Mower mode

Mower mode
Originally uploaded by A John Walters

Spent the morning converting the rotavator into a mower. Pretty easy no I have a small set of ring spanners.

Mowed the lawn and did a bit of weeding on the onion patch before it got too hot to continue.

New Machine

Well not really, the same transformer machine but I spent a good part of the morning taking the shield off, adding the claw wheels, differential gear etc to make a plough. The only bit that didn't work was the "deadman's handle" that controls the wheels. When the handle is closed the wheels turn and when its released they stop. Unfortunately the only mounting available leaves a 2" gap so I'm going to have jury rig something.

Another no show by Hobo so I drunk all his beer!

Bin day

Ccaught me out today. i was in bed thinking I ought to be doing something when I heard "rumble, rumble, rumble" and realised that I should be putting the bin out! As they only turn up once a fortnight, it's a chore that can't be left.

Planted out my Ukrainian tomato plants. Apparently, this variety has purple fruit rather than red. The American ones that I planted at the same time are barely 2" high. even so I'll probably pot them on, especially as planting the Ukrainian ones has freed up some pots.

Went to Town with the object of getting some ring spanners (for the transformer machine) and some 10W-30 oil (ditto). In Tescos they had the ring spanners and, as extra insurance, I got an adjustable spanner too. The oil I didn't get. Seems like the only type I can get is 10W-40. Given the temperatures in the summer I guess this will do?

Later on, in the pub, I explained to Hobo the problem with the wheels and the shield thingy and he said he'd turn up tomorrow evening to take a look. I'll have to get some beers in, just in case.

Day of Rest

Well not really.

More strimming today. I did the right hand neighbours boundary then waded into my fenced off kitchen garden as the grass was almost long enough to lose cows in. Then did the other neighbours side but when the petrol ran out, so did my enthusiasm. Its about 25C in the shade and where I was, there's no shade.

I noticed my potatoes have lots of holes in the leaves but I didn't see any orange maggoty things so it doesn't seem to be Colorado Beetle. I'll do a closer inspection later this week.

The onions Steve gave me for seeds are starting to flower and the onion sets I planted are starting to look like real onions. The radishes (again for seed) are in flower so I better keep an eye on them to get the seeds.

I attempted to fit the "claw wheels" to the rotavator chassis but the wheels went tight against the shield thingy that stops you getting clods of earth chucked in your face. Need to get some spanners to help me take it off.

Oh, its my fathers birthday today so happy birthday, dad!

Mowing

Its been a week so I decided to use my transformer machine in mowing mode. It was a bit difficult getting the release clamp on to bind the two bits together. When I worked for an NCB subsidiary, I remember watching the mechanics at work, which gave me an idea. I got a lump of wood and a hammer and tapped the clamp into place. (Well, smacked hard then)

Took me a while to get the thing started, I had to read the manual at one point, thats how desperate I was! Bloody hell, does this thing shift!

The blade was obvious spinning far faster than my dwti electric mowers as the grass was being blown out as a fine chaff. Another benefit was that there was none of this cowboy lassoing nonsense with the flex or moving the extension lead so I think I did the job in record time.

I should take photos of the machine in each of its incarnations.

Strimmering...

or something.

Hit the garden at 10:00 and had a bash at the pumpkin field. If I have to do it again I'll use the brush-cutter blade. Those thistles are tough buggers to cut through.

Once I'd done that, I went to the end of my hedge closest to the house and then strimmed my way back up to the pumpkin field. once I'd done that, only losing (NB NOT loosing, a common mistake which gets my goat!) 2 more hedgelings. Then I strimmed on my side of the hedge to cut done any rivals for sunlight etc.

All in all, 5 hours work. Quite chuffed with that.

Rain

Its been persistently raining since Saturday so hardly worth blogging. Tomorrow is supposed to be fine so crack on then.

Next door had a bloke come around with a strimmer. Made me a bit nervous as theres no boundary between my land and hers so I thought it easily possible that he'd stray across and strim my hedge down for me (rather than me do it myself piecemeal). Luckily it started raining so he packed it in.