Stage one on our journey to having central heating again got underway this weekend. The oil tank has to be relocated to comply with new safety regulations, so we decided to hire a digger to clear the chosen piece of ground, and at the same time we could do another job that badly needed done: clear our central reservation – a mound of mud and grass that had built up between the tyre tracks on our dirt track drive.
Now if anyone has ever seen any of the digger sketches from the Fast Show, it will probably come as no surprise to hear that the thought of hiring a digger for the weekend is enough to reduce most men to a state of excited childlike anticipation. It’s rather cute actually.
Of course, it’s a serious business being a digger driver, just look at the levels of concentration required.
Basil carefully supervises.
We have a great bunch of friends. Come and stay for the weekend we say, we have a great program lined up for your entertainment, we say. First you can help us fill a skip with old building rubble, then you can help us move six tonnes of gravel onto the drive. You’ll love it!
Well the work party was made up of our good friend Nick the stone balancer – more on that later – and David, the man most of you will probably just know as Chef. Some say he invents quiche recipes in his sleep and he can chill pastry with a blink. All we know is he’s a jolly good sort and is probably aching right now in places he didn’t know could ache.
These three boys all got to play with the digger and they all proved they have something in common with mad dogs by working right through the scorching midday sun on Saturday. What a gorgeous day it was, but less than ideal for manual labour.
We finished the day with a barbeque – once news of the digger got around, we had them queuing up, so we thought we would make a party of it. We forgot to mention that the barbeque was still flat packed, so the first arrivals were handed a screwdriver and the instructions.
The girls took a lesson from Basil and practised the art of supervising.
Basil makes a great foreman, he has supervising down to a fine art.
Thanks to the efforts of Mike and Steve, we were then able to get down to the serious business of cooking. You can never have too many cooks at a barbeque.
So a huge thank you to all our good friends who came along and made it a fun evening. Let’s hope we get more nice weather and can do it again sometime.
On Sunday, we had a cracked wall to knock down, it was an accident waiting to happen, so we thought we might as well get rid of it while we had the skip. After it had gone, we let Basil out and he looked around, then looked up to where the gate posts used to be. A heart wrenching little moment because it was a favourite spot of Sesame’s.
Ah, nothing like a bit of demolition work to make you feel like a real man!
So back to the stone balancing. It’s the latest pastime of our good friend Nick and really is what it says on the tin, balancing stones. Take a look at this!
Nick's Stone Balancing
You can find out more about stone balancing at www.stonebalancing.com – fascinating stuff.
Looks like great fun!! Nice to see that Chef has other talents apart from providing amazing quiches and screen wash when required!
What more could a girl want on a sunny afternoon than watching men being men (with the aid of a little mechanical digger of course) and see them being ably supervised by a most capable kitteh!!
The photo of Ses on the gate post gave me a bitter-sweet smile as it probably did to you too. He looked so majestic, surveying his kingdom.
See you at the Open Day. Got my thinking cap on for the stars and stripes comp.
Love
Jill
x
looks like you all had a great time – think the supervisers had the best parts tho, and Basil makes a great forecat.
good luck with the rest of the work, hope all goes smoothly
Basil looks like a great foreman or should that be fourpaws? Adrian looks like he was really enjoying himself too. Hi to you all and thanks for great photos as it’s lovely to see what you are up to. Rosie
Oh my Glenda, you do seem to have had a brilliant weekend and at least you all managed to get some work done while you sat and enjoyed it being done. love and hugs Shirleyxxx
Looks like you all had a great time while managing to get the job done and Basil makes a superb forman
Looks like you all had a great time and got a great job done at the same time.
I must say though I would have been the one hiding under the parasol out of the sun with a long cool drink. In fact, I was at a bar-b-que at my daughter’s and as she doesn’t have a parasol I spent the afternoon moving my chair round following the shade round the garden.
Love the photos of Basil and Sesame!
Lesley Xx
Any ideas why I can’t see all the pictures? 514, 523, and the last 3?? I think from the comments, I must be the only one not seeing them – how strange as I can see the others but not those ones
The ones I can see, looks like the girls have the right idea – of course we all know men can’t do anything without the supervision by a good woman!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Sounds like a super weekend was had by all
Caz
Hi Glenda,
Just to let you know, like Caz i can’t see all of the pictures either, but the ones I can look great. I saw Nick the stone balancing man last year whilst on holiday in Dorset, his displays were really stunning, we are going back this year so may pay him another visit.
That’s what I like to see – men at work – ladies at leisure. Good job the weather held for you. Looks like it was a good do.
Beryl xx
It sounds as though you all had a fabby weekend
Great pics.
Yay! Can now see all of the pictures!
Ohh this brings back memories from when we built a deck in our garden. We too had to rent a digger to get an old tree out. The whole of the back door (frame sidewall the lot) that leads from front to back of the house had to come off to accommodate it.
My husband was like a little boy playing. If I knew how to blogg I would be able to show you.
They are in a different world where machinery is concerned. Hope the project goes well.
Linda
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