Up a ladder

There are few things I dislike more than heights. Ironic given I'm well over 6ft tall but there you go. A couple of years ago my tight fistedness overcame my fear and I spent a couple of days up a long ladder replacing our guttering at the front of the house. It cost the princely sum of £150 for the guttering and the ladder stay (a device which makes the ladder about 4ft wide at the top and a lot more stable).

Times passed and the addition of Fifi meant I didn't have the time last summer to do the rear guttering. This has come to a point in recent months where the rear has been leaking in the weather we laughingly call "summer".

It's not that I'm idle, I just appreciate that for me to spend two days doing nothing but DIY requires wifey to spend an additional two days doing nothing but childcare. It takes a day to take the guttering down and prep/paint the barge boards and a (very long day) to put the new stuff up.

So this weekend just gone it was remedial work rather than a full replacement job. The wind was gusting, the rain sporadic and the shorts of DIY were being worn.

Does my bum look big in this?

As you can see from the incredibly flattering picture the Chief Ladder Holder (AKA lil bro) took, I was up fairly high. Concentration wasn't aided by Fifi banging on the window shouting "ALEX ALEX!" at the top of her voice either.

Still, the torrent of water has ceased now and I didn't kill myself. That's two plus points!