Downsize No 1...
A few years ago, we bought a big self-propelled petrol mower, as we had something like 150 s.y. of allotment paths and side areas to mow, and most of it was on a slope! It was a Webb, with a fabulous Briggs and Stratton engine, and very powerful - such that I could 'drive' it home (also uphill), after each session! Then it had to tackle the lawns at home as well as the wide verge outside, so it was kept pretty busy and never let me down!
But now 'The Patch' is being used by someone else, there's only the home stuff to do, and most of it is with wiggly edges! The dear old Webb really had to go, as it hardly got moving before the next bend! So, a quick sale to a local mower engineer, whom we know well (Ebay would have meant me cleaning it all to sparkling condition, then being asked to deliver it to Darlington or somewhere), and an evening on the net, and 'The Turrets' took delivery of a gorgeous little rechargeable Flymo just the other day!
Of course, it needed a trial run yesterday, and the dear little chap just waltzed through the whole lot in just over 40 mins, which is only a little more than the time it used to take with the biggun! Usually, a first mow at this year is a bit of a 'burglar', with lots of leaves everywhere, but all in all, it seems to be just fine!
Downsize No 2...
'The Turrets' has been blessed with a fabulous wistaria, which is at least 150 years old, and when we moved here, it covered two whole walls of the house! This had to change over the years, but we kept as much as we could and we just love it, despite the blooms ending up everywhere in the house in the spring, and ditto the leaves in the autumn!
And Growster has to prune it...
As anybody here knows, these shrubs take no prisoners; they'll go for the throat with their stainless steel tentacles as soon as look at you! In the past, a bit of ladder work was a doddle, even 20' up, but a graunched knee this year has had other repercussions... No high ladder work for the foreseeable future, and a wistaria getting all 'fruity' as it does around now!
So, another hour or so on the net has come up with a solution, which is a lightweight high tree pruner, which looks like a space gun, but should do the business! I should now be able to do the job firmly on the ground, and Mrs Growster won't have palpitations every time I go up the ladder (I almost fell off one year, and she's never forgiven me..:0~) The new kit arrives later this week, and I'll let you know how it gets on!
And the 'disaster', you scream?
Well, during Monday night, I designed (in my head), some long loppers for the second 'wistaria' job, using some aluminium poles and a few jubilee clips etc. After an hour or so in the shed, and a couple of dry-runs, I'd broken some cheap secateurs (free with a packet of cornflakes), cracked the handle of my own lovely pair (easily mendable), and just gave up!
Downsizing isn't so bad, but I've spent all my pocket money for the rest of the year now...:0~
