How I spent the first day of 2010 – Part 1

A lot of the crap that lived in my new Chinese condo.

While many people stayed in bed or tip-toed around due to hangovers on January 1, Mr. DIYr was busy. He never takes a holiday in his fanciful quest to renovate his ugly newly-purchased condo.

Yes, I was busy.

A new layer of plaster went on the damaged areas of the dining room walls. The first layer didn’t turn out well and had to be removed. With the help of a great Facebook amigo, I re-prepped and tried again. Alas, it’s been raining and cold for several days and the plaster is being stubborn about drying. There may be a third attempt in the future…

When you rent or buy a place in China it’s usually furnished. After being rented for  several years the furnishings in Chez DIYr were God-awful showing a little wear. Because the ash floor needs to be refinished we decided to trash most of the beds, desks and assorted knick-knacks.

Enter the trike-man.

There’s a number of men with large tricycles in China: Think of a pick-up truck cargo bed on a adult-sized trike frame. These intrepid movers seem to congregate on one corner of our community, ready to move various items or whisk away trash. Our cleaning lady knew such a man. He arrived, despite the fact January 1st is a holiday,  looking quite dapper in dressy trousers and shiny black shoes.

He moved the junked bed frames, plywood, a disassembled bookcase, and various bits and pieces into the courtyard outside. For $5 USD it was taken away.  All that’s left in my hideous humble abode is a ratty leather sofa, some end tables, a dining table and some wardrobes.

Then came the kitchen….

Tagged as: january 1, junk, kitchen, new year, plaster, renovations, trike man