I am not very handy really. I am a fair sewer and cook, but when it comes to non-fabric or food related things, well, I am pretty hopeless.Rightly or wrongly I usually ask the lad to do these things for me for which I am very grateful, but over the last couple of days I have done some of my own (minor) handywork.
Fixing the ancient dibber
This ancient dibber is a lovely thing. I love how old and warn the wood is, but probably becasue it is so old and dry, it had split into three pieces. I set to with no more nails and had it fixed in a jiffy! Pathetic achievement really, but I am glad to have the ancient dibber back in use. I think it needs a good oiling - it could do with a little love and care - my next project.
Making a mint bed
In making the washing machine fit, we removed an old laundry basin. It was too good not to re-use and I have redeployed it as a mint bed. It's always good to contain your mint, it can really sprawl!
Propped on a few bricks, I placed it so that the tap sits above it so any drips from the tap run straight into the tub, yet there is still room for the hose to connect.
But wait , that's not all. In addition, I made it high enough and left enough space for an ex-fruit juice bottle cut down to fit under the drainage hole to catch any water that drains for re-use. (Gosh, brilliant Louise!). Come on, I know you are impressed!
...
Things are always better when the come in threes right? So my third home handywoman achievement was...?
Making a yabby detection system
Yabbies are fresh water crayfish. They live in dams and creeks and they are delicious. I am planning on yabbies for Christmas dinner but are there any in my dams? I needed a yabbie detection system to find out.
We seem to be on a re-use theme here, right? So I have re-deployed one of my ex-work black tights, a bit of string, two rocks and a bit of old meat to make my yabby detector. (Best use for a work stocking I have ever heard!).
Tomorrow I am going to pull it in and see if any yabbies have found the meat. Apparently they get their claws caught in the stocking.
Are you impressed? I am! What home handiness have you showed recently? I am sure that your achievements are move impressive than mine.
I am not at all sure tht my achievements are more impressive! We are making a new vege garden tho' coz things don't seem to grow in our current one-maybe our lime tree is taking the goodies from the centre? Also I grew up calling that diggy tool a dibble! Isn't that odd?!
ReplyDeleteDibble I think ism much nicer than dibber. Good luck with your new patch! Sometimes it can take a while to get a patch really going. It can take a few years to really get the soil working properly. I am all too aware of that in my new patch!
DeleteVery inventive and a nice bit of lateral thinking with your mint bed and yabbie catcher. Did you get any??
ReplyDeleteI use a cheap wire shoe rack from KMart to dry my onions and garlic on and to cure the potatoes, under shelter on the back porch. The onions and garlic can lay flat so the leaves don't kink if I want to braid them - not that the miserable garlic is worth braiding, this year. Being on racks, the air circulates around them helping to dry them out a little quicker. I had used the rack to hold my seedlings but the lower racks don't allow much room for them to grow upward. I now have two Bunnings Specials for that.
The re-purposed shoe rack is hardly home-handyness but that's all I could think of, just now!
Oh I cant claim any originality on the yabbie catcher - I heard that method proposed on a radio program. Like the shoe rack as veggie dryer - very nice.
DeleteAnd unfortunately, no yabbies. I am going to have to seed the dam.
DeleteI'm loving this yabbie detection device. There are definitely yabbies in mum & dad's dam - I see bits of claw now and then - but despite buying a yabbie pot they never seem to catch any - this technique may be worth a try. Although I have to say using a bit of bacon on the end of a piece of string can work well although it is very hands on and quite a big time commitment.
ReplyDeleteI heard about this method in a radio program so no claim of originality! I didnt catch any unfortunately and have never seen any claws on the banks of our dam - damn! Hope it works at your folks. I am going to have to seed my dam.
DeleteThank you so much Kathy, I'll take a look at your site. Thanks for the invitation!
ReplyDelete