'Old-Guys' don't rule.

[Ricard with an H]

I can't even do a firm hand-shake these days without bracing myself for the pain. My casually-adopted son came over yesterday, ex RSM and now a captain tall strapping lad of 35 and didn't we always criticise men who offered a floppy hand-shake.

I nearly passed out in pain from the hand-shake, then he was helping me with ten 15 kilos bags of 6X. Three under each arm and I managed just one at a time.

I think I might encourage him to come over and split the last few cubic metres of logs, a few weeks work for me by doing a little every day. he'll probably do the lot in an afternoon.

Most people congratulate me on the amount of work I get done during a year but it's like eating an elephant, just a tiny bit at a time. Whoever got the idea that 'Old Guys' rule.

[alan refail]

Henaint ni ddaw ei hunan

Old age does not come unaccompanied

[Ricard with an H]

Not having the means to tap into so much enthusiasm for so many things can, at times, be quite irritating. I don't get depressed about it though anger sometimes shows it's face.

Two years ago I dug two planting trenches for the sea-buckthorne, removing stone and carting them away was hard though I enjoyed it. This year I need to do more digging and stone shifting but it-is a lot harder this year.

I'll do it, oh-yes, I'll do it. Just like eating an elephant.

[peter]

That's the spirit Richard.

I have so mamy things on my to-do list that if I worried about them I'd never get anything done.

[oldherbaceous]

Evening Richard, i've abused my body terribly through my life, and i'm really paying for it now, but i do try and plan round a lot of my jobs now, so that i'm not doing any one job for too long, this doesn't mean i'm flitting about all over the place, just giving one set of joints a rest at a time. The only thing that worries me a little is, i have taken three very heavy falls in the last twelve months, where my reaction times seem to be slipping, through a little bit of nerve damage.

But we always get there in the end.

[Ricard with an H]

Evening Richard, i've abused my body terribly through my life, and i'm really paying for it now, but i do try and plan round a lot of my jobs now, so that i'm not doing any one job for too long, this doesn't mean i'm flitting about all over the place, just giving one set of joints a rest at a time.

Well blow me, that is just what I do, exactly. I usually run three different jobs each designed to give me a break from the previous. Cutting grass gives me a break from any bending and crouching, of course sitting on the ride-on mower is a good break from most things.

Even though I pack-up at three-ish, I have usually started at eight. On rainy or otherwise nasty days I always have work in my workshop even if it's only tidying though it never-ever gets tidy.

I'm making picture frames at the moment, one for us that's completed and two for the lady artist who did a pencil drawing of our dog Molly. The price she asked for the drawing was what I could afford rather than a fair cost for the work. (I must take a photo of it, and post it)

Another labour saving devise is having a number of wheelbarrows, I only have three. Four is in the pipe-line. Oh-yes, I also have a wheelbarrow frame with a wheel that I got from the re-cycling centre, it comes in useful for sacks and I may make a tray for transporting potted plants.

As if I don't have enough work our local farmer is encouraging me to plant trees on the paddock which falls nicely with my plan for an orchard but first I have to create a wind break for westerly winds. I'm not sure I can cover the costs this year never mind the extra work and it's too late for bare root trees.

My lovely lady keeps telling me that I need to rest more often and that nothing has to be done but of-course you-all know that if I don't keep top-side of the chores the whole place will look a mess within a month.

This morning the whole place stinks after yesterday's application of two sacks of 6X to the domestic grass where I pick-up. Grasses where I don't pick-up never need nutrient. In fact it's growing faster than where I use nutrient.

[peter]

Richard, our allotment society shop has three wheelbarrows with the barrow replaced by two strong wooden cross piece's linked by wooden slats to form a sturdy flat bed. Much easier transport for bulk materials in bags and with the addition of a bungee cord it'd suit those preformed 3" pot trays that take 15 pots.

[Ricard with an H]

That is just what I was thinking Peter, I have a sack-truck though that has its limitations just like a wheel-barrow has. A flat-bed wheel barrow is going to be useful for moving trays and other containers with pots. I already like it better for sacks and you've given me a head-start on an idea to make the flat-bed. Maybe a bit of a rim ?

I decided to have a day off today so I did more work on my dead-hedge, raked up some glyphosated dead grasses and sowed more wildflower seed.

Its knackering have a day-off.

[Primrose]

I thinks s inevitable as we get older that we become tired more quickly. There no magic answer unfortunately I think we just have to become a little more realistic and organised in our physical tasks. Weather permitting, I always try to do the most strenuous stuff In the morning when I'm physically fresh and take regular short breaks to relieve pressure on joints and. Muscles . Some regular stretches during the course of physical work also helps prevent stiffness afterwards. And there's nothing like a nice hot soak in the bath afterwards!

[PLUMPUDDING]

Don't you find that you overdo things just to fit in with the weather? I have been wanting to cut the hedges but it has been too wet to use the electric hedge cutters, so when things had dried out the day before yesterday I spent several hours getting them back into shape. I only came in when I cut through the cable. Serves me right for carrying on when I was too tired and my arms had just about packed up. I do always fit the residual circuit breaker so didn't electrocute myself.

[Ricard with an H]

Yes, that's what I do and possibly we all do.

I have jobs specific for rainy days, they would be in the workshop or in the house. Then the fine weather jobs that need to be done before the weather gets unreliable.

My fine weather jobs encompass the garden and our outside repairs/decorating to our home, right now I'm burning the candle at both ends and going to bed hurting but sleeping well. It's good that I wake up each morning and even better that I'm full of enthusiasm each day for what appears to be an endless task.

Some people give up, I couldn't live like that so have a commitment to her and myself that when it all gets too much we'll downsize to a property that I can manage.

I used to enjoy sitting out in the sun with my shirt off having a cool beer in the late afternoon, if I had close neighbours I'd be far too embarrassed to be caught with my shirt off. It isn't a pretty sight and though I'm slim everything hangs, at least I retain my self-respect.

I had a visitor yesterday, she came to collect my glut of Cosmos, Stocks, Poppy and two types of Marigold, I got a compliment for the effort and looks of the whole acre of paddock and the domestic garden area so it's about time I wrote an inaugural THANK-YOU for the help and encouragement i've had from you forum-ers.

No, really. I have no one else to lean on for help and advise which comes quickly and without cost from you-lot. The few visitors I get recently regard me as having green fingers and I'm accused of being an expert which of-course is nonsense. I've generally gained experience by bumping into things and falling over then dusting myself off and getting on with things.

Thank goodness also for the endless supply of cow-poo though I did buy ten sacks of 6X fibrous.

[Primrose]

I think there are a lot of us on here Richard who envy you your endless supply of cow poo. I certainly do!

[Motherwoman]

Never give up on it. I stand back in amazement at my parents who at 90 and 92 still keep quite a large garden up together. they have a man who cuts the grass but they keep borders tidy, do a small veg patch and a green house and lots of pots with annual flowers. Their biggest tip is to have lots of seating around the garden and never pass one but sit on it for 5 minutes!

[Primrose]

Mother woman. Thats a good tip about seating. I must say, my plastic upturned kneeling stool has provided a very welcome respite on many occasions with a cup of tea when the going has started to feel a little weary, It's surprising how a ten minute break can restore a flagging spirit although I must confess I can no longer slave away in very hot sunshine like I used to able to.

[Motherwoman]

Agree about the heat Primrose. I used to work in tomato glasshouses in my younger days 80-90 degrees F, and think nothing of it. Wouldn't do it now!

Anyway Richard....I quite like older guys.....he he.