Freddie P's Blog

May 27, 2010 @ 08:23

A few of you have asked about my trailer updates and why I haven't written anything yet?

Well here's the deal. I didn't go up until Sunday of the long weekend, and I went all by myself. The trailer will be playing second fiddle to my sweet daughter Melanie who's getting married in September.

It's only May, but already there's a ton of crap to do and my wife Delyse has thrown herself into the project with exceptional glee. There will be a lot of weekends this summer where we'll have to stay at the base camp in Brampton and do neat stuff like look at flowers and decide what centre pieces to use.

If you've ever been through this, you get the drift.

On the flip side, I'm a pretty lucky guy. Helping the run what is the Corus Peterborough Radio Empire has me located just 25 minutes from the tin palace on a Monday - Friday basis - so its there whenever I want it.

However, in case I forgot to tell ya, and assuming you give a shit, I decided to keep my apartment in Peterborough over the summer, so I actually have three residences at this writing.

It means on those occasions when I have something to do in town, like a dinner or a golf tournament or just socializing, I can "walk" back to the apartment and not worry about driving up highway 28.

But let's get back to "The Trailer - Week One."

I packed up the car in Brampton on Sunday and set off. On the way I stopped off at the Farm Boy in Peterborough and bought myself a big honkin' T-bone. Over the past couple of years we've been eating a lot less red meat so every so often its nice to pig out on a big piece of cow.

When I arrived at the tin palace I realized the benefits of showing up late into the weekend. My neighbour Gerry had already cut my lawn and cleaned up all the goose shit that's become an aggravating part of spring.

They need to be snuffed.

Having this looked after I immediately sprung into action. I got a couple of the fellas help me put the room on my add-a-room, and then removed some outdoor furniture that spends the winter indoors.

I raked some leaves, cleaned up some stuff behind the trailer, cleaned out my shed and then gave the inside of the trailer a through going over. You know, wiping, dusting and cleaning.
These events took me right into the early evening and it was time to spark up the Webber. She wintered quite well and fired up on the first click.

With the initial lighting I like to crank it up to high and let it burn for a good half hour.

This gets rid of all the cob webs and old grease and guck that's hardened during several months of inactivity. Once she's real hot I take the wire brush to her until I'm sure she's not gonna give me some bacterial disease.

Who decided that barbeques are female?

I'd like to report that post steak and potato dinner that the night got wild and we were all hootin' and hollerin' around the tiki bar to the now Canadian cultural up-north soundtrack that is the Tragically Hip, but that didn't happen.

The Tiki Bar wasn't together yet.

Instead, somewhat exhausted I stretched out on the futon in the add-a-room about 8:45, and the next goddman thing you know it's 11:45. So I wander inside, flopped onto the bed and stayed there till 7:45.

Breakfast consisted of a peanut butter and banana sandwich and I washed it down with some shitty coffee. It's the only kind my shitty coffee maker makes. I don't know what it is about the bastard, no matter what kind of coffee I run through the prick, it comes out bitter and flat.

Time to splurge and buy myself a trailer Tassimo.

After breakfast I did some more rakin' and sweepin' and wipin'. In fact after the steak the night before, I did a lot of wipin'.

By late morning it was time to tackle the Tiki Bar. I got my buddies Gerry and Dan to help me install the roof, while my other buddy Jason re-worked the wiring so it wouldn't be life threatening anymore.

After the roof was in place I started stringin' the lights and this became very frustrating because more than half the strings didn't work. The parrots didn't work, the walleye's didn't work and neither did the sandals.

Lucky for me, I had a new string of pelicans, beer steins and Toronto Maple Leafs.

I enjoyed stringin' the Leaf lights because it was just hours before the Montreal Canadiens would be eliminated from the Stanley Cup playoffs. It made me think of next spring when the Leafs most assuredly will win the Cup and I'll probably watch all the games at the Tiki Bar.

Decorating a Tiki Bar is time consuming. By the time I was finished it was late afternoon and my good buddy Dan Bonchek offered to grill up some burgers. It was perfect timing.

Nice juicy burgers and a wonderful salad whipped up by his wife Tracey put Freddie P. in a good mood.

I washed it down with some ice cold water and thought about the rest of the evening.

I was dirty and grimy and tired so instead of having a shower in my trailer, which features a puny eight gallon hot water tank, I decided to head back to the apartment in Peterborough for a long hot one.

And that's what I did, and whilst in the shower I concentrated on feet. They get real dirty in crocs.

Afterwards I was zesty clean and ready for some NHL action. When I flipped on the Habs / Flyers game it was 1-1 early in the first period.

I laid back on the couch and enjoyed every minute.... of the highlights.... I fell asleep well before Coaches Corner and had to get the glorious result and highlights on SportsCentre shortly after midnight.

I got up of the couch and went to bed. I had to work in the morning.