint: Mix flour, water, and food coloring to create your own paint.

 

The strip light I'd ordered from eBay came this afternoon, so I got the job done.

The easiest bit was drilling a hole through the top for the light's lead. Of course the adapter/3 pin plug needed a socket, so I fixed one to the top, out of sight, right at the back, Then wired it up to a connector in one of the multitude of power cables behind the unit.
Fortunately, the wall unit is in four pieces, the top three lock together, so it's possible to slide one end of the lot out about six inches on the drawer units, so I can get at the cables behind it. It doesn't scratch anything, as it slides quite smoothly on the veneered top of the draw unit's end panel.
The light comes with a switch which I've hidden behind the top rail in the corner
The light certainly makes it easier to read the titles on my CDs.
I rarely play CDs, but I know the light's "there" if I need it.

 

As I mentioned before, I'm moving my bank account to Nationwide, it was where we got our mortgage in 1972.
Today, I set up the internet access to my on-line banking.
I logged on and as expected there's no money in my current account and no debits to my credit card account, as the change doesn't happen until Monday.

But I could also see a saving account with seven pounds and some change in it!
Then I realised, when I paid off the mortgage in 1998, I left a pound in the savings account, in case I ever wanted to use it again, so the figure includes 27 years interest!

 

Too wet to go in the garden, so I did a bit of cleaning, my wife tries to help she can manage to vac up the bits of paper from her decoupage card making, she drops around her chair and craft table.
I got into my small stock of music cassettes this afternoon. Whilst watching golf on TV. I had to print up a couple of labels for a pair where the original went missing. I can remember years ago you could find duplicate ones on the internet for CDs. The idea was you ripped the contents of a CD from YouTube burn it to a CD, then download and print off the insert. Even new printers like mine have a programme for printing off CD labels and inserts
There was never that facility for cassettes.

There's been a revival of interest in cassettes, mostly by young people, much as it was with vinyl.
I decided to clean the heads on my cassette player, but my thirty-year-old head cleaner had had its day.
So I ordered one on eBay, for five pounds including postage. The vendor has sold over 600, so there must still be a demand for them.


I've several second hand iTunes 3rd generation iPods, these must be twenty years old.
I bought them all for peanuts on eBay a decade ago., over two or three years.

I need them for my jukebox wall boxes to hi-fi system. I have to make dedicated playlists for each on different iPods. But the playlists have to have the same dedicated code, so that the adapter recognises which make and model wall box you have.
The only problem is that if I want to add a track to either, I have to get into the playlist, on my laptop, delete a track before adding the new one, then print off a new label.
It's a bit of an effort, so sometimes I use a spare iPod and just upload a couple of tracks and connect it directly to my hi-fi.







I've several second hand iTunes 3rd generation iPods, these must be twenty years old.
I bought them all for peanuts on eBay a decade ago., over two or three years.

I need them for my jukebox wall boxes to hi-fi system. I have to make dedicated playlists for each on different iPods. But the playlists have to have the same dedicated code, so that the adapter recognises which make and model wall box you have.
The only problem is that if I want to add a track to either, I have to get into the playlist, on my laptop, delete a track before adding the new one, then print off a new label.
It's a bit of an effort, so sometimes I use a spare iPod and just upload a couple of tracks and connect it directly to my hi-fi.

 

Almost finished cleaning the moss, lichens and needles off the roof concrete tiles.

Gutters, gutter boxes and downspouts clogged and full of needles . A constant stream of needles from the forest never stops. Lovely weather in the PNW a perfect growing environment for moss, lichens and mushrooms .

Gutter


Gutter box.


All sides sprayed with bleach for a good soak. Then dragging miles of hoses around up on the roof to power wash the gunk off. I’ve been doing this over 30 years and I am seriously finally at a place wondering why I just don’t change the roof to metal similar to what’s on the barn. Nothing sticks to metal roofs.

Before and after shots.


All four sides of the concrete tile roof is cleaned . Well almost … had a little snag and , another atmospheric river and wind storm came thru. Will continue later when weather permits .


Squeeky Clean… both torch down-flat roof and tile roof. Wacky crazy roof…it looks pretty good .

 

My bank change went through this morning without any problems.

Well not for me.

But they transferred £60 more than they should have.
I run a rolling spread-sheet that mirrors my account and I check off each item when it appears on my statement. I looked back and there's a £60 withdrawal at a cash machine which hasn't been charged.

I can't check on line what's happened, as they've blocked on-line access to the old account. I'll have to wait for the paper statement. I'd never go, "paperless."
But they've now no cash of mine. The withdrawal, was a couple of weeks ago and a later one has been charged.

 

I bought a new 9x 12 rug for my dining room off of Amazon on the Black Friday sale. It has birds on it !!
I spent the whole afternoon vacuuming, sweeping, washing the floor, and rearranging furniture to get it in place. It wore me out !! I had to put my Shiatzu massager on my back to alleviate the muscle soreness from hauling all that stuff around.

 

Found this chunk of 20mm thick high carbon steel laying around, (approximately 3 quarters of an inch). Left over from exactly what project, I can't even remember anymore...



Now I can throw it in the scrap bin, where it'll get recycled. But it's 1095 steel, (I always label material so that it doesn't get mixed up later). Therefore I don't want to see such a fine piece of steel get wasted.

But what can I make from it???

It's too small to make anything useful, and too big for it to be made into a paperweight - Kind of like me! Too old for school uniforms, yet still too young to be called reformed...

Want to make something that'll do justice for such a lovely and extremely useful material.

Any suggestions???

 

Wow luv your new rug. So classy birds are a nice touch. Remembering the other rug with horses. Very nice too.

The whole room suits you to a ‘T’. I also see a lovely print on curtains and you’re not afraid of color. Your color choices and prints are a reflection of your personality. Outgoing , happy and always ready with a one liner or two for a laugh. I am so glad you joined the Stewbies . Refreshing our homes with a new look is important to keep our spirits high. I bet your little pup helped too!

Spent most of the day trying to get the internet on. Rain and wind gusts up to 60mph always seems to be an issue up here . Right now I’m using my iPhone to get online. I decided to clean out a few closets and straighten up a few rooms after family visits over TG. OMG ..washing all the towels , blankets for several beds is a lot. Now everything looks fresh and clean. Painted a couple windowsills that were getting a bit shabby. And fixed a leak from the roof on the patio.
It’s always something.

 

Yes @Anniekay 's carpet is lovely to look it. But for a person like me, it means that the entire room has now become a no-go zone! Because I'd be too scared to ruin it. Like what if there's an accidental grease stain? Or an oil spill from something I'd be doing? Or what if there's a spark from a short circuit in something I'll be making or repairing? At the very least, there'll be metal filings everywhere embedded in the carpet...



Which is why, there's no such thing in my house. There never was, and there never will be - Such is how man caves are!!!

 

@S-H Weld an L shaped bracket to it and use it for a bookend ?
I like the patina on it. Sounds like you need a workshop to keep the metal filings and grease outside ll

Thanks @Pacnorwest I'm definitely a color and pattern freak.

 

Annie— very nice rug. In fact, what I can see of the room, I like very much. Chapeau.