Feeling pleased with myself

Worked out all by myself how to transfer pictures from my phone to the laptop.

When my first baby was a few weeks old, my Dad and uncle came round to ours. I was tiling the splashback in the kitchen at the time and they both exclaimed, "What are you doing that for, where's MrAA!!" I then had to explain that he had taken the baby out in the pram for a walk while I got on with the tiling...much shaking of heads and tutting. Which was odd, really, as I learnt any skills I had at that time from my Dad as my brothers weren't interested and I was!!!

I think it's horses for courses. I'm much more patient than MrAA and will look at the problem and try to work out what needs doing. Youtube is a godsend now - anything from fixing the loose double glazing to simple washing machine repairs. MrAA has no common sense whatsoever when it comes to DIY or gardening, but he is much more on the ball with finances, insurance and all that stuff. I do know where our savings are and who our utility companies are etc. but he likes sorting it all out and I don't!

Well done to anyone who tackles something unfamiliar and makes a go of it, whatever it is.

All better and tested 😃

this thread has really made me laugh yet another murder by a Gransnetter. Skulls in the rockery and now a chopped up body in the shed

I do DIY too, ifact I do a 'male' job for a profession and I'm afraid to say, it does upset delicate men that I can do the job better than them. There are quite a few women in our manufacturing environment who are doing predominantly male roles and they are ALL better than their male colleagues, more conscientious and more accurate and work much tidier. I know this wasnlt what the thread was about

NanaDana
Stick with it. You get used to the Fun Sponges as I call them.
Either ignore them or bat it right back.

Thanks for all the positive comments, and well done all you GN's who tackle DIY.

Bravo anno- good for you, and it made me laugh too.

When are you moving?

About 40 years ago, I bought an electric drill - for myself and not to be handled by my then husband. I created a new cupboard in an alcove in the kitchen and felt very proud of my achievement. Then who should come along but my mother and say, "Very good; you should have been a man".

I do all the DIY and fixing in our house -I'm just better at it that hubby. He does all the washing and ironing (which I hate!). My achievement this week was finding out why our garage door wouldn't open and fixing it - it had been "broken" since before Christmas but basically a bit of brute force and screwdriver leverage was all it needed to get the mechanism back into it's runners - an easy (and fairly quick) win once I had worked out what was wrong with it!

I think that anyone has a right to feel proud of any new skill that they master. Everyone had to do everything that they can do for the first time once.

I've always had to do DIY around the place. My Dad wasn't really brilliant at it, and my brother is appalling at it, can't even wire a plug, which I learned to do by watching our Mum.
Partly it's having the tools, if you have the right tools it's a lot easier
Anyone remember the old song when father painted the parlor, what an incompetent man that was.
If it's a new thing you've done, then dead right to be pleased you've done it
I used to change my own wheel when I had a puncture, and still would do but it is so hard to undo the nuts with a hand tool, nowadays and I'm not. Going. To carry a power tool on the off chance I might need it. So nowadays I call the RAC to pop the spare on

Everything job requiring a toolbox and a paint roller for 50 years! My husband doesn’t know difference between screwdriver and the sofa….but prefers the latter. But….well done you.

The ex is a joiner. My late husband a joiner. One of my sons a joiner. The son, has a year ago left home and moved abroad.

My dear friend helps me out now with bigger jobs such as putting the new blinds up recently. She always done DIY

However there was a bit of tiling needed finishing in the kitchen which typically for men he never finished.

I braved it. Went to YouTube. Looked up how to tile and went from their. All done I had done some tiling in the 80s so had an idea.

It's not that I can't do it. Just eeks cos I have never had to do it.

NanaDana

Good afternoon, all. Feeling pleased with myself, as I've just joined. First impressions? Rather surprised at how what would often appear to be fairly non-controversial topics can still engender unpleasantness from a small minority of contributors. "Educate yourself", "Pathetic", "Needy", "Clueless and dependent" ? Oh dear. Surely grown ups can recognise that it's possible to politely disagree with someone else's opinion without resorting to such rudeness? Despite that, the healthy, positive exchanges are very much in the majority, so that's what I'll focus on. Can I also emphasise that I don't always see "fence-sitting" as a negative, as it gives an opportunity for thoughtful analysis, rather than what could be precipitate action. So my response in some situations may just be a straightforward : "I honestly don't know". I may even also sometimes rather cheekily suggest : "Neither, perhaps, do you." But that, of course, will just be an opinion.

Totally agree - why belittle someone's achievements, and try to "burst their bubble"?

Well done Jane71

Together we have mended two Roman blinds that we thought we would have to replace . I can usually see what needs to be done, DH is more agile than me and followed instructions without any bother. So we have saved ourselves a couple of hundred pounds as they are large and the old type where the draw cords would have had to have a completely new system.A pat on the back for both of us and for teamwork which does not always happen.

My achievement, inspired by the bookbinding man in Repair Shop, encouraged me to repair my very old copy of Roget's Thesaurus which was slowly coming to pieces every time I used it. I was able to repair the spine, replace the end-papers, re-engage the boards and repair & re-cover the old paper cover. I can use it now, confident that I don't have to pick up the bits. It was an old edition and newer versions do not have some of the old words in so I am chuffed to bits.

Well done to you Jane71 whilst putting up a shelf may seem like a simple task, getting it straight/level and the screw holes in the right place is no easy task, plus! what kind of screws/fittings to use.....brick wall/stud/wall/hollow wall/platerboard wall.

Hope it will give you confidence to try other D.I.Y nothing better than to stand back and say "I did that" so well done.

I love diy.

Well done Jane 71. It’s good to succeed with a new project or skill.
My husband is a very good amateur carpenter, so for most of our marriage I’ve tended to defer to his greater talent, but as he has been ill- we’ve started to cross skill a bit more.

I don’t think she was being rude. She was justifiably proud of her competence.

My husband had Ménière’s disease which meant he would go giddy when leaning down so when we bought our first house it had to be decorated inside and out so I had to do most of the work including climbing the ladder to paint the gable ends and upstairs windows.
When I returned to England after twelve years abroad the bungalow which had been let out for twelve years was in a bad state so had to be renovated and as I could not afford to pay anyone I had to do it.
The first time I employed someone to do decorating was when I was 80.

I have a DIY book called 100 Things You Don't Need a Man For. I got it before my husband died as even though he would eventually get round to doing jobs, I liked having a go myself. With that and another book on domestic appliances I can manage a few jobs with my daughter's help. She has more patience than my son!

hem foots on machine are a nightmare and this from a professional machinist.

Where is it written down that us mere women can't do these things and men can't cook, clean and iron? I must have missed it.

4allweknow

Jane 71 Huge pat on the back for attempting and succeeding. Since DH died last year I have approached some tasks with trepidation. Recently dismantled and cleaned 3 bathroom extractor fans, cleaned out and refilled silicone on window sills (indoors) and done some calking on tiles/units. Some may say we are weak wimps not knowing how do do DIY tasks but I say I afforded my DH respect for his interest in and ability to do most of the household maintenance just as he appreciated my skills.

I love that post, so true

Good afternoon, all. Feeling pleased with myself, as I've just joined. First impressions? Rather surprised at how what would often appear to be fairly non-controversial topics can still engender unpleasantness from a small minority of contributors. "Educate yourself", "Pathetic", "Needy", "Clueless and dependent" ? Oh dear. Surely grown ups can recognise that it's possible to politely disagree with someone else's opinion without resorting to such rudeness? Despite that, the healthy, positive exchanges are very much in the majority, so that's what I'll focus on. Can I also emphasise that I don't always see "fence-sitting" as a negative, as it gives an opportunity for thoughtful analysis, rather than what could be precipitate action. So my response in some situations may just be a straightforward : "I honestly don't know". I may even also sometimes rather cheekily suggest : "Neither, perhaps, do you." But that, of course, will just be an opinion.