Wednesday 25 March 2020

Edmund Hillary? No, just Cro.



Some time last Autumn we had a nasty gale that ripped-off one of my uppermost 'tower' ridge tiles, and in doing so also broke a couple of the other flat tiles as it made its way down. 

Yesterday morning I felt that I could no longer wait for my roofer, and decided to do the job myself with the assistance of my apprentice Wills. It wasn't a big job, and we were easily capable of the task. Most building work requires no special talent, just a certain amount of effort, enthusiasm, and in this case bravery. It also needed just a few tiles, and a bucket of mortar.

We rigged-up a system that involved a three piece extending ladder, a plastic Cat transporter, and the cushion from an outdoor chair; this was to avoid breaking any more tiles. (If you enlarge the photo, you might just see the Cat box and cushion)

So here I am, a gentleman of a certain age, right at the top of our bloody tower, cementing a tile in place, and praying that I won't fall. It wasn't a pleasant experience, nor was it an unpleasant one, the roof simply had to be fixed.

Job done!

52 comments:

  1. While Wills held the ladder! Well done.

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    1. Have an upvote, Susan. Your comment made me laugh.

      U

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    2. He did ask to go up, but I insisted. He was ready to catch me if I fell off.

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  2. And may you never get up that ladder again!

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  3. Well, Cro, good job you aren't MY father.

    You do know, don't you, that most (fatal and otherwise) accidents do happen at home? Roof tile indeed. Whatever next? A spot of cleaning leaves out of the guttering? Rescuing a kitten which managed, easily, to climb up the highest tree in the vicinity and now doesn't know how to make it back down? Not to mention the rickety chair you use to reach that pickle on the back of the top shelf.

    U

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    1. That reminds me; I must dig-up that old unexploded bomb in the garden.

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  4. I wondered if the cushion was to break your fall. Perilous I suggest but you survived, this time.

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    1. I should have put an old mattress on the ground; just in case.

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    2. I thought that was Will's job. In my last house I always got up a ladder or on the roof to clean the gutters.

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  5. Bloody hell - stay off the ladders. the last thing you want to do is end up in hospital at the moment.

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    1. If I'd ended-up with a broken leg, Lady M is very handy with Duct tape and a few lengths of wood. Broken ribs are a bit trickier.

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    2. One of our colleagues broke her leg and has been in isolation in hospital for 3 weeks, and faces 4 months of non weight bearing. You may laugh it off, but there is so much risk being in a hospital currently. Please be careful.

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  6. Omg! Reminds if of when I put our satellite dish up. I can stand heights but not exposure. Somebody I know was having a similar job yours done on her cottage and when she was washing the dishes she saw the man fall head first passing her kitchen window. Miraculously he survived and was out of hospital in two weeks. Be careful out there Cro!

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    1. I've known a couple of people fall through rotten floors. It sounds funny, but usually isn't.

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    2. You don't want to end up in a hospital in the east of France. I was listening to BBC World News earlier and they said doctors in that area were complaining they had no masks and other equipment. Sounds dire.

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    3. According to the president of the French hospitals federation the real death toll in France is much higher than the official figures which don't include those dying at home or in care homes. The official figures are only the hospital deaths from corona. (Al Jazeera)

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    4. Maybe they don't want to frighten us unduly.

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  7. You obviously have strong nerves, a steady hand and no history of dizziness. You'll live a long healthy life, as long as you don't pull another stunt like that!!!
    Wills was holding the ladder indeed, ye gods and little fishes

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  8. Do you remember when you fell off the step ladder picking fruit?

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    Replies
    1. I do indeed. Every time I look at my Yellow Cherry tree, I cringe! It HURT.

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  9. Good luck you survived to tell, take care of yourself.

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  10. Replies
    1. Closer than you think; my trouser elastic is dodgy.

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  11. You could have ended up with worse than a broken leg Cro, you could have ended up brain damaged and a cabbage for the rest of your life, with Lady M having to be your carer. Is it really worth it? I think not, the roof would have survived until you were able to fix it. Don't do it again, please!!

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    1. Your concern is much appreciated, but it was only a matter of going up the ladder for 5 minutes. I am aware that there was SOME danger; but really not that much.

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  12. Oh Cro ....... that wasn’t your best idea. We now have to be much more careful as we get older ! Mind you, I did some gardening on Monday, not loads, and have now put my back out .... badly .... I can hardly walk !!!! XXXX

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    1. I was just thinking that my father would never have done anything as stupid; he was aloof to the end.

      My grassy areas are not up to Wimbledon standard, in fact more like the Somme, so mowing is very bumpy and hard on the back. I usually suffer for two days after mowing.

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  13. Now remember, don't try this at home children.

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  14. I recall being asked by a friend who could not get onto the first rung of a ladder if I would walk his HUGE pantile roof in the Poitou Charente. I wasn't keen but agreed to do it. I walked the whole roof and put some easily adjusted tiles back. I took photos of all the big repairs needed. The rest I think I might post about! Thanks for the idea. And, by the way, well done!

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    1. Sounds like we share foolishness in common. When I originally tiled the roof, it was much more frightening than this simple repair job; and it lasted for several days too.

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  15. I must say what a shapely arse you have Monsieur Cro! Tight and muscular like two gala melons bobbing seductively at the top of the ladder.

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    1. I must apologise for the camera angle; I had no control over the aesthetics of the final result.

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  16. and a certain amount of satisfaction gained no doubt.

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    1. Very much so... I'd looked at it for long enough.

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  17. Good to see the job done, BUT....not wise.

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  18. That looks a long way up! One advantage to living in a bungalow is that I don't have to watch Paul clambering up ladders and precariously replacing roof tiles anymore.

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  19. Very glad to see your AAR (after action report) that next time you place a mattress
    nearby. Better make it two.

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    1. I hope there won't be a next time. With any luck my fixing will be permanent.

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  20. I think it's OK so long as you think before you move. At least that's what I'm telling myself up a ladder today pointing up a couple of crumbling patches between bricks on the back wall of the house. More to do tomorrow.

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    1. In which case I refer you to all the advice I've received above.... then you too can ignore it. Good luck; pointing is not the most exciting of jobs, but occasionally it needs to be done.

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  21. I know that exhilaration of doing a task that no one would expect from us; I also know the fear. Good for you Cro.

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    1. It was certainly very satisfying knowing that the job was done; and it cost me nothing.

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