For regular readers you will know that today was the day I was collecting a Corner Sofa for my flat.
Since deciding to buy it, I was trying to not worry what would happen if I couldn’t get it into my flat, my living room door frame is very narrow!
I concluded that buying any second hand sofa was going to pose the same problem.
I came up with few solutions –
- Worst case scenario I would have to leave it in my flat hallway and try and sell it.
- Another solution was shaving a few centimetres off the door frame and then trying to find a way to use wood filler to cover it up.
- I could also take the living room door off which would create a few extra centimetres, but still it may not fit.
Read on and you will find out what happened!
This morning the alarm went off at the usual time for a weekday, got up and took Honey for her morning walk. It was quite icy outside, realising the temperature must have dropped in the night – parts of the canal were also frozen.
After breakfast, I bid Honey farewell and headed towards Haymarket. I was picking up a City Car Club van to use for the day and was slightly worried if the van would be long enough for the corner sofa too! But first thing I did was measure the length inside of the van and looked up the lengths of the sofa – phew, it would fit!
Then I drove to the flat, which is where I was meeting Danny for a road trip to Linlithgow to collect the sofa. I think this is the first time I have given Danny a lift in a vehicle, it was fun being in a van 🙂
We found the house where the sofa, it was really easily to find and parked up.
What I hadn’t told anyone and was trying not to think about, was that the lady selling it to me was having to take the window off her house to get the sofa out of her living room! As we arrived, they were just doing this, I guess, they didn’t want to be waiting ages with no window!
When we approached the house it became apparent why the sofa would not fit in the front door, it had a really tight angle!
It was pretty easy to upload the two parts into the van and all the cushions. The lady who sold it to me, said she had washed all the covers too! She had only bought the sofa a year ago, but due to change in circumstances was having to sell it – she seemed pretty sad to see it go 🙁
As we drove through Linlithgow we both wondered what the history is of the town. We knew it was significant in Scottish history, but embarrassingly didn’t know what! I’ve just checked out online (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Linlithgow#History) and amongst other things Linlithgow was the birth place for King James V and Mary Queen of Scots. We decided that we would cycle back sometime along the canal to find out more!
Then homeward bound, it didn’t take long to get back to Edinburgh.
My friend Miles joined us too, so there would be three of us to lift and work out the angles to get through the door, even though we are all engineers at heart 😉
Through the front door was fine, but not good with the living room door. Trying the different angles – on it’s side, on it’s top, from the bathroom, titled at different angles, spinning it round – it wasn’t working. We worked out if we took the feet off, we would get it through, but alas it was centimetres away and even with all our might to push it through it wouldn’t budge.
But we did work out that without the door it should get through. So Miles and Danny set to work taking the door off, whilst I supervised!
With a bit more manoeuvring it was through !!!
Now knowing what needed to be done, the second part of the sofa was easy! Then the door went back on, the feet on the sofa, the cushions and slotted it in to place.
I sat down on the sofa and it was sooo comfortable! I want to move back into the flat just to enjoy the sofa – it’s perfect 🙂
Not long later, getting a message from Helen to say she had dropped off Honey the Dog back at the boat! They had spent the afternoon on Arthur’s Seat (blog cover photo).
I met up with my friend Julie who lives near the flat for a wee while and then started assembling the bed in my bedroom.
I messaged the lady who sold me the sofa, saying that I had got it in my flat, thanked her for it and how much I loved it. I also said that if I was ever getting a new sofa, I would see if she wanted it back !
Lockdown Restrictions Corner
In the early days of lockdown, the question when you met someone would be “how are you coping with lockdown?”….the question has now changed to “when will we come out of lockdown?” or “when will be returning to some kind of normality?”. Everyone has their own theory – Spring, the Summer, even the Autumn, I think the commonest answer is by the end of May.
I measure it in relation to when I will be able to return to doing close-up magic gigs – maybe Christmas or even 2022. Even social distanced magic will take a while to evolve!
All this hype comes, with media continuously telling us that the vaccine roll-out is steaming ahead and we assume that once the ‘vulnerable’ have all had their vaccine, there is no reason for us not to come out of lockdown.
Yesterday (Day 313), there was a record number of vaccines given in one day – 598,389 people were given the first vaccine across the UK in one day (https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-55881092). That brings the total by the end of yesterday to 8,977,329 people who have received the first vaccine (13.3% of the UK population), with a total of 491,053 people have also been given the second dose.
However, today the Public Health England’s Covid Strategy Chief said the easing of lockdown is going to happen “very slowly and very cautiously” to prevent another Covid wave. She said “I hope that this summer will be similar to last summer…and that will allow us to do things that feel more normal”.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-55878450
So perhaps, by the end of May things will be back to normal, is being optimistic?!
Things We No Longer Use
I might as well continue with the summary – Kilts (Day 300), Irons (Day 301), Suit and Tie (Day 302), Passports (Day 303), Massive Travel Delays (Day 304), Clothes (Day 305) High Heels (Day 311), Taxis (Day 312) and A Random Snog in a Nightclub (Day 313).
Brian messaged me today with a new one, saying:
“I was up in town and passed this place on George Street…it got me thinking…karaoke clubs!
Who has used them over the last 10 months?
A classic example of something that can only be experienced in real life!”.
So today we are looking at Karaoke Clubs.
If going to a bar is a Covid Health Risk and singing in a church is a Covid Health Risk – I can’t see Karaoke Clubs coming back anytime soon!
I’ve only ever been to a Karaoke Club once, on a Stag Party. Drinking beer and singing (or more like shouting) out of tune songs Even Post-Covid would you want to risk sitting in a small room with lots of sweaty men, drinking pints, singing loudly with spit flying out their mouth?
This article in The Washington Post is titled – ‘Karaoke is a health risk during a pandemic. These superfans are desperate for it to return”.
Will we ever see the Karaoke Clubs return or has Covid killed it off for ever?
Readers Corner
Just one post today.
Brian
Brian messaged me today saying:
“I’ve got a challenge for you! Did you know there are some parts of Scotland that are still on Level 3 of the five tier system of restrictions? I wonder if you can find them out…”.
Thanks Brian for that wee quiz! Any of you know the answer?
As I come to the end of the blog, I feel so happy that the corner sofa is in, it matches perfectly with the carpet, is very long and super comfy 🙂
That’s another thing to tick off my list of things to do. I had kind of taken a pause for a week, worrying if the sofa would get in, but now the only big job left is getting the laminate sorted in the kitchen. Then just a few bits and pieces and the flat is ready to rent, so excited, it’s going to be a great home for someone 🙂
It’s been a long day, but good to be out and about! Honey the Dog was super excited to see me when I returned to Discovery, I haven’t left her home alone much for nearly a year, so I am sure she probably got more anxious today.
Today it has been colder, cloudy all day, but no rain, its icy outside this evening. Heavy snow is forecast on Tuesday, with snow showers on and off through until the end of the week. So much snow this winter, I am less excited about it, compared to the first time at the end of December.
Hope you’ve had a Wonderful Weekend.
Jim x
Maverick
Well done Jim!
looks amazing!
What an achievement hey! Something less to worry about 🙂
Hope you have a nice warm sleep in your sona boat 😉