099. Sunday 30th August 2009. Let the painting begin…

Donnis has been a little despondent the last couple of weeks. She has only been getting  three shifts a fortnight at the Nursing Home. As she is a casual she can only wait for a roster to be posted each fortnight.  Three shifts! So she started talking about and made a few phone calls looking for alternate work. In the meantime the Nursing Home has already stated they were cutting down on expenses, read cutting back on staff and facilities. They are aware there will be a form of natural attrition and those that are left will be the workforce base. As part of this programme they are also training a new nurse and of course she gets  more shifts. I suggested to Donnis she have a talk with the DON (Director of Nursing) and to say she is available for call ins. Of course Donnis always says she is available but a month ago she was knocking back shifts when I had to go to hospital and Alecia was visiting for a few days. I guess when you knock back work you go to the bottom of the list.

So, this week started with Donnis washing down the outside walls and ceilings with sugar soap to prepare for painting. The walls take a beating with lots of sunlight, rain, wind, dust and it was amazing how dirty a clean wall really is. The plan was that as she was not working she would start the painting after she finishes cleaning.

Well! She has been called in or had a regular shift every day this week including Saturday and today. She did not even get the washing of walls completed. Yesterday I painted trim for the external ceilings while Donnis was at work. Today we both finished off the washing and while Donnis started on the ceiling trim in preparation for a roller coat I started on the verandah walls. Given the hardiplank profile there is lots of fiddly trimming painting to be done. Did not finish the verandah trimming but I sure put a dent in what is left to be done. I expect next weekend I should get two full coats on that wall and start on another.

BTW. I enjoy painting, it is kind of theraputic. I do not enjoy the cleaning and preparation beforehand. I do not enjoy the cleanup process afterwards. Generally to get brushes, trays, rollers and stirring paddles really clean requires about an hour with the hose running and me scrubbing. That is why I also  prefer to use water based paint. Last time we painted was the northern wall of the house. We were so knackered and sun dried after a marathon weekend I found a new way to clean up the painting materials including the damp cloth which wipes away little errors or spills. I put them all in the paint tray, pull the roller off the frame and add it to the other stuff in the tray then throw the lot in the garbage bin. Jobs done! When I consider the brushes were only $1 each, the rollers were three for $5. The tray came as part of a kit which cost $5. The cleanup rags were free. Why would I spend an hour cleaning them. I have a collection of old trays and roller frames. Regretably whoever cleaned the trays last time (I have a few nominees) did not CLEAN them. So I have a few dirty trays to throw out as well.  However this weekend I cleaned everything scrupulously. When the house painting is completed I will use the throwaway method again. He He He.

 

The cleaning up of the leaves has halted. Firstly because of the painting but also because I cannot hope to keep up. With the current dry season the leaves drop faster than I can rake them up but it also creates lots of dust.

I have another two weekends to complete the external painting before we have a weekend away in “WHEREWILLWEGO”. This time we are heading off to Pinevale and if Donnis does not have to work we might even try to get away on the Friday night.

 

BTW “WHEREWILLWEGO” is not yet a name set in concrete. Any suggestions? I checked the thousands of names on the CMCA website and nobody else has used that name. Some are similar but not the same. My brother Allan called his Jayco “FINALLY” and I notice nobody else has used that name either.

Sooo! We are running the name “WHEREWILLWEGO” around in our conversation before we get a stick-on name printed and stuck on the front and back.

So for the sign off tonight it will be…

Wo wir gehen.