GOGS...Grumpy Old Gits Society..

Tomorrow morning, I'm going to fill the kettle with ice cold water and watch it boil. I am then going to paint one wall in the lounge and sit for the rest of the day watching it!

Because I have no idea about the value of stuff and like Mr Micawber, so long as the books say plus 1p rather than minus, I reckon we are OK. Anything we spend on hobbies just gets bunged in 'misc' and so long as the bit at the bottom stays green, I tend not worry too much.

However, as I've been feeling a bit guilty about the amount I've been spending on slot cars this year, I thought I'd better add it up and see the worst. Whilst I was at it, I added up Ronnie's stuff too. She play lawn bowls. The figures show she has outspent me two to one

This came as something of a surprise but Exell cannot lie. Sets of bowls, one for grass and another for short mat, all the gubbins, subs, lawn fees, etc., not to mention the petrol back and forth. This made me feel less guilty and if Ronnie, who is a lively and intelligent woman, enjoys it, then maybe there is something to it.

Today, I accompanied her and joined the merry throng playing short mat bowls. They were enthusiastic and competitive and obviously thoroughly into the whole thing.

Me.....see paragraph 1.

Also started on my Christmas decorations

I'm going to decorate a twig with some holly or maybe some mistletoe

Not until December 24th though

gus3049 said:

Not until December 24th though

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Good man! Christmas trimmings should not be visible until then, and away again on 4th Jan.

As it is, SWMBO insists ours are up early. So, in return, I insist they are down on the 27th Dec.

Yeah yeah....it's for da kids init?

I used to own an interior design company before 'the fall'

I like to boast about my ability to mix colours and never use commercial coloured paints. Out here, our local Brico sells 10 litre pots of white acrylic for 9€. Add a few tubes of pigment and away we go. Compare that with the price of Dulux!!

So, today, I have been painting Ronnie's sewing room. Outside our house in Suffolk (also our showroom) was a magnificent Magnolia tree. Attached to said tree was a notice that read something along the lines of "this tree is a Magnolia. It is the only form of such a thing we are prepared to discuss within these walls" To me, magnolia is the ultimate non colour, a complete surrender in the face of real colour, safe as (old not modern) houses and a cop out.

I carefully mixed up some peach sort of colour and rolled it on. The acrylic has come through with a chalky sort of finish.

Guess what bloody non colour it looks like

If it were down to me, every room in the house would be magnolia.

As it's not down to me, we have 3 shades of yellow, a pale grey (tiles) and a slightly yellow (not through age) shade of white rooms downstairs & yellowy green, green, beige & lilac rooms upstairs. The hall, stairs and landing are peach.

For me, there are few things worse than having to traverse between severely clashing rooms.

Oh! ......and I feel I'm letting the side down. It seems ages since I had something to have a good grump about.

White is a better choice if everything must be the same.

I can't see why colours have to clash though. Lilac gets my vote for the second most objectional colour so I'm with you there.

We have been doing trendy grey for far longer than it's been trendy but only for woodwork (or MDFwork as the case may be)

I just hate the idea of non colour, all these wishy washy 'shades of'. Proper colour shows off contents much better than the mock show houses that everyone seems to think is where it's at.

OK, I know it's a bit arty farty but this is the sort of stuff I have always done for the business and prefer at home.

gus3049 said:

White paint saved the day as it was quick, clean and took no thinking about. This, I assume is the main reason for blandness now.

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Bland? Not at all. It's art. Apparently.

I know this because arty types say it is. Plus, I have some expertise in this field. I have a grade C O-level in art for painting a canvas entirely blue with a single red line diagonally across it. Quick, clean and took no thinking about. Result.

Dep Art Gallery. Turi Simeti

Ah well, we arty types like to think that our taste means that is what is right and proper....like!

I used to hate the prats we met at shows who told us they had superb taste and therefore were worth what they charged. My job was to give the rich clients what THEY saw as being tasteful and so obviously expensive that their friends could see how much they had spent. There was a competition at one time to see who could spend the most with us. I didn't really mind.

I like the room above but would find it hard to spend too long looking at the artworks. There is bland and then there is pretentious. My opinion of course, they may well be some artistic folk with exquisite taste that could spend hours looking a plain white canvas with plain white motifs thereupon.

The top photo of mine above was in a classic Georgian mansion so didn't take too much imagination. I'm pleased to say that the house was mine and although I obviously regret losing it, I feel suitable blessed to have had the chance to live in it.