Be Excellent To Each Other

Well, I've sort of completed my watch collection for now.

I deliberately bought a box with six slots to limit myself. I just wanted a nice, varied, colourful collection and I'm basically there now.

Two of them were gifts. Oddly, the one in the top right was given to me 20 years ago by a mate and I didn't care much for watches so it just stayed wrapped up in bubble wrap apart from whenever I had a job interview. So I was surprised to take it out this year and realise I liked it.

It's very odd for me to spend money too frivolously (I'm essentially trying to save for early retirement as I don't want my job to ultimately kill me) but this was all part of the big FIFTY celebrations so why not.

They look great. The watch face of bottom-right looks interesting, like mother of pearl/abalone slithers.

That’s a nice set. Fairly dive watch heavy, but there’s good variety.

Good eye, Mimz. It is indeed abalone.

I'd wear it but I absolutely cannot get the links out of the bracelet so I've ordered a blue shiny sort of strap instead.



I favour Chronographs for the detail and avoid GMTs because I'm now afraid of flying so likely won't be leaving this timezone often. I'd have considered a field watch maybe but again I was mainly going on colour.

We bought (and had installed) a granny-flat for the back garden. The idea is that this will be for visitors and guests, so that we don't have to kick kids out of their own rooms any more. It's got two bedrooms, a lounge, toilet and shower and a little kitchenette too. Eventually it could become a kids retreat.

It's better insulated than the house, and it's double-glazed and nicely clean & tidy inside. It's better than the actual house in some ways. Perhaps I might move out there.

It arrived on a trailer. By keeping the wheels on it, technically it's registered as a caravan and we don't need council approval for it - this is one of the big selling points of this sort of thing, along with the speed of install and it's pretty good from a cost perspective too.



Due to the awkward shape and incline of our drive and the positioning of the house, we had to have it moved by crane.



Once in place, it unfolded and set up a bit like a transformer. It took two blokes two days to install. It would have taken far longer to get something actually built from scratch.

We are going to put a small deck out the front (along with some steps too) and a little covered front awning.

How much, out of curiosity?

I'd have to check (Lady T is project manager on this one) but I think the flat was about 44,000 AUD and the install another 4 or 5k.

Compared to a 'proper' build or an extension on the house, it was really great value.

£25.5k at the high end.

That's brilliant. I love it.

That looks awesome, and works so much better in a country where houses have large plots

Thanks all. TBH I was quite doubtful when Lady T was describing it to me, but as soon as we saw the display units at the 'showroom' I realised how cool they are. It'll be really neat once we have the little deck and verandah-thing on it, which will also screen the blocks it's sat on.

Yeah, looks awesome that.

Some lights for the first floor windows.
Photo is rubbish though, and it’s too cold to retake it.