How to fill a long gap in friendships

Over a long enough time period, nothing happens to anybody. For proof, conduct the following simple experiment: phone a friend you haven't spoken to for at least six months and ask them what they've been up to, chances are they will reply something similar to "ah, nothing much". If you're me the conversation will then die, and you will have to invent a dinner that has just finished cooking, a sudden knock on the door or a small housefire as an excuse to hang up and end the embarrassing silence. Social faux pas aside, I hope you concur that I have proved nothing happens to to anybody.

Now try this experiment: phone another friend you haven't spoken to for at least six months and ask them "what did you do yesterday?". Don't accept a short answer, genuinely quiz them about where they were when they woke up, how they got to work, what happened to them during the day. Lo and behold, plenty of things happen to everybody all the time. If you listen to people's answers and ask them plenty of follow up questions you can cover hours of conversation with this one simple question and avoid the awkward silences that pervade my Christmas reunions.

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Boilers

We have a new boiler and a new water system. Woot. It is quiet.

The great (wood) wall of Walnut Tree House - Renovation Day 15

More faces on site (I've been told, I wasn't at home). Wayne stood down, but new grounds people on site. And more pertinently a pair of carpenters. The carpenters spent their day erecting a large wall that runs through the lounge, hall and playroom. They removed the entirety of the playroom door and surround, and walled off a whole set of shelves. From the inside it's an impressively monolithic construction. And they took care to route light switches so that we can control the lounge and playroom lights, albeit at about 6 feet off the floor so that Keir has no agency at all. All so that they can keep digging lumps out of the kitchen, and knock down walls and so on without too much impact on the rest of the house. And with the wall in place the demolition continues. Three full grabber lorries of dirt have gone from the driveway, and there's at least two more still to go. The pantry is mostly gone, although the floor remains. And they'...

Cables drop from the ceiling

Data, power and TV ready to be hooked up in the playroom

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