New activities taken up during COVID-19

[Buckdubay]

I am also back to working on Covid projects. Turned an old 1950’s garage into a workshop. Made a headboard and matching frames for the wife. Also in the process of replacing 15 year old temporary stairs with oak treads and risers

 

[Art Deco]

I am also back to working on Covid projects. Turned an old 1950’s garage into a workshop. Made a headboard and matching frames for the wife. Also in the process of replacing 15 year old temporary stairs with oak treads and risers View attachment 80679

Nice workshop. IIRC, stairs are considered as advanced woodworking, like hanging doors.

 

[Buckdubay]

The area under the pavers was already packed pretty flat from the deck I removed. The ramp was all fresh dirt I had trucked in to make the driveway. About 20 tons of dirt, 4 tons of crushed stone, and 2 tons of pavers. So far.

Nice work. I hate doing pavers, but they always look great when they are done

 

[Buckdubay]

Nice workshop. IIRC, stairs are considered as advanced woodworking, like hanging doors.

Stairs are fairly easy when just replacing treads and risers. Only a little bit of revamping the existing stringers for the stairs to add support. No one likes spongy or squeaky stairs

 

[john peck]

The area under the pavers was already packed pretty flat from the deck I removed. The ramp was all fresh dirt I had trucked in to make the driveway. About 20 tons of dirt, 4 tons of crushed stone, and 2 tons of pavers. So far.

Okay, well enjoy. At least it won´t need regular raking like Zen garden. I´ll stick with puttering & tinkering,
keeps me off my knees. I´m getting too old to play with rocks, That´ś the wife´s thing, gardening inside &
out. I need a machete to cross the front room & a guide to find my way out of the yard. There are tendrils of
vine hanging over the bed like something out of ¨the Body Snatchers¨. It´s scary.

 

[Art Deco]

Okay, well enjoy. At least it won´t need regular raking like Zen garden. I´ll stick with puttering & tinkering,
keeps me off my knees. I´m getting too old to play with rocks, That´ś the wife´s thing, gardening inside &
out. I need a machete to cross the front room & a guide to find my way out of the yard. There are tendrils of
vine hanging over the bed like something out of ¨the Body Snatchers¨. It´s scary.

That's what my living room is like, all winter anyway, when all the pots from the deck come in.

 

[Dallant]

That's what my living room is like, all winter anyway, when all the pots from the deck come in.

All the pot?

 

[john peck]

I am also back to working on Covid projects. Turned an old 1950’s garage into a workshop. Made a headboard and matching frames for the wife. Also in the process of replacing 15 year old temporary stairs with oak treads and risers View attachment 80679

That´s way too organized! I´ll bet yur one of doze perky morning people too. Geez i hate that. Do not even
speak to me before I finish my coffee.

 

[Buckdubay]

That´s way too organized! I´ll bet yur one of doze perky morning people too. Geez i hate that. Do not even
speak to me before I finish my coffee.

Yes to morning person, however I am usually tripping over tools, lumber and projects (normally very messy). Trying to turn over a new leaf.

 

[Dallant]

Yes to morning person, however I am usually tripping over tools, lumber and projects (normally very messy). Trying to turn over a new leaf.

Me too but then I’ve drunk my 2 cups of coffee by 5:30am most mornings.️️

 

[john peck]

Yes to morning person, however I am usually tripping over tools, lumber and projects (normally very messy). Trying to turn over a new leaf.

Don´t mind me. I got up on the wrong side of the bed, & the whole day´s bin one giant snafu. I spent the last
4 hrs. chasing miniscule parts around the floor, in my shoe, trying to reassemble something I never should
have taken apart in the 1st place. If you ever consider modifying a chainring, just smack yourself in the head
with a wrench, it´s simpler.

 

[Number126]

My COVID project was to learn how to play the ukulele. Bought an inexpensive model from Amazon, came with a bunch of accessories. Taking lessons on the internet, with occasional lesson from a local teacher. I’ve learned 5 chords and 2 songs, and working on a third. Strumming up is a problem, but I’m working on it. Tonight after 4 weeks was my first live audience, my wife, daughter, and SIL. I got a standing ovation after each song and encore! I think they were trying to make me feel good.

 

[DaveMatthews]

My COVID project was to learn how to play the ukulele. Bought an inexpensive model from Amazon, came with a bunch of accessories. Taking lessons on the internet, with occasional lesson from a local teacher. I’ve learned 5 chords and 2 songs, and working on a third. Strumming up is a problem, but I’m working on it. Tonight after 4 weeks was my first live audience, my wife, daughter, and SIL. I got a standing ovation after each song and encore! I think they were trying to make me feel good.

You never forget the first gig. Now you're hooked!

 

[john peck]

Me too but then I’ve drunk my 2 cups of coffee by 5:30am most mornings.️️

I get up at 5am.....flush & go back to bed.

 

[RandallS]

Watching TV is not a new activity, and we normally don't watch a lot of US or Canadian TV anyways, but what's new is we've been traveling virtually via international TV.

We spent a fair bit of time in Sicily via the Italian show, (with English subtitles) "Inspector Montalbano" and the prequal "Young Montalbano".
Written by Andrea Camilleri, the books are enjoyable too, if you are into Police Procedurals, which we obviously are.
37 episodes on the original and 12 on the prequal

Then we went back to Venice to watch a German production of Donna Leon's excellent "Inspector Brunetti" series. It was weird to watch an Italian show, with spoken German and of course, English subs.
My wife is pretty fluent in German and she was always saying "that's not what they said!".
We've been to Venice numerous times, and it was fun when we recognized places we frequented when there.
26 episodes.

We then went to Mallorca, to watch the BBC production of "The Mallorca Files".
Once again, same genre, but all in English.
Fluffy, but fun.

Returning to the continent, France's TV series "Murder in XXXXXX" where each episode is in a new XXXXX venue, with typically a different cast.
Generally they are not set in large cities, although there was one in Aix en Provence and one in Strasbourg, which are both larger regional centres.
We are on episode 29 of the 67 available. French with English subtitles.

As with the spoken German mentioned above on the Venice shows, now it's my turn to make comments about what was said and what was typed. When I was younger, I was pretty well French bilingual, so as long as they speak relatively slowly, I can understand most of what is said. Since I moved away from Quebec in 1974, I'm relatively happy with my ability to understand what is going on.

Throughout all of those we'd often watch an episode or two of BBC's excellent series "Escape To The Country".
It's been on for 20+ series and over 650+ episodes.
You get a little bit about the area that people are searching to move to, as they show 3 houses that could potentially be their new homes.

For all of the shows above, there are many about places we've been before, but also plenty of places we plan to go to.
One in particular was an impressive cave system which had a starring role in "Murder in Rocamadour". LINK to Cave Info
Also, we saw a historic brewery in a Village called Hook Norton that piqued our interest, and we mail ordered some product, really enjoyed it, and plan to go tour there on our next UK visit - hopefully soon!

Finally, as we work our way around France in the current series we are on, I try to make sure I have the appropriate Wine to pair with the show.
Tonight I have to decide on a Loire White or a Burgundy Red as the 2 shows scheduled align with those vinicultural regions (or close enough for my cellar and palate).

Oh yeah - that's one of my other COVID-19 activities, albeit not really new...

 

[sc00ter]

Covid sure put a damper on everything. So the wife and I have been playing more pinball. Have a few local haunts and one place with around 50 machines. We rarely run into others, there is plenty on sanitizer around and we wear our mask. Also a late to the party on Super Mario Odyssey for the Switch. So far not as fun as Luigi's Mansion 3.

 

[Buckdubay]

While working on stair project I really screwed up cutting the skirt board out of a 12 foot 1’’x12’’. I know it would’ve warped if I didn’t do anything with it, so I made beer caddies. Used some oak scraps and pallet wood as well

 

[Dallant]

Wooden beer caddies? Here in middle America we use cardboard to carry our beer.

 

[Art Deco]

While working on stair project I really screwed up cutting the skirt board out of a 12 foot 1’’x12’’. I know it would’ve warped if I didn’t do anything with it, so I made beer caddies. Used some oak scraps and pallet wood as well View attachment 81086View attachment 81087View attachment 81088

Those are also sold to gardeners to carry trowels, seeds, and such. My ubergardener wife had one years ago.

 

[Buckdubay]

Those are also sold to gardeners to carry trowels, seeds, and such. My ubergardener wife had one years ago.

That is why I am going to leave the dividers as a loose fit (No glue or fasteners). My wife wants to use it as a plate and utensils caddy to bring stuff out to the pool if we ever have company again.