Tuesday 7 September 2010

Shed city...

What would the summer be without a project?

My wife Gaynor, tired of all of my clutter in her kitchen drawers and stored in potentially useful cupboards in the caravan, set my project for me this year. It was simple enough - gather up all of my tools from the hundred or so places they have ended up into a single place. Take down the old, jam-packed, jumbled, rotting wooden sheds and replace them with new sheds that we could actually keep things in. Tidy up the area at the bottom of the garden under the trees by the gas tank, and generally sort things out.

Generally sort things out… No problem.

If only it had been that simple.

It took weekends of demolishing, building, swearing, painting, refurbishing, arranging, chopping, swearing, sawing, moving, swearing, rearranging, hammering, sawing, swearing, erecting, smashing, instruction reading (something I’ve never done willingly), swearing - until I eventually ‘generally sorted things out’.

It was a much bigger task than I envisaged, but here’s the result – Shed City, every ‘doing’ man’s idea of heaven.

Shed City is actually a metal workshop containing all of my tools, including my collection of power tools. I won’t list them all, but suffice it to say that it includes a chainsaw, a nail-gun, a garden blower, circular, jig , and sabre saws, a jetwash, several power drills, and an electric screwdriver. It’s fully kitted out with electricity and light, has a workbench with a vice, and I’ve even hung up my hand tools on racks. In front of my workshop are two plastic outdoor storage cabinets for all the beach and garden stuff, with shelves and hooks to hang things on, and my trusty old garden shed (which I couldn’t bear to throw away in the end) has been lovingly refurbished and carefully fitted into a quiet corner to become my woodshed. It’s full, top to bottom, with the wood from the other two, not so loved, old wooden sheds I smashed down, chopped into pieces, and bagged up ready for the winter’s burning

Next project please, I need a purpose, I need to feel useful.

9 comments:

  1. I can't believe that you have so much stuff!!! Do you have a garage as well? I once had 2 sheds because I didn't have a garage, one of which was hidden at the end of the garden behind the weeping williw like it was my secret room. I think sheds are a man thing though.

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  2. No Garage - just my sheds.

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  3. Andy Lloyd e-mailed:

    Tried to post a comment but it won't work-

    Sorting things out is very therapeutic. I find sorting out simple things like tools & sheds is a good way of avoiding sorting out more important stuff. My huge cellar will keep me occupied for several weeks.

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  4. Ironing is my therapy for turning chaos into order. I think it is important to have an outlet. Do you also have a sonic screwdriver hanging up in your shed?

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  5. No, but my corner shed is like a Tardis - bigger inside than it looks from the outside due to the fact that the last two feet are behind my fence and on somebody else's land.

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  6. Tricia Kitt commented on Facebook.

    It is my firm belief that every man needs a shed - Mart has the garage but is also starting to put crap in my summerhouse - now that is overstepping the mark...

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  7. I replied on Facebook:

    That way lies disaster - it'll be a motorcycle engine in the bath next. First thing I do when I get to Wales is go down to my 'workshop' I open the doors and just look in and smile. The plus side is that now that I know where my tools are, jobs get done. Even jobs that don't need doing get done - like the second washing line that doubles as a bird feeder (thanks to my half inch wood borer)!

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  8. Alan Spence e-mailed:

    It looks like a small village. Just for fun you should give them all names.
    Post office, Pub etc. By some old mannequins and dress them up.
    It will be the perfect village.

    Your ever faithful friend and servant.
    Alan Archibald Parker Spence.

    - I may just do that - akh

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