Enjoy the weather whilst it lasts! And please mind the birds!

I still believe that we should try and move our bank holidays a few weeks along the calendar and later into the year so we have a chance at better weather. Last weekend was a mixed bag of cold winds and occasional showers, but this weekend, the one that isn't a bank holiday, is looking to be, as the Worcester News says: "Hotter than Ibiza!"

For me in the painting and decorating trade, this weather is welcome as it allows us to start on a few of those exteriors we have scheduled in. One of my 'marauders' will crank up the volume on the radio and we'll end up listening to either the Venga Boys or Classical FM, depending on what the mood is. (Sometimes, being part of a decorating team feels like it's all a part of a variety act - next week we'll start tumbling and jumping through hoops or climbing freehand, painting and decorating as we go - a-ho-ho-ho!)

But on a more serious note, exteriors and window frames and doors are now becoming more frequent as the weather warms and the skies clear. There is a lot of building work going on in Worcester at the moment, and our dates for external paint jobs is filling up quickly. So if you are looking for work in this area, please schedule it in with us at the earliest opportunity. I don't like using clichés, but this one could be true: "Book now to avoid disappointment!"

The other wondrous thing about painting outside at this time of year is the birds (no, not those birds, the flying ones! Goodness sake!) Twice this year we've had to go carefully to avoid disturbing a nest: in one case it was a family or irritable starlings that were nesting under the roof of a neighbouring house we were painting: the sounds they come out with whenever they thought we got too close would make a sailor blush! (And the things they tried to drop on us when they cleaned out the nests left more white splashes on the drive than we did!)

The second was a pair of robins who were nesting behind a light in a rural pub garden. They were quite delightful, and we even got one of them to eat out of our hands with the right incentive (dried meal worm).

And just this week, when I was pricing up a job for window frames and a garage in Powick, I noted the delight of the swallows on a nearby house who had made a nest right on top of the alarm box under the tiles. I just hope they don't get burgled when the chicks are first hatched!

So this weekend, here's to the weather. (Now I just need to dig out my old mankini for a tan! Yikes!)