Pottering about for Easter

The weather was absolutely stunning leading up to and including Easter Weekend. So, we were able to continue enjoying the garden for our lunches and I decided to sort out the junk pile in the garage while it was nice and warm.

I basically spent three days pottering about moving junk from one shelf to another, hanging hooks and sorting out the flotsam and jetsam that has accumulated in the garage for the past few years.

Once it was all done, I managed to persuade Tomoki to help me iteratively design and create a stand for his bike. He usually leans it against the workbench and this always results in his mudguard twisting out of position. I think it was a good opportunity to teach him a few basic skills; how to use clamps, prepare and drill holes, measure and mark for sawing wood, and to keep the work area clean and safe. It was quite a challenge as the available wood remnants were not particularly suitable in length or thickness. It took us a bit of trial and error, but eventually, we managed to cobble something together that is stable and holds his bike in a freestanding position. It looks a bit ragtag, but is sturdy enough and does the job.

Scrapwood Bike Stand by Tomoki and Mark

On Saturday evening we decided to go for a short family walk to the local woods. It turned into a fraught affair at one point. A youth with a dirt bike decided to push his bike and weave his way between us and another family of four that were further along the narrow path on his way to the local wood for his (illegal) ride. He showed utter disregard for the social distancing, choosing instead to push his way between us at less than the 2-meter minimum distance required by the authorities. I gave him an earful and asked him how he knows we haven't got COVID19, even if he thinks he hasn't?

A couple of minutes later we saw another lady and her child on the other side of the road and she was angrily telling her daughter that the man on the bike was "an idiot". She apparently had also been similarly exposed to his idiotic behaviour.

The incident shook me up a bit and the walk was a rather sombre affair after that and it was hard to enjoy the sunset, even if I did make an effort to take a photo of it. I think Tomoki saw through my forced joviality for the remainder of the walk and we soon returned home.

Spoiled sunset

In good news, Prime Minister Boris Johnson Is no longer in hospital.