Working like Trojans

Our friendly neighbour Bruce offered to help Robin a hand with a couple of jobs.  They spent most of the day outside, working like Trojans.  Bruce had brought his concrete cutting blade and set about cutting a nice square hole in our newish concrete patio.  This is so we can place a pole to secure the gate back, when required, so that Robin can come and go with ease if he has a lot of things to bring in to the back yard.  (And also attach our flag pole to, but we won’t let the neighbours know about that, just yet).  The dust was flying as the blade cut through the concrete.  Just as well Bruce had brought his ear muffs along, as the noise made was an horrendous squeal, enough to put your teeth on edge.

Concrete dust in the air

With the cuts made, how to get the concrete out, I wondered?  If wouldn’t just lift out in a nice and easy.  The thing to do was to break it up, I was told, and both Robin and Bruce took turns banging away with a crow bar.  It took quite a lot of effort for such a little hole.

Breaking up the square of concrete

The pole was placed in the hole, water and the rapid set concrete added, swished around to mix, and left to set - easier than mixing a cake!  Bruce checked with the level to make sure it was nice and straight.  After the prescribed time, they hand mixed some Handy-Crete in the barrow, added that to the hole and levelled it off.  First job done.  All that is needed now it a latch to hook the gate back to the post. 

 

Of course it is nice and straight

Meanwhile, Trent from Secure’T’Plus was outside adding security stays to our windows, something we had been meaning to get done for a while.  That should keep the burglars out!

Security stays added to the windows

The second job of the day for Robin and Bruce was to build a frame for our passion fruit vine.  The young plant had been plonked in the ground with only a pole for support.  It was growing quite well, with tendrils sprouting, but was laying over the lawn.  Not good at all for the poor thing.  A light timber frame was soon knocked together and nailed to the fence, plastic mesh attached with staples, and the whole thing finished in next to no time.  Good job, boys, the climbing passion fruit plant will be very happy now. and it has lots of room to spread out.

Frame for the passion fruit plant

After all this hard manual labour in the hot sun, Robin and Bruce relaxed under the sun umbrella sipping a cold bottle of Tui each.  Thanks for your help Bruce, we really appreciate it.