Knowing the right people.

It's important to know people, doncha think? I don't just mean any people, but people who know STUFF. Stuff about bikes, cars, computers, and most importantly (at the moment) concrete and calculating amounts, and building sheds and stuff like that. On Saturday, Mrs GBC and I took a trip to B&Q (other DIY stores are available) mainly to buy a pick axe but also to check prices of the necessary ingredients for my shed floor. I had some idea of what I wanted, but thought that I should check with one of their knowledgeable staff. Unfortunately, he must have been on holiday 'cos the lad whom I picked on couldn't answer a single question about what size aggregate to use, or if I could buy all-in 'sandy ballast' etc etc. He spent about 15mins looking for someone who could help, in which time I'd read the entire section about concrete in the B&Q (other DIY stores are available) DIY Handbook - on sale for about £26 I think. It answered most of my queries, and when I asked to see the sandy ballast, the young lad replied that they don't stock it. So after being chatted up by an elderly gentleman whom we asked where the nearest DIY store was, we ended up buying the pick axe and a couple of tarps and heading to Inverurie to the new DIY centre, GPH. It was shut. I had a bit of a crabbit moment, I'm sorry, but I just didn't think there would be that amount of traffic on the roads on a wet, snowy, cold Saturday afternoon. I hate traffic. So armed with a bit more info, I called my friend Tricky (an ex-builder) who confirmed most of what I'd read in B&Q (other blah blah blah) and then on Sunday, another friend (yip, I've got more than one) also called Tricky popped over to do a site survey. He's a bright lad he is, and eventually, after listening patiently to me going on about how I would dig this bit away, fill that bit in and put rubble in there, he worked out I'd need about 37 bags of cement, and 6 tonnes of all-in aggregate, which Lovies call block mix. So that's me sorted, all I need now is some timber for the shuttering and some damp proof material and a loan of a cement mixer, and a nice fine, dry day or ten, and then hey presto, Cubby Towers will be well on the way. By the way, this is supposed to be cheaper than a wooden floor....

By the way, I found a cracking shop on the way to B&Q (other.............) in New Deer. It's called Food for Thought and stocks all kinds of fresh fruit and veg - with real mud on the tatties and parsnips, delicious drinks and organic beer and luxury choccy bars, so if you're passing, stop in and sample something wholesome, it ain't that dear in New Dear.

PS ITS SNOWING