After living without it for months, we have decided that we’re not going to refit the full-length rail we took down when we decorated the stairs. The function is covered by fitting on the opposite side and it is useful having a bit more room when moving things like double basses and amps up and down the stairs. Therefore, I decided that this afternoon would be a good time to push ahead with the plan of fitting it in the music room upstairs, where it can be used to hang lightweight instruments and coiled leads.

The biggest challenge was getting it straight. It is such a long piece of wood that it naturally curves under its own weight and I discovered that even my metre long spirit level didn’t give a reliable reading. After two misplaced holes, I had to get Jane to come in and guide me in marking up for a third, which worked much better. The alternative would have been to measure from the ceiling to the top of the rail.

Fortunately the new drill I picked up recently made pretty easy work of making the holes so at least that part of the job didn’t leave me sweating for too long. Now I’ve got the fittings in place, I’ve put a fresh coat of paint on the rail (outside – it ended up being easiest taking it out of the bedroom window) and I should be able to pull it back in later this evening and either fit it back on the brackets or at least put it out the way, since rain is forecast tomorrow morning.