Gareth Harrison

The person who invented woodchip wallpaper should be shot…

Now I know that may appear to be quite a harsh statement, but you’ve not spent the last two days trying to get woodchip paper from my back bedroom ceiling!

I decided this weekend to clear all the junk out of the room, and give it a lick of paint, but I noticed that some of the paper on the ceiling was sagging so, I thought it best to pull it off, and just go over it all with some textured paint to hide all the cracks! Well, what started off as a simple idea has turned into a nightmare getting this woodchip stuff off! I’ve managed to do about half the ceiling now, but have now had to come to work, so hopefully I’ll get time this week to finish it. I’ve got to seal over the damaged plaster when it’s done, and try and fill a few holes and cracks before I put the paint on, but then it should just be a case of chucking some magnolia emulsion on the walls to give the room a fresh look. Why do jobs like this never turn out to be as simple as you first thought?!

Foot update: exactly nine weeks until the Great Manchester 10K Run, and my foot is feeling a little bit better since I’ve bought some things to push up the arch of my foot in my shoes, but I saw another doctor on Thursday, and he said that I must make sure I don’t do any running on it for a while or it could damage it more, making it take even longer to heal. So I am pretty worried that the run is getting closer, and I’m not able to train for it. Looks like it’ll be an intense few weeks beforehand, or it could end up being a 10K Walk instead!

Thought it was about time I did another update! Not much has really happened in the last few weeks, apart from doing a few odd jobs on the house! Did my first bit of tiling in my kitchen on Saturday which was a learning experience! I’ll be discovering the joys of grouting later this week! I’ve also replaced some of the end panels in there, and painted all the cupboard doors white, which makes it look cleaner and bigger! Now in the process of ripping the wallpaper down so I can give the whole room a lick of paint! I suppose I should also do something about getting my other downstairs rooms finished, considering I started them about a year ago, and they’re in a very unfinished state!!

Sarah and Emma came round for some food on Thursday night, which tested my culinary skills ever so slightly!! I thought I’d try and cook something that I hadn’t done before, so I found a couple of recipes that required me making my own herby breadcrumbs and marinating vegetables in olive oil, garlic and herbs!! I actually surprised myself because it tasted pretty good!! Makes a change from the usual meals I end up having!

Also, some of the guys from Reach are talking about going skiing in the New Year, and I’m kind of tempted to go too. I’ve never skied in my life before, so that could be quite difficult, but I reckon it could be quite a laugh. The only things I need to look at is getting the time off work, and also whether I can afford it ‘cos it’s slightly more expensive that the holidays I usually go on! I think I’ll try and make a decision sometime this week.

I’m off down to Tamworth for the day tomorrow – mainly for a dental appointment (arrggghhh!!) – but it’s quite good timing ‘cos it’s Vikky’s birthday on Wednesday, so I’ll be able to see her when I’m down there. The only downside is that my appointment is at ten past nine, so I’m going to have to leave Manchester at about 6am! I think I need to try and get an early night tonight!

It’s been an absolutely mad few weeks! I’ve had to produce a TV commercial for United’s USA Tour which has been a real nightmare! We’ve done this thing with a group of cheerleaders in a virtual studio to make them look like they’re on an American football pitch, followed by some Manchester United football action. The making of the commercial wasn’t too bad (it’s tough having to direct 5 cheerleaders for an entire day, but hey, someone has to do it!!) – but it’s just all the paperwork and stuff that I then need to do for clearance and the like! At a normal place, you’d have a whole team of people doing it, but here, it’s just me! Anyway, it started running on Sky on Wednesday, and runs on Granada sometime next week!

The house is still the same! Actually, the builder’s been in touch with regard to sorting out the fireplace, and he’s going to ring me when he can come around and re-quote me for the work. I really want to get it all sorted, but it just takes up so much time – and I really don’t have any of that at the moment!

First day back at work after getting back from stewarding at Spring Harvest, and I really didn’t feel like doing any work at all! It was a really tiring week over in Skegness – we were having to get up at 6am and finished at about 1am, with only half an hour break in the day to get lunch! It was a really good group of guys there this year, and I’m going to try and keep in touch with some of them… although I am the worst for keeping up-to-date with emails and stuff!

I got back to Manchester on Tuesday night, and was in bed by eight o’clock… the earliest for a very long time! And I didn’t get up until Wednesday lunchtime! I think I’ve just about got over the lack of sleep now.

I’ve just arranged to get a broadband connection fitted next month (although it’s got to wait until I’ve got the living room sorted) so it should be easier updating my websites and all that. I’ve got to update the Skeggy Stewards site soon with all the photos from this year’s event – I’ve just taken my photos in for developing so will probably scan them at the weekend.

Yet again it’s been a while since I’ve done an update – nearly two months now!

I finally joined a local gym on Monday – I’ve been meaning to do it for ages, but just never seemed to get around to it! The one I’ve joined is just opposite MUTV, so it only takes a couple of minutes to get there, which should give me a better chance of sticking with it! I’m planning to try and go about 3 times a week during my lunch break from work, although after just my first week going, my body’s already gone into shock wondering what on earth I’m doing!

The house is looking even more of a mess at the moment. I pulled up the living room carpet at the beginning of February, but can’t put down a laminate floor until I’ve got the building work on the fireplace done, which I’ve still got to sort out. So now I’ve got bare floorboards – which are really rough – and I’ve also ripped off some of the skirting boards! And as well as that, I had my central heating re-done last month, which means there’s now a massive hole in the wall of the dining room where the back-boiler gas fire has been ripped out. At the moment it’s covered with newspaper but I need to get it bricked up and then get the whole room re-plastered! It’ll all get sorted some day!

Happy Boxing Day!

Actually, I’m at work at the moment, so it really couldn’t feel less Christmassy! We’ve got a free-to-air weekend in a couple of days, and I’ve got so much to do for it that in the last couple of weeks, I’ve only had Christmas Day off – hopefully I’ll be able to get this Sunday off as well ‘cos I’m feeling a tad tired!

Just looking back at the last entry I made back in October… and the fireplace still looks the same! I’ve had a quote for a builder to complete the work on it, but I have to get someone to remove the gas fire first, so I’ll try and get it all done in a few weeks time. There’s so much I want to do to my house, but finding the time to do stuff is a major problem, as is whether I actually have the skill to do all the jobs that need doing! I’ve bought a DIY book so I can at least have a fighting chance!!

Oh, and the photos from Rhona’s Bollywood Bash back in October are now up on the site… you can see them here.

Anyway, I’d better get back to my work now to at least give me a chance of leaving today before it gets dark!!

I am now a home-owner!! Finally moved into my new house on the 5th September, so I’ve been in there for almost 2 weeks now. I’ve still got piles of boxes all over the place, but I am starting to get there with my unpacking. There are quite a few jobs on the house that I want to get sorted – some of it involving a bit of building work – and I’d like to get them done sooner rather than later. But, when you look at everything that needs to be done, it’s really easy to panic and think it’ll never happen!!

I’ve got Jamie (from Reach/lifegroup) staying in my spare room at the moment ‘cos he’s waiting to move into James Torry’s new house which he’s going to be gutting and refurbishing. It’s a bit weird actually ‘cos I’ve lived on my own for the last two years, and now I’ve got to be considerate to someone else!!

I’m videoing a wedding this weekend in Chester which is a bit scary – I vowed never to do another one after doing the video of Reuben and Esther’s wedding back in 1997! This one I’m doing is for Steve Clamp and Claire Cartwright, who both used to work here at MUTV, and Steve is now working for BBC Midlands Today in Birmingham. Should be pretty cool though ‘cos some people that I used to work with but haven’t seen for quite a while will be there as well.

Well what a month it’s been…

Exchanged contracts for the house yesterday and hopefully should be able to move in sometime next week. I guess I was too optimistic expecting everything to go to plan, ‘cos at the last minute it all looked like it was going to go pear-shaped!! There was a bit of a problem with the house that Jeb & Nicky are buying, and it looked like they might lose it which would have meant a major delay for me. But it all got resolved last weekend so we’re into the final straight!! Hooray!

Got back from Soul Survivor on Tuesday, I had a really good first week, but had a bit of a rollercoaster of a time on the second week I went on, but it was good catching up with all the guys from back in Tamworth. I’ve put my photos from the week up here.

Right… quick update on what’s happening in my life!

I moved out of my house a week ago, which was an absolute nightmare! All my stuff is now spread about at my mum and dad’s garage, my grandparents’ spare bedroom, Cathy’s cellar, Sarah’s garage, Jeb & Nicky’s back room and a storage unit in a warehouse in Stockport! I’m also currently renting a room in Emma’s house in Levenshulme with a girl from Spain and a guy who’s up in Manchester as a volunteer in the Commonwealth Games. It’s a pretty small room, with quite a lot of my things in it(!), but hopefully it should be just for a few weeks.

Actually, we’re looking to exchange contracts and have completion for around the 20th August, so that’s only a couple of weeks away. It’s worked out quite well (I hope!), ‘cos if it does get sorted that week, then I’ll be at Soul Survivor for week A – be back in Manchester during week B, which is when I should get the house – and then be back down to Soul Survivor for week C. I was originally planning on being there for week B as well, but Chris had problems booking, and by the time he applied, week B was totally full, so all the Coton Green guys are going on C.

I got into the spirit of the Commonwealth Games on Saturday – there was a spare ticket available to go and see the Rugby Sevens Quarter Finals at the City Of Manchester Stadium, so I ended up going to that. It was really cool… I thought I might not enjoy it ‘cos i’m not particularly interested in rugby, but I really got into it, and the atmosphere in the stadium was amazing! I even ended up watching the semi-finals and final on TV on Sunday afternoon – I never thought that would happen!!

And another month’s gone by… I must try and update this news page more often!!

Well, still waiting to hear when I can move into my new house – it’s looking like it won’t be until mid to late August – the only problem is I have to have moved out of my current house by the 29th July, which is a bit of a problem! I’ve got to find somewhere to store a house-full of furniture, let alone find somewhere to live for a few weeks myself! If I can’t move in until the end of August, I may just go off to Soul Survivor for 3 weeks ‘cos it’d be cheaper that staying in a B&B in Manchester! I’ve got the whole time off work, so it may be the best thing to do! It appears that the damp problem isn’t as bad as it sounded, but I’m still waiting to get official confirmation on that. Jeb & Nicky (whose house I’m buying) were getting the house they’re planning to buy surveyed yesterday, so hopefully if there were no problems, things may start moving pretty quickly.

Was down in Birmingham on Saturday night to meet up with a few guys who were on my masters course at uni – Surjit, Don and Mike. Was really weird seeing them all again – we left UCE Christmas 1997 – but was cool catching up with them. We went for a drink in the afternoon at one of the bars on the side of the canal at Broad Street, and in the evening went for a Balti… well, they went for a Balti – I had my usual meal of chicken and chips, not being a major fan of curry myself!!! )

Had a really smart day on Sunday – a load of us from Reach went off to the beach for the afternoon again, and the weather was really nice! I took some shorts this time so I was able to go out into the sea – when we finally got to it! You can see some photos of the day here.

Work’s been manic as usual – last Monday I managed to do 23 and a half hour shift! (started at 8am, left the office at 7.30am) I’ve been working on a TV commercial for Manchester United’s pre-season tour, and had to get Sir Alex Ferguson to film some stuff for it, which stressed me out pretty much in the run up to it!! The ad is supposed to start running this weekend on Sky and ITV, just need to get all the tapes out to all the various tv companies now!

Woah, it’s been a month since I updated this…. how time flys by!!

Been a pretty cool few weeks really – I went to Alton Towers for the first time ever a couple of Wednesdays ago, and it was really good. We had some tickets that got us in half price so it was a real bargain. And I think we were really lucky too, ‘cos it wasn’t too busy, and we hardly had to queue for any major lengths of time at all… I think the longest was for about 20 minutes or so to go on ‘Air’, the new rollercoaster there where you basically just hang off it. It was a real adrenelin rush – excellent!

And the Jubilee Bank Holiday last week kept me busy – on Monday I went to a barbeque with some of the guys at Roz’s, and it was a really good night… I even had a bit of a kick-around with a football in the back garden – and it’s not very often that that happens! Then on Tuesday, a load of us went to the sea-side!! We went up to Southport (just north of Liverpool) and it was a pretty good day – we had one heavy burst of rain, but the rest of the time it was really nice. I even caught the sun quite a bit, which I wasn’t expecting – cheaper than going abroad!

On to the latest in my house-buying saga… the building society have done a survey on the house, and they’ve found a couple of thing that need doing before they’ll give me the full mortgage… basically, the main problem is they reckon there’s a problem with rising damp, and they say I must get it sorted… I have a feeling that could be pricey…

Well, the house situation has moved on a little bit… I made an offer on a house yesterday and it’s been accepted! Scary!!! Actually, the house belongs to Jeb & Nicky (who I know from uni in Birmingham, and they now live up here), so I know the house is in good shape. The only problem I may have is that they haven’t got anywhere to move to yet, so it’s like a kind of mini-chain situation… I’ve got to hope my landlord doesn’t give me my notice too soon, otherwise I may have to find a solution for myself and all my stuff between houses.

The party at Rhona’s was cool – it was a good train journey down, much better than driving… I could just sit back, close my eyes and listen to some CDs!! It was cool catching up with people – Rhona’s off to India on Wednesday I think, and I also met Naomi’s new husband Nick for the first time. It was good seeing Bin again as well – oh have I’ve missed his little chats!!!! ;o) Also, Fiona was there as well, and I’ve not seen her for a long time, so that was good too. There are some photos of the night here.

Current news – luckily the house I’m living in still hasn’t sold so I haven’t been given my notice yet! I’ve just spent the last two days looking at various houses to buy, but with no real joy, although there is one which may be suitable. Hopefully, I’m arranging to view a load more next Tuesday (my next free day), and who know… maybe I’ll find my perfect house that day!

Have decided to travel down to London for Saturday evening to go to Rhona’s leaving party (she’s off for a few months to work in India, which has been a bit of a surprise for everyone!!) I’m going down Saturday lunchtime on the train, which only takes about 3 and a half hours (slightly quicker than driving there!), and I’m coming back on the Sunday morning so it’ll be a fleeting visit. Actually it should be pretty cool, ‘cos Naomi should be there (and unfortunately I couldn’t make it to her wedding over Easter, so it’ll be good to catch up), and Bin’s going to try and get there as well. Maybe some other ex-uni-guys will make it as well, so it can be like a mini-reunion!

Have had to take down the CU Oldies website for the moment…. to be honest, it really wasn’t complete, but also I’ve run out of web space to host it ‘cos Skeggy Stewards has grown so big… I’m even having to store a lot of the new pictures on my own website!

Thought it was about time I did another news update for the site. It’s early Sunday evening and I’m at work (woohoo!) doing a few bits and pieces that need to be finished by the morning. Got back from working at Spring Harvest in the early hours of Wednesday morning… we’d decided to stay for the evening stuff since we were already on site and didn’t have to pay(!), but that kind of meant that we didn’t actually leave Skegness until about midnight, and it takes 4 hours to get from there back to Manchester! And considering I’d just finished a week of working 17+ hour days, it possibly wasn’t the wisest thing to do driving back so tired. Anyway, apart from a couple of times when I found my eyes closing involuntarily, and decided to pull over to avoid dying, the journey back was okay… trouble was I had to get up four hours later to make a trip to the railway station!

Other news… my landlord has offered to sell me the house I’m in and I’ve got to give him a decision this weekend. After much thought though, I think I’m going to pass on it, and desperately try to find somewhere else for me to buy before he manages to sell this one! I love challenges!

I’ve spent quite a bit of time the last few days with my websites… www.skeggysteward.co.uk is pretty busy at the moment for obvious reasons… I’m hoping to make it a load more interactive very soon, and may shift it to another server which allows for scripts to be run thanks to a guy I was sharing a chalet with at Spring Harvest – more info on that when I get it. Also, I’ve been fixing a few problems with Tom’s website, and over this next week I want to try and pull together the CU Oldies website with some more content and a slight re-design on the look.

Anyway, better get back to work and do what I’m paid for!!! ;o)

This is kind of my on-line diary / news thing where I can put stuff that’s happening in my life at the mo, and anyone can read it if they want!

Current news… At the moment I’m renting a house in Greater Manchester, but my landlord’s looking at selling quite soon, so I’m desperately trying to find somewhere to buy (I’m not sure that I want to buy this place!) Trouble is, I’ve discovered that house-hunting is a bit of a nightmare. I’ve traipsed around loads of estate agents over the last few weeks, but still not actually looked at anywhere. Hopefully going to start looking at some places later this week, then will have to sort out getting a mortgage… arggghhhh!

Anyway, I’d better get off to bed now… I’ve been spending far too long working on a new website for my mate Tom Green (check out www.tomgreen.co.uk), which I’ve done for him for free, with the promise of some voice-overs from him at some point!!!