Sunday , I went with good intentions to finish ripping through the rest of the plot with a Rotavator, but as I hadn't burnt the last bits of the rotten wood. I just kept feeding the fire.
My friendly neighbour, Frank, ask me if I run it over a little piece of his plot. Of course I did, after all, he lent me a saw to cut up the long bits of wood, gave me a spare tap connector( council not sent one yet!), and offerer me a real ice cold refreshing drink of fresh orange and pineapple juice. How could I refuse. 1 hour later, one happy neighbour and another ice cold drink. As I was leaving his little plot, he placed £20 note in my had, "towards the hire, you saved me a lot of work". I tried to refuse it, but he insisted as his shoulder is in a bad way, and his blood pressure is a bit high. Ok I thought, I put it towards the machine hire. Temp was now 29-30C and blazing hot.
Slowly I just cut in the edge of the plots. 10 mins at a time and then, a quick rest in the loving shade of those cherry trees. fed the fire and kept an eye on it all the time.
2.00PM the wife turned up and in a cool bag pulled out a ice cold Newcastle Brown.
Off with the top, and down she went, slicker than Torvill and Dean over ice.
Sat in the shade and eat the contents of the cool bag. It is lovely, sitting in the middle of urban spall, and listening to the quiet. Coming from the countryside myself, it is the most noticable things I miss, the small sounds. Flap of a wing of a bird as it flies nearby, the small sound of the wind through all the couch grass on distant plots, the rustle of the cherry leaves as a breaze hits us, giving us a little respite from the searing heat.
As we finished adding the last of the wood, we raked the last of the dead grass from the small plot. coming up to 7.00pm I had enough and thought a little stubble burning was ok.
as two edges had been dug, so acting fire breaks, i dragged the bin over and tipped it over, spilling hot ashes on to the stubble. The cracking of seed popping and a gentle wind moved it up the plot. Oneside myself with a can in hand and the other my wife. Where we presoaked the lines down the sides and rakes the excess of dead material, it just slowly advanced, controlled and forward. I put out the ashes and then we both moved over the ground gently spraying water over the burnt ground. 30 mins and all done. I packed up all the tools and we waited for 30 mins just to make sure all was out. When it was, a cool bath and well earn meal, with Frank's fresh potatoes, was waiting.
Boy did those spuds taste great. yellow and fluffy. Boiled for 10 mins and the skins fell off. butter and some lovely slices of Gammon and nothing esle.
Monday.
Up at the plot and call the rental guys about their rotavator. they were to collect. being from a large building suppies company, they said that they had a lot of outgoing equipment to deliver first. They would be at least 2-3 hrs.
OK. I have around 24x18 feet left to do, so hell I did it. I finished as the heat of the day just started to really build up. Went home and waited for the call. Now 11.30am, call them again. sorry mate some time yet. hell I walk to you.
Only 1 large hill and then down hill all the way, easy. yep in this heat, phew.
1 pint of cold milk, check.
petrol in the machine, check,
off we go. the wife dropped me of at the lottie and then as I chugged through the gates, locked them and went ahead. boy a line of trees makes it bearable to walk the machine in top gear, just about slow walk pace, up the hill. Being overtaken by a old lady in one of those ride buggys for the disabled on the way. I laughed to myself, me with a full 6HP being overtaken by a pensionable Michael Schumacher. At soon as she was past, she pulled right over in front of me and away she went. True Senna-like sytle.
Over the brow 20 mins later, and into neutral, off with the engine, and free wheeled it downhill. This was more of an effort, trying to hold it back...lol
but at least i was moving a good fast walking pace. 5 mins and there at the builder merchants. As I came round the corner, my wife sat in the air-conditioned car, was chuckling to her self. I stopped for the 4th time, and finished the milk I purchased for the journey. As I pulled up at the yard, I saw the guy who rented the machine to me. Gobsmacked that I had walked it 3/4 of a mile in this heat. I shouted to him, " hope you got a drinks machine in there!"
"Sorry, no mate" came the reply.
I was dripping from head to toe, but I had made it. When I went to pay for the machine, He did the most wonderful thing.
"cheers mate for bringing back, I give you 25% off the bill."
Big Business giving to the little man...I was gob-smacked. So instead of 90quid for the weekend, I paid £68.00, so cost me £48.00 for a weekend. Now that is cheap.
well just weeding and landscaping to do, thats all...lol. We broke the back of it in 2 weekends, that is good going! Now I can do a few hours here and there in the week and 4-5 on a weekend day, getting the plot how I want it.
