Forwards and occasionally sidewards – everyday musings of life

Memories of the village fete and the country fair quickly faded as I retrieved my tools from the shed this morning. There were more pictures waiting to be hung, along with a brand-new challenge: a row of coat hooks with an integral shelf.

The clever manufacturers had neatly wrapped all the shelf components in separately labelled bags, even thoughtfully including the required tools. Well, I say ‘tools’—for a seasoned DIYer like myself, these were mere toy implements that would likely bend into a pretzel long before the job was finished. This was strictly a job for the proper tool belt.

Once again, I surprised myself with my newly acquired craftsmanship. The shelf, now securely mounted to the utility room wall, actually supported the weight of four heavy coats and a torch. I just hope it survives the night without crashing down at 2:00 AM.

Buoyed by this early success, I moved on to the next picture. This one was destined for pride of place in the hallway, so it had to be spot on.

With Karen assisting, we measured, remeasured, checked the height, and rechecked the height before finally fixing the wall hanger. It turned out absolute perfection on the very first attempt. We’re getting dangerously good at this.

Armed with my trusty tool belt—now restocked with rawlplugs, screws, and an array of picture-hanging gear for every conceivable scenario—I prepared to hang the final picture of the day in our bedroom. I didn’t want to push my luck by attempting any more in a single session.

This particular picture was going onto an outside wall (to use the technical builder’s term). That meant heavy-duty fixings and the trusty power drill were required. Having only just managed to clear the last traces of plaster dust from the house following the renovation, we cleared everything within a ten-metre radius before the drilling commenced. Plaster dust in a bare room is one thing; plaster dust all over the duvet is quite another.

With the hole drilled—right first time, I might add—the rawlplug inserted, and a long screw secured, the picture was hung.

I admit I felt a little uneasy sleeping directly underneath it last night, though I suspected Karen might get entirely the wrong idea if I suggested we wear hard hats to bed.

On the positive side, I’ve since discovered the added benefit of using a long screw on an external wall: it doubles up rather handily as a hook for a hanging basket on the outside.