Saturday 27 September 2008

A Eureka moment

I was reminded by one of Rotten Correspondent's posts last week, this one in fact, that mowing the lawn was something I had yet to achieve since Himself's departure.

It was something that he had always done. No reason other than it was just one of those things he did. But with the grass getting to about 5" high, I needed to brace myself and get out there and do it. I've had to put it off all week because the weather has been so piss poor, but today was the day. The sun was shining and I couldn't put it off any longer.

So I dug the mower out from it's hiding space. Where's the power lead? Oh, in the grass cuttings basket thing. Of course it is, why didn't I think of that sooner? Plugged in the lead to the mower and then went to plug it in to the outside plug. Wouldn't reach. How girly is that? Moved the mower....have you ever tried moving a hover mower without the power turned on? It's difficult.

So having mastered to ability to plug the damn thing in, I press the button that says "press here", which seemed a logical thing to do, then I pulled the handle. Nothing happened. OK. I unplugged it, banging my head on the open window as I straightened, and plugged it in to a socket in the shed. Still nothing..

Damn but I am NOT going to be beaten by a lawnmower!

So I resort to reading the manual. Except I can't find it. There was one when I got it (secondhand off Freecycle) but I can't find it now. OK. Wait!! We don't live in this technological age for nothing and, true to form, the intermaweb provided me with a manual. It seems you have to "Press Here" AND pull the handle. It must have been designed by a man.

So, there I am hovering away when two heads pop up over the fence. The Neighbour's (remember him?) daughter (TND) and her friend.

"Can I have a high five".

No, you can't right now, TND, I'm busy. And please don't lean over my fence.

I carry on mowing. TND and friend keep leaning over my fence.

"TND, how would you like it if I stood staring in your bedroom window?"

She got the message and her and friend stopped leaning over my fence and promptly jumped on the trampoline so they could still see into my garden without leaning over the fence. The logic of kids has me absolutely stumped sometimes.

I'm going to have to have words with The Neighbours. I realise she is only 11 years old but she has to be told that my garden is my private space and I have a right to have my privacy respected. She obviously takes after her father....who, I discovered when I was looking after their animals a few weeks ago, has fitted a child's ladder to their fence so that they can lean over my fence.

I was not a happy bunny.

6 comments:

  1. What is with people?? Seriously? A ladder next to your fence so they can look over? Rude.

    You could always put little pieces of broken glass on the fence at the top of the ladder. Maybe then they would take a hint...

    Kidding. I'm not that nasty.

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  2. He really fitted a ladder to the fence for better viewing?! That is horrid!

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  3. I'm glad you got the lawn mowed but I would be kinda scared of an electric mower. I think I might accidentally run over the cord. How shocking!

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  4. Your neighbors are really starting to creep me out. Nosey and fitting ladders up to fences. Very weird. But the important thing is you got the lawn mowed and I say yeaaaa for you!

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  5. The neighbours from hell by the sound of it. If you own the fence - you could grease the top of it with nasty dirty engine oil? Just ignore them (hard, I know) they will get bored if they get no response from you.

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  6. I say poison the neighbor child. You don't have to poison the friend because she won't come over anymore if the neighbor child is deceased.

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