I managed to sell the Harley (at a huge loss) at my first attempt. The guy came and picked it up on Saturday, no fuss. The money will come in handy as I’ve got to work a month before I get paid at my new job. I went for a test ride out to the location of my induction yesterday. Good job I did. Google maps doesn’t recognise the postcode, and they said “Javelin House”, which has a different postcode on Google and it’s not that either. And it’s not marked as Javelin House. Which is super. It just says GBA logistics, which is not on the address given, and I’d forgotten for whom it was I was to be working, so it took me a while to find it.
The other big thing is the raised bed. I’ve built it twice now with planks and it just falls apart and rots. This time I cunningly ordered reclaimed oak railway sleepers. They will outlast me. So do it once and it’s done. I had to take the flowers out, take the old raised bed apart, and dig all the dirt out on to a tarpaulin. That was tough on my back.
Today the beams arrived. It’s one thing to say “they are 2.7 metres/ 8′ 10″ and 100kg”, it’s another thing altogether in the flesh. Having to lift one end is tough enough. Having to then drag it from the front of the house into the garden, is at my very, very limit. I managed one on my own, then Wendy helped me a little bit with the parcel truck thing. It was still incredibly tough and took loads of moves. I ended up putting a roller under the front and pushing them a few inches at a time. It was back-breaking.
Also I totally misjudged the amount I’d need. I thought I’d have to stack them two high, but one, on it’s side, is ample. So I ordered 7, and dragged 7 into the garden, but only used 4. *sigh* I’ll drag the others down the garden at some point and make another bed. No rush though. I need to rest my back.
The beams arrived about 15.30, with one break to get my tea, I was grafting until 20.30. I got it sawed, placed, screwed together and filled up again. It was getting dark and I was exhausted so I left it there. I’ll plant it up tomorrow. I just wanted to get all the tough physical stuff done today so I won’t be done in for my induction on Thursday.
Anyway, here it is. Rustic. (Which is to say thrown together with no attempt at professionalism or neatness.) I just wanted it done.
The garden looks a state because I was trying to wash all the soil off, and I’ve not put anything away yet. There a bunch of flowers in the wheelbarrow to go back in, and some I planted in the ground. It shouldn’t take me long.
I’ve moved all the dahlias to down the garden so they won’t overpower the bed. I’ll put them back in the raised bed to overwinter. At the moment it’s seeming like way too much hard work just for a flower bed, but once I’ve stopped aching, it should just last and last. And I will never have to do it again. Which is good, because I’ll be too damned old.