Shirley called and asked if I could strip some old paper and hang some new paper for her in her main bathroom. I made an agreement on the phone and asked where she lived. When she told me, I had a moment of clarity and realised that I might know this house. I asked how old her house was. 38 years. I asked if there was a problem with power when it was constructed. Yes there was. I had remembered that the paper actually froze onto the wall in the total absence of heat during the new construction as there was a BC Hydro strike and it was in the dead of winter. Then I asked if they had a heat pump. I had remembered, that at that time, it was new technology, and I was impressed when I heard about it. Yes, they had a heat pump.
When I arrived on the job, I found that the paper I had hung 38 years ago was no longer there. They had re-decorated a number of times since. But here I was, in the bathroom, stripping paper that someone else had hung and it was one of the worst jobs I have ever run into.
I stripped the old in a few hours and came back the next morning to hang the new.
It was a dramatic change, very stylish, with a modern retro look. I know, that is a contradiction in terms but it is what is 'in' these days. We were one piece short because of the large pattern repeat and horrendous waste. She ran to the paint store, where they had more in stock, while I put some things back together.
I highly doubt I will be going back 38 years from now to strip this one.
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