I DO MAN JOBS

I have never been one who is fond of the whole ‘Damsel in Distress’ thing. I don’t like asking for help and if something needs to be done I just like to get it done instead of having to wait/rely on anyone else. Plus I am too impatient to wait for anyone else anyway.

I have always had this attitude. Unsure of whether I adopted it through gaining extra independence by leaving home at the grand old age of 16, I suppose it was first put into practise my when I was 19 and lived with two 26 year old men who couldn’t figure out how to unblock our sink. Admittedly, it was my fault because I was the one who blocked the sink in the first place, but after 2 weeks and numerous trips to the shop to buy more paper plates, I decided it was time to take a look. I undid all of the pipe and successfully removed the blockage (mince fat) before putting it back together again. I did not realise how simple it was to fix and was very proud of my newly established ‘man job’ capabilities.

Eight years later I am proud to say that I have accomplished, amongst other things, the following:

• Knocked down several walls and shifted millions of rubble sacks
• Fitted the washing machine
• Plaster boarded the ceilings of 3 rooms all by myself (like a jigsaw. Torture)
• Tip run consisting of a freezer and cooker (by myself)
• Sanded and varnished the wooden floorboards
• Levelled a floor and installed the underfloor heating
• Assembled a whole kitchen (albeit only from IKEA, but I did it by myself).

I feel like Kirsty Allsopp on Steroids.

It seemed that we were forever having walls plastered which meant that I almost enrolled on a plastering course so I could just learn to do it myself. I almost went on a tiling course too because after all, It’s nice to know how to do these things, right? My spontaneity and ambition is not limited to travel, adventure or ’getting things done’ but it is ingrained in everything I do. It’s how my head works. The last two courses I have been on were a soft furnishings course (where I learnt to make Roman Blinds, Curtains and Pillows) and a DJ course… they couldn’t be further apart! I don’t exactly see Lawrence Llewellyn Bowen swapping notes with Carl Cox?! It frustrates me because I don’t know many other people who think in the same way that I do and it can be quite confusing at times. I just want to find a way to channel all of my energy into one specific area of life. Maybe, writing about life?

On Sunday night I spent 2 hours bleeding the same radiator that I have bled twice already this month. I have now decided that it is broken and it may be time to call in a professional. Not only have I been defeated but I now have Leona Lewis going round in my head! I can’t be so hands on with my ‘man jobs’ now that I am renting again, I don’t think my landlord would be too happy if I told her that I decided to go ‘open plan’ but I am happy plodding along and thinking where next week’s ideas will take me. Perhaps I could learn to make soap or sign myself up for a cookery class? No scrap that, I think I will go to Venice…