My Father’s Garden: Wheelbarrow and Pond by R J Dent

 

 

1: Casing

 

My father’s wheelbarrow was in a bad way.

The wheel was wonky, there were holes in the barrow, the handgrips were missing and the legs were rusty and thin. It needed replacing.

– We need a new wheelbarrow, my father said.

The next evening, several items appeared in the garden. There was a large car engine casing, several pieces of aluminium tubing, two small stone mill wheels and four short pieces of heavy duty angle-iron.

My father was working with them in the garden.

– What I really need is a work-bench, he said, as he drilled several holes through the side edge of the engine casing. He then drilled two holes in each of the lengths of aluminium tubing.

– What are you making, dad?

– Something useful, he said.

 I knew he wouldn’t say any more, so I left him to it, and went and found my brother.

– What’s he making?

I shrugged.

– I couldn’t tell. There’s a whole range of bits. It’ll be heavy, whatever it is because it’s made out of an engine casing, some tubular aluminium and some angle iron.

– Anything else?

– Oh, yes; two small mill wheels.

We went out to look at our father’s handiwork while it was still light.

He’d been busy. The tubular pieces of aluminium, the short pieces of angle-iron and the stone mill wheels were all bolted to the engine casing. The engine casing was upside down, resting on the mill wheels and a couple of bits of angle iron. Two tubular lengths of aluminium were bolted along the side edges of the casing.

– What is it? my brother asked.

– What does it look like? my father responded testily.

– An engine casing with some metal pieces bolted to it.

– What else?

– Nothing.

– Yes it does. You’re not looking properly.

My brother went into the house and came back a few minutes later carrying a huge magnifying glass. He looked at the engine casing carefully. Then he looked at our father. Read more…

 

 

 

My Father’s Garden: Wheelbarrow and Pond

Copyright © R J Dent (2014)

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