After buying a 30m roll of storm water pipe I realised that my initial solution to fixing the water coming from the central downpipe was not going to work, there would have to be too much digging and the length of pipe would exceed 40m which is also the length of the trench……..way too much.

Plan B is simpler, although it means modifying the existing downpipe and changing its direction to the east instead of the current westerly position. Before I do this I will have to put up some cladding in the overhang where the top and bottom halves of the house meets. Once this is done I then have to figure out how to get two lengths of 6m downpipe to the house, way too long to put into the trailer.

I’ll take back the storm water pipe to the store and see if they can do me a deal on delivery because it normally costs $60 which is more than the cost of the pipe.

A few days ago I water blasted a section of the deck out the back of the house. After leaving it to dry for a few days it looked like the water blasting had worked a treat stripping back the layers of grime, sun damage, lichen and old oil from the surface. I used one of the small rollers attached to a long handle and coated the timber with a coat of Ultradeck Natural oil and the results are great. I will need to give it another coat, maybe two, but the winds over the past few days have been horrendous and there is shit all over the surface so I will have to wait. These high westerly winds are common at this time of year and can be destructive.

You can see the difference between the old and the new and I’ll do the next metre next and hopefully get away with only doing half of the deck, at this stage I just want to protect the timber rather than it look all hunky dory and pristine.

Sunday morning was fresh and dry and the sun was shining, summer is upon us……..I think spring will just take a holiday this year. I’m enjoying exploring the streets of Ipswich; I used to hate cycling around here but in me old age I enjoy the leisurely riding style these days. I hadn’t planned any particular route but I found myself heading towards the bike path near the showground and so I cut down there and onto Briggs Road which took me passed the Ipswich Cycle Park, I’d never noticed it before so I wandered in. There are two circuits; one is 400m and the other just over 1000m. The surface is great, really smooth and instead of a Velodrome style the road is undulating and kidney shaped. I did one circuit but this is not my idea of fun, riding a bike as if I am a hamster does not appeal. There were a few Lycra clad Mamils “middle-aged man in Lycra” I’m not one of them.

You tend to find that there is a direct correlation in the amount of Lycra that a rider wears and the arrogance and stupidity of the rider.

Tomorrow I have to get up early as I will be driving for another bus company for the next few weeks. I still haven’t won the lottery and so this is the only way I can save up for me trip in January where I am hoping to go to Egypt and Thailand.