Another dog ramp

Having made a ramp for our neighbour's dog, Barney, last year I've now completed a ramp for another neighbour's dog, Remy.  She's about 8 weeks older than Barney, although I don't think they are related.

This ramp was somewhat longer as it had to deal with a greater rise from the lawn to the terrace, positioned at the side of the steps.

Simple construction with two side rails, plywood platform and doormats to help the dog's traction.

Under construction in the "outdoor workshop"

Finished and ready for delivery.

Installed and ready for use [live action picture awaited!]

.oOo.

Another local woodwork job completed - having now made two dog ramps, two garden gates, three wooden display stands for shops, part of a bed for a boat and repaired about five dining chairs . . . not forgetting the "Mary's Bottom" Tiki Bar.

Extreme puncture repair job!

One of my bike-servicing customers brought his bike in today - I've seen perished tyres before but this one takes the biscuit, remarkably the tube is up to pressure.

Two new tyres have been ordered - along with brake blocks that were close to the metal.

Loire Cycle Tour 2026

 Back from the tour - usual fun, food, beer and wine with a group of, this year, 7 friends -  a few random photographs:

A typical route, in the forest near Chambord.

The "mural" is a trompe l'oeil staircase in Blois.

Chenonceau - one of the "top five chateaux" - we also saw Chambord and Azay-le-Rideau  - and stayed at Cheverny & Villandry.

The Apothecary at Azay.

The obligatory stop at the Pegasus Bridge cafe on the way to the ferry home - coffee rather than beer this time as I was driving.

. . . and five of the group l-r : Linda, Mike, Richard, Jenni & Keith (Clive and Joan had departed for their extended holiday) - I took the picture from my hotel room balcony at Villandry.

Bear obsession

 My "follower" will be aware that we have a bit of a thing about bears . . . . 

Well, many years ago at a branch of Decathlon in France we saw some tiny tents that were used to show off how the different full-size tents looked when they were erected.  The examples, with a footprint about 30cm square, were really cute and just perfect for a bear's recreation but sadly they weren't for sale.

I stumbled across some miniature tents, complete with zipped door and a flysheet on Amazon - two of the bears are now very happy chaps.

Some fun with artificial intelligence

 In an idle moment I asked ChatGPT to change the brickwork on the front of our house to off-white render and the window frames to black . .  the resulting picture was stunning!

We have no plans to make the changes but it's interesting to see what could be - I may have a play with the rear elevation . . . 

Three days in London

The primary purpose for a birthday treat was to see Paddington the Musical at the Savoy Theatre but it morphed into three days and some interesting visits.

Having taken the train we checked into a Z Hotel (excellent) and then traced Burlington Bertie's footsteps along The Strand to visit the King's Chapel of the Savoy with the stunning ceiling, stained glass and plaques representing hundreds of Knights of the Realm.

Paddington was just enchanting, following his arrival into the Brown family and then paralleled the original Paddington film (the one with Nicole Kidman as the evil taxidermist). 
The effects, with a person of small stature in the bear costume and with a singer and puppeteer operating the facial expressions, were amazingly realistic.

Next morning it was a Thames Clipper to Battersea Power Station and to ascend The Chimney.  The lift pops out of the top of one of the chimneys for 360 degree views - you can see it in the photograph.
Spectacular, but the building interior is just a very up-market shopping mall.   
The lower photograph shows the large white tentage at the Chelsea Flower Show

From there a Clipper ride all the way down-river to Greenwich and a couple of rides back to the hotel on the DLR and Underground.

Dinner was at the newly re-opened Simpsons in the Strand - very traditional setting and food (Daily Telegraph readers and men in red trousers!)  An excellent dinner.

. . . and then on Friday morning the National Portrait Gallery before the train home.

- yet another cycle tour

 Off to LA for 2026  . . . . .  .  Loire Again* - eight of us from the usual gang leaving at the end of May for 12 days of cycling, food, wine and good fun.

Ferry from Portsmouth and then 3 different hotel locations in the Loire Valley with ~50 mile day cycle rides taking in the odd chateau and few other sights.

The "Route Book" has been compiled with the detailed maps and itinerary.

*Previous tours in the area in 2013 and 2019, we've stayed before at two of the hotels for 2026.

It's BST again!

 British Shorts Time starts again as the clocks go forward an hour.   Continuing the challenge to wear shorts every day of British Summer Time 2026.

I achieved an almost 100% record in 2025 - as I type I do know that there will be a long-trouser day on Easter Sunday and a couple more in May for a trip to London (shorts are frowned upon at The Savoy Theatre) . . .  watch this space.

An early bank ATM card

 Looking for something else I found a "bank cash-card" from the late 1960s!

The card, same size as today's bank cards, has holes punched in coded to the owner and could be used to withdraw £10 from a machine outside a bank.  The cash (IIRC 1 x £5 and 5 x £1 notes) was contained in a plastic sleeve.  The card was retained by the machine and returned in the mail to the user a few days later. More than £10 - you asked the bank for an extra card(s)

I had a Coutts & Co account as the company I worked for from 1966 - 1971 banked with Coutts and was located above the (then) branch in Fleet Street so opened accounts for all of the sales people to pay our expenses.  I retained the account until about 1995.

.oOo.

I looked up some detail on a banking history website:

Early cash withdrawal cards, introduced in the late 1960s and 1970s, often used punched-card technology to store customer data and authenticate transactions. These early "cash cards" allowed customers to withdraw a set amount of cash, £10, from early ATMs, with machines retaining the card for processing. 

Key Features of Early Punched Bank Cards:

Technology: These cards used a series of punched holes (often called "chads" or "chips" when removed) to store identifying information.

Use Cases: In 1970s Britain, a user inserted the card, entered a personal identification number (which was not yet widely called a PIN), and received cash, with the machine keeping the card to be returned by post later.

Rarity: These cards are considered collectors' items

A second stair-rail

UPDATE - 26 March 2026 - the new rail has now been stained and finished with a hard glaze followed by a wax polish.  Colour and grain are a pretty good match to the RH rail - use of the rail will develop the patina!

In the interests of safety we have installed a second hand-rail to have them both sides of the straight and steeper than normal staircase.  The timber is Ash with a "low cottage loaf" profile and fitted with polished chrome brackets..

Installed, ready to stain and finish to match as closely as possible to the original rail (on the right) - set back from the corner of the hall wall.

The table that has been replaced

Exposed-edge plywood console table, size 42cm x 95cm x 61cm high, with a single drawer.   Made from 19mm Birch plywood with steel hairpin legs, finished with OSMO natural oil.
The design was inspired by a made.com piece of furniture.

For sale on Facebook Marketplace (it's not in my etsy shop as it's too big and heavy to despatch)

Console table

 A new console table, with full width drawer, to replace the exposed-edge plywood table I made about 5 years ago.

I'm pleased with the style and construction but very disappointed at the way the timber, American Poplar/Tulipwood took the stain and hard wax oil - the grain pattern and its discolouration have caused the finish to be rather dark, patchy and uneven.

Lesson learned - avoid this timber unless the piece of furniture is to be painted - the reason to use it instead of oak or ash was that it was around 45% cheaper for the timber.  That said it was excellent to work with.

Another tool update

 I sold the two sanders on Facebook Marketplace, together with a corded heat-gun that I'd had for 48 years (it still worked perfectly)  

The funds were recycled into a battery operated heat-gun - not as powerful as the mains operated, but adequate for my requirements - it is, of course, the same brand and therefore battery platform as all my other cordless tools.

The table project

 The ends and rails ready to glue and clamp together - I can then check the the precise drawer box size (single, full-width) and make it.

Timber has been stained and will receive two or three thin coats of Fiddes Clear Matt Hard Wax Oil, de-nibbed between coats.  

When completed the table will have a final wax polish, buffed to a soft semi-matt sheen. 

Foot progress . . .

 I have had an issue with my left foot for about 5 years - some sort of ligament or tendon has "fused inside a tube" causing my foot to collapse. After some scans and a few injections the experts decided that it's not anything that's operable, so a mechanical solution is needed.

I have had numerous visits to the SWIMS (South Warwickshire Integrated Muscuskeletal Service) department at Leamington Hospital where I've been fitted with orthotics (shoe inserts) that have been built-up progressively to the point where I now have a permanent pair made from dense polypropylene. Hopefully they will make walking as comfortable as it's possible to be.

The progress over almost two years with heels slowly increased (l-r looking at the undersides) to support my left foot: