The mistake we made was being thorough. We had to go and check out the display home of the plan we liked instead of just saying yesm build it now. This meant we saw what they had done – added decking out the back, and boy it looked fantastic. Ever since that day it’s been our aim that the first major thing we would do after moving in would be to add a deck, but not just any deck. No, this one is 32 square metres.
Well thanks to sky rocketing material prices the cost of such a deck seemed out of reach until, thanks to some clients finally paying and a little more than expected tax windfall we can just afford one now. That is, if we dig out the ground underneath ourselves and lend a hand lugging some stuff around. Hmmm, deck and a bit of work or no deck at all, so we decided to start digging.
You know what, for a digger I make a great web designer. Rob (cementing his place in the Brother In Law Hall of Fame) came around yesterday and the three of us got stuck in. You missed a sight, me wielding a pick, shoveling a shovel and wheeling a wheel barrow. Of course Rob seemed to do as much as the two of us combined but we’re quietly proud of what we managed to do, and we even got out there again this morning to get more done before we realised our muscles just weren’t up to it. We’ll give ourselves a day off today, maybe tomorrow too, before doing the last bit.
My back is stiff, my arms are like jelly and wrists aching but it feels great. I know I’m not Mr Muscles and this is so far removed from what I do for a living it’s absurd but I do want to be able to sit on my deck in a couple of weeks, raise a toast to Rob and the ATO for helping us along, and know that in a little way I actually helped make it happen.
The spirit is willing but the flesh is spongy and bruised!
The flesh tends to quiver more and more with the years, I find. It seems very unfair, given how the older I get the more uses I find for it. Ah well.
Hello again, by the way. I’ve been silent for way too long.