"Self-sufficiency does not mean 'going back' to the acceptance of a lower standard of living. On the contrary, it is the striving for a higher standard of living, for food that is organically grown and good, for the good life in pleasant surroundings... and for the satisfaction that comes from doing difficult and intricate jobs well and successfully." John Seymour ~ Self Sufficiency 2003

Thursday 19 January 2012

Climbing ladders again...

Every time we've left the farm we've had to lock everything away.  When those are small things, that's no problem.  But when it's things like a ride on lawnmower, then that presents us with a bigger hassle.

And, in the case of the lawnmower, that hassle entailed the two of us somehow manoeuvring the contraption up two planks laid on the unfinished front steps so that we could "park" it in the lounge.  As the planks were too narrow to simply drive up them, we always had to push it up, and that was always fraught with danger (the machine falling off the two builders planks / a foot getting trapped underneath the machine / one of our (vulnerable) backs giving way / ...).
So we had to make another plan.  Actually, RMan had to make another plan.  And he did :)


You recall we built a green power room at the back of the house, to house the batteries and inverter for the solar panels.  Well, next to that was half-a-structure which was meant to house 2 X 19kg gas cylinders in the future - for the Kexin water heater, and the 2-plate caravan stove.
After measuring and finding the site suitable, RMan decided that the half-a-structure could easily be converted into a lawnmower storage area - not 100% secure, but given finances (and the lack thereof), it would have to do.  We had spare roof tiles, we had gum poles, we had shade cloth and we had some battens left...
Plenty of wood available...
So RMan got busy.  I have to say, it's not easy matching up a new roof to another structure.  A new roof -  no problem, but joining a new one to an existing one, well, that's a tad more difficult.
Support pole is in place and
the roof is on
Two full days, a new floor slab (with an overnight visitor)... 
If you look closely you can see that a bird came
to inspect it's new living quarters.  It even
went to far as to indicate it's new bathroom
area (the splat in the bottom right hand corner)
...some blue language, hectic heat, and a couple of frosty beers later the basic structure was in place.  It was sooo hot... and time was running out.
Gum poles did the trick for the side wall.
We then covered the wall poles with shadecloth (a la the veggie patch) and secured that with the remainder of the batterns.
As this was a last minute structure, which was completed during very draining, excessive, overwhelming heat, I omitted to take a photo of the completed structure.  But I guess you can get the general idea from the photo's above.  For the front opening, all we did was place the two water containers at the entrance and fill them with a bit of water to prevent their being moved easily by potential (thieving) children scouting out the area...


CGuy has workers full time at his place so they are also keeping an eye on our property.  I guess you could say that the lawnmowers fate is now in the capable hands of the Guy Upstairs.


Next time we will need to make the entrance more secure.  Next time...

12 comments:

  1. We had our 13yo beatup and falling apart lawnmower stolen out of our shed last year. Suprised us both that someone would actually STEAL it.

    Theft is a common enough problem in a home that you live in fulltime. I can't imagine the hassles of having to worry about theft at a weekend home. Do you have neighbors looking out for you?

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    1. Tami this is also relatively beat up - but very useful. Yes, hope the neighbours are going to keep their eyes peeled LOL

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  2. Well it looks nice, I hope it does the trick to deter thieves.

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    1. Jane - Yeah - we've tried to disguise what's there...

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  3. That's very creative. I'm sure it will do the job.

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  4. Maybe get a guard Cobra to keep in there. ;)

    Looks good and I can see where there was a lot of work involved.

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    1. David - LOL - we actually tried to make it cobra proof...

      Oh, yes - plenty work, much more than I've detailed!

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  5. Thieving minors usually look for an easy entrance, portable targets and a quick escape route so your new mower house should deter them! Try not to leave much fuel in the tank or find a simple way to disable the mower if you can, so it won't start, because if they think it's broken they may not bother with it.
    Cheers,
    Robyn

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    Replies
    1. Robyn - You're right. However, we also have adults who are on the lookout for any metal - it fetches a nice price and ensures their supply of alcohol / drugs...

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  6. Hi Dani, Looks like you've been working hard again! I haven't commented on you last few posts coz Blogger is playing up. Everytime I try and look at your posts they come up with a blank page! Very frustrating!

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    1. Linda - Oh dear, wonder what's up with Blogger? Yup, hard work is the order of the day LOL But we're loving it :)

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Thank you for taking the time to comment - it makes my day and removes the "loneliness' of sitting at my screen blogging supposedly to myself ;) I try and reply as quickly as possible so please forgive me if sometimes my response is delayed.