That's sugarcane that tasted good, that's cinnamon, that's Hollywood (R.E.M.)

If I wasn't welded to the idea of song lyric titles for my posts - this one would be called 'In praise of D.I.Y.'

Ross and I are at odds on this one - I'm a fan but Ross isn't. Fair enough. I'll explain my position - I'm a clutz with tools and home maintenance generally. I'm okay with a crowbar and a hammer and rough sawn timber (the sheep yards are testament) and only once have I built anything finickity successfully - a large bird aviary. It was something of a miracle given the complexity but even then it was the size of the TARDIS. Ross however inherited all the skills for fine work on a smaller scale - building model planes was his early education and he has graduated to building his own tools to make things. I'm in awe. I once made a model tugboat and I felt like a clumsy ox compared to Ross' fine skills.

So - when I get a chance to do some D.I.Y. I leap at it - much to Jacky's consternation I'm sure. Recently you'll remember I redecorated a lot of the house. When we returned from Doha I continued with the spare bedroom and laundry. The final room to require a touch up was the master bedroom.

I've left it to last for a reason. In short, because the wardrobe needed a makeover.

The master bedroom is bizarrely like a villa's room - 12 foot stud etc. Bizarre cos the rest of the house isn't a villa or remotely like a villa. Someone at some point, again - bizarrely, built a wardrobe in the room and used a curtain instead of a door.

The task - enclose the wardrobe properly with two doors instead of the curtain.

I asked my nephew (a building apprentice) to have a go for me. He looked at it - considered all the lack of plumb and level on each side of the wardrobe, said he'd help but it would be tricky and then quietly withdrew from the project. Daunted? Moi? No way!

I've spent the last two days D.I.Y.ing the job and after much angst, swearing, tooing and froing - I succeeded in finishing the job. A great sense of satisfaction was to be had by me and my padowan (Jade).

Now I'm up a ladder wearing Joe 90 goggles and washing the ceiling and walls with sugar soap in preparation for a lick of paint.

Joe 90 reminds me - Ross wrote that he was in fact a co-viewer with me of Lost In Space. Sorry bout that chief! He also sent in a list of other programmes we watched. A lot of Gerry Anderson stuff - Thunderbirds (we almost knew them off by heart), Stingray, Joe 90 of course and many other cartoons like Gigantor, as well as Disney and Hanna-Barbera cartoons (The Huckleberry Hound Show, Yogi Bear, The Flintstones, Top Cat, The Jetsons, Jonny Quest (left - looks like Jesse huh? I've noticed you never see Jonny and Jesse together in the same room. Hmmm?), Atom Ant, Secret Squirrel were regulars)

Simpler times - much more innocent days than the poor kids have now with their plethora of entertainment outlets.

Love and peace - Wozza