We saved a fortune on haircuts, now for the dog... | Rick Jackson

As hairdressers have been closed, Sarah went online and bought a decent pair of electric clippers, then went on a crash YouTube course on how to cut hair.

I have to say, she did a cracking job. You would never have known Freddie and I hadn’t had professional haircuts and several times we have been asked who did them.

A grade two with blending in and just a little off the top proved well within Sarah’s capabilities and even my hairdresser commented on what a good job she had done when I finally got an appointment.

So I thought I’d take the home hairdressing one stage further, looking down at our rather dishevelled, unloved-looking Jack Russell.

Ruby’s visit to the poodle parlour costs more than my haircut, so this would be another saving if I could pull this haircut off.

Being a man, I didn’t bother watching any YouTube videos on clipping dogs, I just went for the clippers and wished for the best.

Ruby is a tad strange. She’s long-haired at the front, like her father and short-haired at the back like her mum. None of that mattered to me.

At the end of the day, she won’t be shown at Crufts and unlike breeds such as the golden retriever or cockapoo, it was a simple clip that she needed.

I started with a grade four. Nothing happened.

Then I applied the grade 3 guard, again no hair was being clipped.

I decided I wouldn’t use any guards and just see what happened.

Well, after a bit, the clippers kind of dug into her fur. Don’t worry, I didn’t nick her, but the finish wasn’t that brilliant.

In fact it was awful and if I were Ruby, I would have been in floods of tears and refused a walk around Stanley Park purely on the basis of embarrassment.

I may well have saved myself £30 but my dog now hates me and is refusing to be seen in public.

This cathedral for shopping worshippers was deserted

My excitement level reached its highest since Christmas when I booked an appointment to have my slow MacBook looked at by the Apple Store in West Quay.

My 4.45pm appointment meant no school run and I could spend an hour looking around the shops, something I’ve also not done since Christmas.

But West Quay was like a ghost town. No cafes or restaurants open, the place had no soul. Don’t get me wrong, I can’t stand anywhere when it’s busy, but this just showed how much our lives have ground to a near halt by Covid.

An hour later my MacBook was fixed and I couldn’t wait to get home. Bring on Monday, bring on June 21.

We’re all revved up but with no museum building to go to

You may not know this, but I own a bus. I’m also a trustee of The Provincial Society, a group wanting to open a transport museum on the Gosport peninsula.

With an old Gosport tram and vintage buses dating back to the war, we’d link the likes of Explosion, Submarine, Diving and Hovercraft museums with our much-loved vehicles.

The only issue? Finding a hangar or building big enough to house such a museum. We are ready to go, we are desperate to get things moving and so is my wife, knowing I’ll be keeping out of her way. Gosport has great museums and a transport one, linking everything, would be the icing on the cake.

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