Jay Blades Home Fix

[Mike Jordan]

Just viewed the first one I recorded earlier this week. Anybody seen one? He did show how to change a tap washer but the rest was rubbish with a hint of danger., Barry Bucknell was ten times better in the 60 s, and we laughed at him!.
I think there is a need for a programme on home repairs/ woodworking but it needs to be better than this. They could dig out the black and white programmes by Barry and get a better result for zero cost.

 

[Lurker]

Does Jay paint one leg of a table bright red?

 

[Mike Jordan]

He may have but I had largely switched off by then. The reupholstery of the stool was my limit.
It does seem a shame that there are no worthwhile instructional shows on tv.

 

[Woodbloke]

Blades is a charlatan when it comes to using tools; he can just about do a bit of simple upholstery but that's about his limit. He appears to be able to make tea though on the RS - Rob

 

[AJB Temple]

He may have but I had largely switched off by then. The reupholstery of the stool was my limit.
It does seem a shame that there are no worthwhile instructional shows on tv.

Suspect TV has largely abandoned this because it has been superseded by You Tube.

 

[Blackswanwood]

Bring back Reg Prescott …

 

[Pete Maddex]

I don’t think we see mr blades on the telly for a while of ever, see the bbc news.


Pete

 

[wallace]

I know a couple of the guys off that money for nothing show where jay originated with his singular painted leg. I said to Bruce that jay really needs to up his game because his stuff is pretty pants. I think he fulfills a criteria which the beeb really like.

 

[Trevanion]

I can't say I was ever really a fan of Jay Blades, I always thought there was something a bit disingenuous about him, and the fact he was considered a "master craftsman" for his work on upcycling furniture grated a bit.

 

[Woodbloke]

I don’t think we see mr blades on the telly for a while of ever, see the bbc news.


Pete

Inclined to agree Pete. The Beeb are going to drop him like the proverbial 'hot spud' which means The Repair Shop will probably go to the wall as well, unless they can find a replacement for JB with the necessary patter and 'presence' in front of the camera. He or she also needs to be able to make tea - Rob

 

[9fingers]

Inclined to agree Pete. The Beeb are going to drop him like the proverbial 'hot spud' which means The Repair Shop will probably go to the wall as well, unless they can find a replacement for JB with the necessary patter and 'presence' in front of the camera. He or she also needs to be able to make tea - Rob

Several of the craftspersons on the show have adopted the presenter role and done it far better than Blades IMHO

 

[StevieB]

Just drop him completely and let the craftspeople do the meet and greet as they sometimes do now - JB is hardly essential to the programme (although I watch it for the repair skills, not the sentimentality, so may not be the target demographic!)

 

[Woodbloke]

Just drop him completely and let the craftspeople do the meet and greet as they sometimes do now - JB is hardly essential to the programme (although I watch it for the repair skills, not the sentimentality, so may not be the target demographic!)

Agreed, he's not essential to the format of the show, but he tends to pull the whole thing together in much the same way that the odious Tony Robinson used to do years ago with 'Time Team'. He was no archaeologist in the same way that Blades is certainly not a craftsman but both have (or now maybe had) the ability to present the show to make it appealing to viewers. You could draw a similar comparison to the equally odious Clarkson and 'Top Gear' which floundered for several years under different presenters - Rob

 

[Phil Pascoe]

Inclined to agree Pete. The Beeb are going to drop him like the proverbial 'hot spud' which means The Repair Shop will probably go to the wall as well, unless they can find a replacement for JB with the necessary patter and 'presence' in front of the camera. He or she also needs to be able to make tea - Rob

Catherine Ryan. No. No! Pretty please, no!

 

[Lurker]

Can’t say I think much of JB skills, but innocent until proved otherwise.

 

[Woodbloke]

Can’t say I think much of JB skills, but innocent until proved otherwise.

He's got proven tea making skills - Rob

 

[wallace]

Doesn't he have an OBE, I think its for his charity work and not his crafting skills. Maybe the beeb could snaffle Rupert Blanchard or bruce the one armed woodworker. I think Rupert would be far to british sounding. But Bruce could fulfill a new criteria, he has a decent sounding voice and good patter. As a bonus he actually has some skills in joinery.

 

[AJB Temple]

He has an MBE for services to craft.

 

[Cabinetman]

Catherine Ryan. No. No! Pretty please, no!

Can she make Tea? Most Americans think it’s only fit to pollute harbours with. And I doubt she does much woodwork, amusing enough though.
Apropos of Tea, I had my first American Diner Coffee today, (yes I’m tight you get non-stop refills where you don’t with Tea) it was quite good but I’m told it will make me even more hyper than I am already lol. Edit I very rarely drink Coffee so I was surprised at enjoying it.

He has an MBE for services to craft.

Who decides who gets what? Seems very arbitrary and apart from rewarding unknown worthies seems to be more like pandering to the masses giving things to people/celebrities they’ve heard of. But it was probably ever thus.
Ian

 

[AJB Temple]

Who decides who gets what? Seems very arbitrary and apart from rewarding unknown worthies seems to be more like pandering to the masses giving things to people/celebrities they’ve heard of. But it was probably ever thus.
Ian

Anyone can be nominated by anyone for an OBE, MBE, Knighthood etc. You can also nominate yourself. Now this may surprise you but there are consultants who will write the nominations for you (likewise business awards), procure the necessary two or more supporting letters written in glowing terms, cleanse your CV and social media and also lobby the "independent" nominations committee and relevant others. All for a fee that reflects their time, expertise and connections. They will also help fix you up with some charitable appointments in advance if required.

 

[Woodbloke]

Can she make Tea? Most Americans think it’s only fit to pollute harbours with. And I doubt she does much woodwork, amusing enough though.
Apropos of Tea, I had my first American Diner Coffee today, (yes I’m tight you get non-stop refills where you don’t with Tea) it was quite good but I’m told it will make me even more hyper than I am already lol. Edit I very rarely drink Coffee so I was surprised at enjoying it.

Ian

We had the ubiquitous drip coffee diner experience recently in Canadia; the only thing to recommend it is that it's hot and wet. That said, I've given up on the now almost universal tea bag in the UK and gone back to loose leaf black tea. SWIMBO recently treated me to a dinky little tea pot so I'm now experimenting with different, decent quality loose tea. Anyone recommend a really good Breakfast Tea that doesn't cost an arm and a leg? Taylors of Harrogate Yorkshire Gold seems a good one - Rob

 

[Dr.Al]

We had the ubiquitous drip coffee diner experience recently in Canadia; the only thing to recommend it is that it's hot and wet. That said, I've given up on the now almost universal tea bag in the UK and gone back to loose leaf black tea. SWIMBO recently treated me to a dinky little tea pot so I'm now experimenting with different, decent quality loose tea. Anyone recommend a really good Breakfast Tea that doesn't cost an arm and a leg? Taylors of Harrogate Yorkshire Gold seems a good one - Rob

We've been using loose leaf exclusively for a few years now (with these filters straight in the mug, rather than bothering with a teapot).

The best stuff we've found comes from Keith's coffee shop in Cirencester, but the stuff we have as our day-to-day tea is this: https://amzn.to/47t48zQ (we buy the kilo bags of it on a subscription as Carolyn drinks a LOT of tea).

I tend to prefer Keemun tea (without milk) these days, although I still go back to English Breakfast now and then.

 

[AJB Temple]

Do you find the loose leaf tea is significantly better than premium tea bags? I tend to drink Earl Grey or Lady Grey with a tiny bit of home bee honey, but haven't tried loose leaf for years. Those tea pot / mug gadgets are a good idea.

I've not tried Keemun tea but this has inspired me to find some. I don't like any tea with a strong tannin taste (over brewed maybe).

 

[AndyP]

Try buying decent tea in France at less than eye watering prices. Hardly anyone here has heard of decaffeinated tea either which I drink mostly. One of the many “cannot do without essentials” that we stock up on during our frequent visits to the UK.

 

[Woodbloke]

Do you find the loose leaf tea is significantly better than premium tea bags?

We went to Wilton House GC a while back and I fancied a brew of tea in the afternoon rather than coffee. I asked for a strong breakfast tea and I was served a pot of containing loose leaf tea, which the waitress said was their best and strongest. It was refreshingly much better than anything with a tea bag though quite why I can't explain; it just was. I sat there for a while and guzzled the whole pot while SWIMBO wandered off to look at the plants - Rob

 

[wallace]

The guy who bought the last machine I did was in the process of ressurecting an old earl gray recipe in conjunction with the gray family. I wonder if it came to fruition. My wife is a big fan of earl gray tea and likes to find different brands

 

[Woodbloke]

The best stuff we've found comes from Keith's coffee shop in Cirencester, but the stuff we have as our day-to-day tea is this: https://amzn.to/47t48zQ (we buy the kilo bags of it on a subscription as Carolyn drinks a LOT of tea).

That tea looks good Dr.Al but how do you store a 1Kg bag of loose tea leaves once opened, bearing in mind that you need to keep the leaves in an air tight container? I've just bought a little tea caddy (with a double lid, one inside the other) from Whittard for the princely sum of £3 which will be enough to keep one packet of leaves. As I'm the only one drinking black tea (SWIMBO has green tea) I'm only dipping a toe into the hot (tea) waters at the moment - Rob

 

[Dr.Al]

Do you find the loose leaf tea is significantly better than premium tea bags? I tend to drink Earl Grey or Lady Grey with a tiny bit of home bee honey, but haven't tried loose leaf for years. Those tea pot / mug gadgets are a good idea.

I think the selection of loose leaf tea is better than what you can get in premium tea bags. I'm not sure there's much difference in quality, although we've found loose leaf to be more consistent. Also, I like the lack of waste: a lot of tea bags have plastic in them and it seems extremely wasteful to be using it for such a short amount of time. The tea leaves from the Chatsford filter thing just get emptied into the compost bin (along with the coffee grounds & their filter paper).

That tea looks good Dr.Al but how do you store a 1Kg bag of loose tea leaves once opened, bearing in mind that you need to keep the leaves in an air tight container?

We currently have a fairly small jar (it used to be a Douwe Egberts instant icky coffee jar I think) for leaves in the kitchen (topped up from the big bag), but that doesn't hold very much and will shortly be replaced by a not even slightly air tight caddy that I've just made. The rest of the 1 kg bag just stays in the bag (it's got one of those press seal strips along the top so is semi-air-tight). I haven't noticed any significant degradation over the time we have the bag open (and Carolyn has never commented on it getting better when you open a fresh bag). Having said that, it's quite frightening the rate she can get through a kilogram of tea leaves

 

[Woodbloke]

I think the selection of loose leaf tea is better than what you can get in premium tea bags. I'm not sure there's much difference in quality, although we've found loose leaf to be more consistent. Also, I like the lack of waste: a lot of tea bags have plastic in them and it seems extremely wasteful to be using it for such a short amount of time. The tea leaves from the Chatsford filter thing just get emptied into the compost bin (along with the coffee grounds & their filter paper).



We currently have a fairly small jar (it used to be a Douwe Egberts instant icky coffee jar I think) for leaves in the kitchen (topped up from the big bag), but that doesn't hold very much and will shortly be replaced by a not even slightly air tight caddy that I've just made. The rest of the 1 kg bag just stays in the bag (it's got one of those press seal strips along the top so is semi-air-tight). I haven't noticed any significant degradation over the time we have the bag open (and Carolyn has never commented on it getting better when you open a fresh bag). Having said that, it's quite frightening the rate she can get through a kilogram of tea leaves

Saw the tea caddy Dr.Al and thought it was a good little project. I've done a similar hinge on a box project thingie some years ago and it's quite difficult to align exactly the hinge holes, but there are 'ways and means' Whittard of Chelsea also do a larger version of mine little one (again with a double air tight lid) which will hold a full 1Kg of leaves, so if I find some that I really like I may well invest - Rob

 

[AJB Temple]

T'net says that tea is fine for 6 months if stored dry, and black teas have a shelf life of 3 years after which flavour starts to degrade.