Fixing

I had the list. It's all that I needed and that was all that I would buy. Tacks, 1/4 inch x 50 mm bolts, velcro tape and a powerboard. 

That was it. 

It's very important to go to Bunnings with a list, just as it's very important to call my stepdad and let him know that I'm going to Bunnings. If I was back in South Australia, instead of going to Bunnings I'd go and raid his shed, as he has an abundance of these things. 

Arriving at the Hammerbarn, as it is called in Bluey, I made my way to the information desk. (If you haven't watched Bluey, do - and watch the one about the Hammerbarn quickly. Bluey is awesome - ABC iView has it). 

Anyway, I went to the man, I asked where I would find tacks and bolts and velcro and a powerboard - for which he told me without blinking. There is nothing worse than wandering around Bunnings for hours, because you'll never find what you need without the help from the person on the desk. That's when you end up buying shit you don't need. They're very good there. They know their aisles. 

I was in and out in ten minutes.

Back home, I set to doing the task. Fixing my aged bed frame. 

Part of me has always held this bedframe in contempt. I've had it for 20 years. I bought it when I was living in Ashburton. Instead of getting a queen-sized bed, I stuck with a standard double, partly through the space in the room at the time, partly because all my bedlinen brought over from England as in the double size, It seemed like an economy. 20 years, eight house moves and two mattresses on, the poor old thing is a bit worse for wear. The strapping on the slats was coming away, the velcro stays perished and it was missing a couple of bolts. 

It seems to have done the trick. Ten minutes it took. The tacks have sured up the strapping, the bolts and velcro tape are keeping the slats in place. It's only taken me ten years or so to fix.

There's a part of me that loves the fact I own a hammer, a spanner and a screwdriver which has interchangeable heads - which can either do Philips head or flat head screws. I've also got some pliers, a tape measure and a few other odds and sods. You'd never guess I'm half-capable. 

But it's time to look at this bed with contempt any more. It's been deserving of love for far too long. Tomorrow night, Barney is coming over to help me move the mattress back in the room - it's a two person job. He's also being tasked with helping me with half the couch, which will reside in the spare room for a while - also a two person job if I don't want to bugger up the fresh paint work on the lounge room door. 

It's strange, I know I rent, and I know that painting out a place which isn't yours is an odd thing to do - other than it keeps me rent down and I get to paint the place as I wish. But it's a feeling of pride doing all of this. It's a foreign feeling. I'm not sure what to do with all of this. 

Today's Song: