So it begins. One must at some stage get ones finger out and do something otherwise things wont come to fruition.
So I got the old man to come around and finish cutting his (read Mum's) chook shed (it's built like a nuclear bomb shelter!) free of its foundations during last week in preparation for last Sunday. On Sunday morning I got up and hit the back yard early and started on the lime tree.
The lime tree is now pretty much all gone. Before I can cut and grub the roots and stump out, I have to also take apart the timber garden edge with its rusty bolts. These old sleepers have survived pretty well with not too many bolts needing to be ground off.
I got about two sides done before the old folks came a visiting. So after a nice cuppa Dad & I attacked the chook shed. Here it is before the swearing.
With a helping hand from Graeme from upstairs, we managed to jack up the shed corners and get some castors under them and lay down some small sheets of chipboard (about a couple of square feet each) down to act as ramps.
We then "wheeled" the chook shed towards the back fence and swing it around 90 degrees. But after a lot of swearing and mutterings, we did it. Then the big fun began... The damn thing wouldn't sit down flat. When the old man built the chook shed, he made a full foundation/rat wall around it. Now part of that was sticking up where the middle of the shed wall had to sit. So we had to try and dig it out, and try, and try and try.
I was right - it is better than a nuclear bomb shelter! The concrete had to be the full depth of a spade! It had a cross section of about 30 cm x 20 cm AND he'd put bloody chook wire and reinforcing of all sorts in it too. After getting at it with a cold chisel and small sledge hammer, we eventually got through in one place and were able with three blokes, to lift up one piece and snap it off at a corner. No kidding, it took the 3 of us to lift a 5 foot section out of the way - and I mean flip it rather than lift. I think I'll call in the men with jack hammers to do any more of this sort of demolition!
So we now have the chook shed in its final resting place. The old man can go put bricks and what not under parts of it over the next few weeks.
You ask why I have a chook shed? Well, the old folks house doesn't have much free space, so I let them build a chook shed at my place. Little did I know at the time that it would be more than just a few sheets of corrogated iron!
Also the old compost heap has been torn down. It also was made of wooden sleepers and rusty bolts that wouldn't move. But it is now sorted. A new one will go up around the yard somewhere else. Then I can move this pile of compost into it as I don't think laying a conrete slab on very spongy compost is a good idea.
Here is a shot of the remains of the compost heap and most of the BBQ, which I attacked a bit with the chisel and hammer - more work to come in a few weeks time after the show in Toowoomba.
