LET'S TALK ABOUT WALLPAPER

 It's been a while since TC called on me but he said that my services were fairly urgently needed.

Apparently there's been some feedback that TC's and the other Curmudgeons posts were too stimulating for the ageing readership and there is concern that the old guys might have a heart attack or something. I don't fully understand why TC has asked me to post though but - there you go, it's nice to be invited.

Looking back on previous posts in The Curmudgeons Inc.ⓒ history I see that there hasn't been one on the different wallpapers in TC's house. I'll put that straight straight away. Ha ha - a little joke there.

TC's house is an old house initially dating back to 1910. There has been renovation and refurbishment over the years but there still some original features.

WALLPAPERS

First up is the wallpaper in the master bedroom. It is olive green and has a faint pattern in it. 

Here's a close up for you.

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The next is the bathroom which has one wall (the top half) papered. You can see that there is a very nice 'jaguar'-type pattern in the paper.

Here's the paper in the hallway. The colour is cream and there is a downward streak pattern.

Then we have the paper in the main lounge. This is also cream with a downward streak pattern.

The wallpaper in the study (now The Old Girl's office) is cream coloured and has a downward streak pattern.

In the snooker room we have cream coloured wallpaper with a downward streak pattern

You'll find this interesting. The second lounge at the rear of the house is also wall papered. The wallpaper is cream coloured with a downward streak pattern.

One wall of the main kitchen area has wallpaper that's cream coloured with a downward streak pattern in it. It's actually the same colour as the others but the light difference made the photograph look a different colour.

The more observant of you reading this post will have noticed that most of the rooms are wallpapered in the same wallpaper - cream coloured with a downward streak pattern

Not all of the walls in the house are wallpapered as there are painted walls in the guest bedrooms,  the second bathroom and the laundry and wood panels in the main part of the kitchen and the main bathroom. 

I guess that a follow up post showing these will be required depending on demand. Please let me know and I'll take some more photographs.

SAINT PATRICK'S DAY

The boss asked me to write a post today. That's exciting as he hasn't asked that for a while. He mumbled something abut them not being able to handle the truth or something and said that they deserve my posts. I think it was a compliment. 

I thought about what to write while I was attending to some kitchen duties.

I mixed up ingredients for a loaf of bread and set the machine going. I made myself a flat white coffee. I boiled the jug and heated some noodles to have with my salsa-flavoured tuna  with a slice of toast for lunch and then it struck me - kitchen appliances I can't do without.

Breadmaker

Toaster

Electric jug

Coffee machine

Rice steamer

Fridge

The more observant reader will have noticed that I included the rice steamer even though I didn't use this to make my lunch. It's a valuable tool nevertheless as is the microwave oven which I did use today to boil the noodles.

Well, that's it except to say that I'm making a leek and potato pie for dinner since it's Saint Patrick's Day.

Slán leat.

'BORN AGAIN' SECOND HAND SHOP

 Good afternoon readers.

I like to bring politeness back into the retail sector now that I'm considering rejoining.

I used to work in retail once upon a time. It was in the 1970s in Wellington. The store was initially named Murray Robert's and Company but I don't know who Murray Roberts was nor who he kept company with. There you go.

Im my last post HERE I wrote that retail is stuffed. I stand by that especially for the larger format retail but do admit that there is room for the smaller and specialist operations. Some forms of retail don't, by nature of their products or due to their financial models, lend themselves to on-line shopping so are destined to remain as stand alone stores albeit in a shrinking and desolate environment.

At my age in life I find myself frequenting second-hand and 'Op' shops a lot more. Well, to be honest, I should say - again. When I was at university, I and my mates used to buy a lot of our clothes from Salvation Army and St Vincent De Paul stores in Wellington. It was where we bought our white sports coats for wearing to the WSCPCS functions. I think that the smell emanating from them  scared away any likely females. We also bought the tweed-type jackets that we wore over jeans and corduroy trousers. I think that Tony still wears his.

Nowadays, before I visit or buy online from  Briscoes, Placemakers, The Warehouse, Rebel Sports etc I first check out the 'Op' shops to see if they have similar items. The savings can be quite remarkable. I recently bought a bread-making machine for $20 which was only just one model older than the Briscoe's offering at $240. I've bought tennis rackets, heaters, electric fans, books, glassware, golf clubs, pots and pans and a lot of other things from my favourite - the Hospice shop.

I feel that I have experience in these stores that I could put to use in a local church shop.

"GET YOUR COMMUNION HOSTS HERE. FRESH FROM THE SACRISTY"
. 

Added to my retail experience on both sides of the counter I have experience as a Sacristan and am 'licensed' to deal with Communion hosts both consecrated and unconsecrated, In my school days I had a nifty little business running selling these (until Father Bliss found out).

"FIVE BUCKS EACH OR THREE FOR A TENNER"

I have experience with scapulas, holy medals, bibles, catechisms, religious pictures and various bits of catholic junk paraphernalia. These were in my home when I was a child or things that I was made by my mother  to carry or wear to school and church. I collected a lot of class prizes at school usually in the form of prayer books or framed pictures of Jesus or The Virgin Mary.

My wine marketing experience would also be useful as I could devise various retail promotions like BOGOFs (Buy one get one free deals), customer loyalty programmes and sweepstakes. This could help in the altar wine sales as well as I could conduct altar wine tastings, competitions and events.

I think that when we get to Level Two in the Lockdown I'll go and visit one of those jokers in a black dress. I'm sure that Robert will give me a good reference.

RETAIL IS STUFFED

TC asked me to post this as our main reader, Richard of Richard's Bass Bag has gotten much older recently and TC is worried that the old joker might have some sort of medical event if he gets too excited. I don't understand why TC asked for me to post it. Perhaps someone can let me know.


For some time now I've been buying things online. This was before the COVID-19 lockdowns and has become a bit of the norm. Most of the major purchases over last few years have been made online:

• Refrigerator
• iPhone
• Security system
• Garden equipment
• Software programmes
• Apple Mac
• Television
• Artwork
• Car

plus regular online purchases of:

• Wine
• Tonic water
• Tea bags
• Shoes
• Clothing
• Other

It gets to the point where the only retail shopping I do is to supermarkets, OP shops and for last-minute and very small items from the larger retailers.

I field and delete importunistic emails from Amazon but know that, if Amazon ever got established in New Zealand, I'd probably order through them.

**************

It was no surprise to learn today that OFFICE MAX  is to close. They blame this on COVID-19 and the fact that businesses that had workers working from home during the lockdown, had less of a demand for their product. I don't really buy this as, way before the emergence of COVID I saw that OFFICE MAX generally had more staff than customers in its stores and was on a 'hiding to nothing'.

They aren't the only one in this situation and won't be the only ones to close their doors. This isn't entirely, or for some, even slightly attributable to COVID-19 and lockdowns, it's just the changing times and the shift from face-to-face retail to online purchasing.

I researched this more than 20 years ago in my working life as online buying was emerging as a 'thing' and what its effect on trading patterns might be. At that stage I was out of retail and into wholesaling and distribution, but, the looming impact for our customers was evident (to me). The result, from the Luddite company I worked for with its mundane leaders was that if it didn't affect their (short term) goals then 'let it go'. Well - it's here: TOO LATE - IT'S HERE

HO HUM

I played tennis on Tuesday and Thursday and golf on Wednesday and Friday during the week along with gardening, taking rubbish to the tip and doing some tidying and cleaning around the hoses.
As a consequence today I didn't feel like doing much at all so have been doing in-door chores, planning a meal, setting some rodent bait in the ceiling (I heard the pitter patter of horrible little feet during the night) and catching up with blogging.

It's all a bit mundane really.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY RICHARD (OF RBB)

HAPPY HOLIDAYS

It's summer! January is a time for vibrant colours and abundant growth, and the garden is a wonderful place to relax or entertain in the warmer evenings. Make the most of the season by planting lots of summer loving edibles and flowers and reap the rewards of a variety of home grown fresh vegetables, fruits and berries.

Be careful though as this summer is the hottest on record. It's also humid so hydrate, hydrate, hydrate.

We have a water filter jug in operation all the time so we have fresh cool water anytime that you need it and boy do you need it in this weather.

When swimming this summer you must be careful of jellyfish, speed boats, jet skis, stingrays, sharks and orca. Yes orca as those kids at Waiheke discovered.

The hot and humid evenings  are making comfortable sleep difficult. NZ Herald published some useful hints for getting to sleep but I have some more practical ones for you in ascending order of efficacy:

• Lots of alcohol
• Sleeping drugs
• A sleep inducing blog
• An even more effective sleep-inducing blog