Week 16 The floor

Week 16

 Odd Spot

Last year 85,000 bike thefts were reported to the police, up 10% on 2022 and a 25% increase on 2019 before the coronavirus pandemic, according to research by comparison website Independer.

Most bikes were stolen in Noord-Holland province, which accounted for some 20,000 of the total, with almost 11,000 of that down to Amsterdam.

The new floor

9 circuits

Electricity cables also through the floor

The concrete was almost a dry mix, with just a little water added so that it could be pumped in.

Over a few days the water rises to the top - we are assured that it will harden nicely with a grey, swirly colour. We plan to live on it for a couple of years - with rugs here and there - while we see how it feels.

It's been a rainy week but we managed to do a bit of outside work - cleaning and replacing the fence - and preparing for the paving to go back in. The climbing foliage should return pretty quickly - not that anything really grows quickly here - apart from the grass!

For the umpteenth time I cleaned up my workshed - hoping to restore the title "workshop" amidst the chaos.

One of the clients has put his giant drop saw here on "permanent loan" - we're getting stretched for room, but it will be good for him to have a proper workspace - he already has a workshed "out the back", but it is so full of his life-long collection of tools - that he can hardly move. We also have a project to clean that up but is firmly in the category of "some things take a while".

He has a pet project to make some of these...

...using our scrap wood which would otherwise find it's way to the logfire as kindling. 

The old lawnmower

I bought this lawnmower from a sales place which was on the site where we used to live in Wantirna South (the 1950's) - that was in 1992 when we had a house in Lower Plenty. Then I "voluntarily" retired from the Fire Service - so the mower came with us to the new life in the Netherlands...

...and simply continued to start every time with one or two pulls of the cord. I spent virtually no money on it - friend Paul got me a set of blades from Australia and I changed the spark plug just once. New oil now and then...it was still starting OK but I finally sent it away for a bit of care - it cost €150 for a new control cable, blades, oil, spark plug and labour. One of the older Care kids will be able to use it...if the weather ever gets dry again.

Ben is home...for a while...

He said they could have let him out here...over Friesland

He keeps us up to date - so we know when to pick him up from Heerenveen.

Leaving today, I hear. I'll drop him off at Heerenveen. Janny is working with the kids. Now to watch the footy replay :)