It tapes two to tango

It was a cold and frosty morning and tough conditions for being a marshal at the local parkrun but a great day for an indoor mission and the first good deed and mission for Melissa - give her a cheer and warm welcome. Well done for tucking into a good deed instead of a good festive feed and not waiting for the new year to get involved.

Deep roots and turning over a new leaf

We had a good chat with local neighbour, Fred (not his real name), who had recently moved across the borough after 32 years in his previous home - it was on the third floor with no lift so it was time for a new place. His new house needed a lick of paint to brighten it up and make it feel like a home.

Preparation is key

Today's task seemed straightforward enough - we were asked to mask around the edges of the bathroom in readiness for a good lick of paint. I knew that the walls looked like a reasonable paint job but the length of the edges add up and there were some high areas, low areas and intricate work around fixtures.

I started some festive tunes then Melissa and I took a roll of tape each and a pair of scissors and set off.

I'm glad it's not Christmas every day!

About half way through, I switched off the festive tunes in favour of music in the style of Bob Dylan, one of Fred's favourite artists which got him talking about all the gigs he had seen over the years.

Your love tapes me to a higher place

To reach the ceiling I turned down a stool, a box and a ladder in the bathtub and instead just stepped carefully on the bathtub walls. Fred and I guided Melissa to align her tape perfectly and she did a stellar job on half the ceiling (opting for the ladder and stools) and under the sink and the room is ready for action. The pictures don't really show much - cream masking tape on light walls - but we know that preparation is key and it will make the paint job so much more effective.