Well bugger!

The toilet is almost complete. Cost so far, 2 and a bit pieces of 2x4 at $4 each, one piece of plywood at $15, about $20 of specialist screws, $6 of hinges, $6 on a specially long drill bit plus a ton of OSB, aggro and the bloody thing doesn't look like its going to work.

The lid binds on my door lock when I hinge it upwards. I'm really not sure what to do about it. One possible solution would be to cut a notch in the lid where it binds in order to allow it to swing freely. That'd be very redneck and not visually pleasing.

Another solution would be to cut the thing in half and just have the grit bucket under the handbasin. I hate wasting materials and money.

Yet another solution would be to cut the lid in half with the toilet side hinged and the other side held down with toggle bolts.

A final solution would be to burn the blasted thing and go and buy a toilet. I hate that idea because all my life in Britain I was surrounded by people whose cry was buy it, don't build it. And who on the rare occasions that building it didn't work would sneer that I'd wasted my money and should have bought it.

I'm going to have to think on it overnight. All day ive been battling 37% humidity and 100F (38C). Work has been in bursts of 15 minutes. In between bursts have been longer sessions cooling off.

Generally, I suppose the first solution, cutting a piece out of the lid might prove the most immediately effective solution. Given how much effort sent into the toilet, I'm very loathe to abandon the project. As far as completion is concerned, all the toilet needs is a hardboard front, some screws to hold the seat down and a proper lid on the grit compartment. Those jobs will probably take to the end of tomorrow.

I had a look at the bead curtain I bought off eBay. The picture on eBay looks nothing like the raggedy junk that arrived. It's supposed to be more of a privacy curtain but the reality is terrible. It's definitely not a privacy curtain. As it us, its unusable. Needless to say I've rather more a feeling, having seen 100 bad reviews for that seller for this month alone, mostly for deceptive descriptions and deceptive photos, they could be pretty slap happy about business.

So, tomorrow I'll try to rescue the toilet or maybe complete my closet door. It was suggested that making a bead curtain is a possibility. Indeed I spent some time in Imanta in Latvia where my hostess, Mara, actually had made a very effective bead curtain using string and driftwood.

Let's hope for a better day tomorrow!

When the going gets tough, the tough go shopping!

As I had to work today, at my voluntary job, I took the opportunity to do some shopping on my way back. What a day!

The first stop was Lowe's where 14, 5 inch lag screws and a 6 inch drill bit cost a stupendous $32. After picking myself up off the floor having heard the price, I completed the transaction secure in the knowledge that though my toilet will have cost the same to build as one I would have bought, I have a much better toilet. Of course, no trip to Lowe's is without entertainment. Today that entertainment was provided by having to play hunt the checkout.

Ignoring the extremely long lines at the checkouts, I hunted along rows of unattended tills seeking one with a shorter line. The self checkouts that never work each had irate customers busily cursing because the things were not working. I learned my lesson long ago that the self service check out should only be used if you have too much time on your hands! Eventually I did find a checkout and once I'd attracted the clerks attention, checked out. The hard part was attracting his attention as he was engrossed in his mobile phone.

The next stop was even more hilarious. That was a food stop at Walmart where upon finding only two items on the shelf and I needed four, I asked the closest Walmart employee. Their answer really summed up Walmart's attitude to customer service: "that's not my job" and the dentally challenged moron went back to shuffling cakes on a shelf, trying to look busy while studiously ignoring me and offering no further service!

After that, I went to BiLo around the corner, got everything I needed, was served by happy staff and exited the store. Right outside was a car with the trunk open and a pair of rough looking individuals trying to attract people to buy whatever it was they were selling - if it wasn't indeed a mugging they were offering.

Returning home, I found one of my eBay orders had arrived. This is a bead curtain for the end of the bed that has come all the way from Thailand. Sadly I was too tired to examine it thoroughly but it does not from first glance seem to be much more than netting with half a dozen beads attached! It looks like a $6 scam but I could be wrong.