What the Lister saw...

I've discovered I'm really good at sawing!

There's been some DIY going on chez Mark. Shelves, yes, flatpack assembly items, of course. Naturally, the proper jobs requiring real expertise, like plumbing and hanging wallpaper, have been taken care of by people who know what they're doing. GSI, as my friend Ian calls it, or Get Someone In. Today the final step - the carpet was laid, by a couple of very nice chaps from John Lewis.

Trouble was, they had to take the door off to make room for the thickness of the carpet. It would have to be planed down before rehanging, which would require a new appointment. "Needs half an inch taking off the bottom. Cost a hundred quid just to come out. You'd be better off buying one of those mechanical planing machines," said the carpet guy. "Unless you're really good at sawing."

So I got my saw out. And did a flawless and most enjoyable job. I've only just found out, but I'm very good at it. I found out by listening to the various tradesmen who've been hanging out here lately. All very good at what they've been doing, but to a man they admit defeat when it comes to clean, accurate sawing. The trick is to let the saw do the work - don't try to force it. That makes it a lot easier, and it goes really straight. I had thought that everyone knew that, and I was an average sawer - but no. I have the knowledge, the patience and the lightness of touch to take a dead straight sliver off the bottom of the door and rehang it even better than it was before. Yay!

Just goes to show - sometimes you don't know how great you are.