I appreciate your sense of humo(u)r!

Dan cut his own hair for the first time last week. He did a pretty good job!
And then he cut mine (which he'd done before) and he did a pretty good job with that, too.

Thanks DD, sounds like I need to get Dan round for the next cut then... although by the time this is over we'll all have gone stir crazy and be using our own hair to knit socks.

Can't help agreeing with Terry Pratchett: Progress just means bad things happen faster.

welcome to Basel, what sorts of activities are you interested in for the COVID and post-pandemic Basel?

Well cjcm, to try and survive COVID, I first tried my hand at decoupage (after looking-up what it meant) on a couple of lampshades using The Sun and The Times for a bit of semi-nudity, cheesy sports and Brexit headlines - I'd give it 6 out of 10.
Now having a go at making a bench on my minuscule balcony. To save space it'll go partly onto the sloping roof. The upside is the technical challenge in using the tools bought from Blighty and design to give some measure of simple elegance whilst making sure the roof tiles don't crack. The downside is that I 'rescued' the wood from a skip in my street, some nice beech wood shelving.... but beech is rubbish for outdoor furniture so all the effort will be wasted (plus my landlord could get grumpy).
This is in-between working, cooking, listening to endless music and wild swings between misery and mild cheerfulness - thank all the deities for music, more music and illegally downloaded TV and Films (started Blake's 7 and Hamish MacBeth - this will mean nothing to you).
Also finding myself with strange thoughts like: Iceberg lettuce is an example of 'Survival of the fittest' (natural selection in the broadest sense)

Post-apocalypse I should try and integrate more and want to help people with problem solving. Being an 'enemy of the dialects' (languages just don't stay in my head) means making more effort so will need to get off my arse. I downloaded duolingo but even hard staring the icon doesn't do a damn thing so I'll probably delete it. Like the rest of the planet, I'd like to get away later in the year but will probably need to take one of those numbered tickets and join the queue.

Theoslimm, I hope you keep writing while being bored and keep me entertained.

I fully agree.

In fact, I'm looking forward to a post-pandemic meet up!

Oh and a picture of that bench would be fun to see! <<Now having a go at making a bench on my minuscule balcony. To save space it'll go partly onto the sloping roof>>
I sure hope you didn't slide off the roof in the mean time.

Thanks for the words of encouragement! In fact if I knew how to do those "Thanks" things I would be using that. I've looked but I just don't see it, so thanks in advance for any advice on Thanks.

I like the idea of a post-pandemic bench warming party and hereby cordially invite you all! (Just message me when it's all over and I'll be off to purchase suitable quantities of cordial)

The party will be a great opportunity for you to meet my imaginary friends and get to know them like I have over the last week. Ironically, at first I didn't believe they really existed, indeed, that I was just 'making them up'. How crazy was I! Of course I now realise they're real: after all, the one thing this virus has taught is is just 'cos you don't see it, doesn't mean it isn't there.
I can also tell my neighbour that they're the ones responsible for the Rage Against The Machine, Elbow and Frazey Ford played at unsociable volume so it's a win-win.

I was busy being miserable the last couple of days but plan to make more progress on the bench out in the sunshine over the weekend. Will also try to figure out how to add pictures from my phone onto this thing.

As a parting gift for lovers of Alice In Wonderland I offer you this:

The Queen of tarts
She broke some hearts
Whilst rolling in the hay

Jack the lad
Sleeps with his dad
'Cos he's an incestuous gay

It's more inappropriate now than when I scrawled it 'in my youf' but WTF; the structure, childish stupidity and maintaining the rhyme with the original still make me smile

Hi Theoslimm. You need a certain amount of posts to see the thanks button. And there is an edit button as well but I hope that will never show on your screen.

Now this party invitation sounds nice. But if you think I will sit on that bench of yours, the part that is on the sloped roof - forget it! I will not survive corona just to go sliding from your roof. Unless it's a one storey house, then it could be fun actually.

Not sure whether now is the time to complain about noise from the neighbours. If you live alone you might be quite glad to know there's still life out there.

I'm not an expert of Alice in wonderland but if I had kids, I would not read it to a toddler it seems. Far too much explaining to do.

So, just keep posting and the thanks button will appear - like magic, all Alice ...

__________________
It's all a matter or perspective.
So move your butt and look at it from the other side

Oh ye of little faith...

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Very nice. Well done. There needs to be a grand opening party with lottery for the winning seat ;-)

Wow! Very nice work, I'm well impressed!

I am also impressed! This is 10x more professional than I expected, to be honest

Maybe I can hire you out once this is all over

Finished the bench. Hopeful that it will survive until Autumn but I suspect with a few rainy days the beech block wood joints will fall apart. Fingers crossed for the bench-warming during a nice dry summer.
Anyhow, thanks goodness I can get back to sitting around doing nothing ... until the muse strikes.

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1A result! You're not fooling us and it was an IKEA garden bench, are you?

You could make up with that squirrel who's heart you broke. You'll never know when the shops close and you're glad it shares the nuts with you.

Wowza, good job, Theo! Guys like that still exist? I can make a nice new suit but would rather not attempt to even try to open an ikea box.

They sure do. My OH, brother, dad, next door neighbour, several friend's partners and countless others. It's a great skill. Beautiful bench Theo.

No kidding, the "Thanks" button appeared - feels like Christmas!

Actually that squirrel was after my nuts - that's why I had to end the relationship

You know, there are ways to talk to people now too, you don't have to resort to chatting up animals. At least you didn't eat your squirrel, like they do in the US.

Of course it did, I never lie.

I think I'll drop the subject of nuts at this point.