Hi,
With friends like the ones who borrowed the machine DirtMechanic what's your enemies like?
Neither lender nor borrower be is a good maxim to live by. I never loan power tools and I'm selective if ever I loan hand tools; even an hammer can be damaged.
Many times I've been taken advantage of because I can "do jobs" and have a well kitted workshop; it's strange though how people regard me and my workshop; as soon as they see the machinery and tools they have jobs for me? About two years ago I dropped on for yet another job this time from our immediate neighbour; this neighbour is a good neighbour and we try to help her because her husband sadly passed away about four years ago when she then moved here.
I was to help her to erect a new garden fence; I suggested the type of fence and she agreed paying for the materials it being her fence. I did the measuring and drew up a materials list for the timber and I also sourced the best deal on chain link. How strange on the day I was to help her she suddenly had a golf tournament lasting the full week it took me on my own to erect the fence; I had to cut back our overgrown laurels and remove the original wire mesh fence which was a terrible job with things growing through it all the time whilst working on the steep slope. I disposed of her old fence.
As soon as the fence was completed the golf stopped? I had spent a terrible week in all weather in an hostile environment whilst she was enjoying herself knocking a little white ball around a field. In fairness when she later visited Paris she kindly brought us a present of a framed Mona Lisa but I learned a lot during that fence job.
This neighbour has tradesmen in as I type installing a lift into her bungalow at £12,000. This lift is from the garage beneath the bungalow up into her bedroom; she can knock a ball around a field but can't walk up her pathway to the door; she has window cleaner; house cleaner; cat sitter when on holiday; gardener (she paid almost £1,000 to have her garden weeded) if a light bulb blows I either end up changing it or she gets an electrician in. She has an only son living not too distant but when he does anything he makes a mess of it and is in a permanent bad mood so he does little for her but she thinks the world of him. This son erected a tiny garden hut and made a lot of noise about doing the job; I gave her creosote; brush and container; she started to creosote this small hut then I ended up running her to a surgery as an emergency as she tripped; from the surgery I then ran her to the pharmacy then back home where I creosoted the hut. It took a long time to catch on what she is up to and she uses people in the nicest possible way.
Yesterday morning I answered the phone and this neighbour very kindly said she had baked four buns for us and would leave them on the wall by the fence for which I thanked her saying how kind she was; her lift men were struggling to remove a section of concrete in her garage and they would have to hire a bigger drill; she said she remembered the problem I had when I had to go through 19" thick concrete to access a broken drain; I presume the lift men hired the drill because I just wished her the best of luck saying yes it was a very hard job?
Previously I've done lots of unpaid work whilst helping out and never wanted any reward but now I feel like I'm being abused so I keep my head down; I might as well sit idle in comfort as graft being taken for a fool? The pictures below show the fence I erected all on my own when in fact I was only supposed to help.I've learned a new two letter word "NO".
Kind regards, Colin.
