Bamboo is for pandas

I need to learn how to make concrete. How hard can it be? I'm good at making cakes and that's only mixing stuff together.

The good news is that the bit of fence I bought for £1 from the Rough Edges clearance sale (RE is Zac's charity shop) fits perfectly into the gap. I hadn't tried it before as I was convinced it would.

I want to put the fence at the end of one of the flower beds to hide the path up to the shed and compost heaps, and to slow down dogs who like to run straight from one end to the other. So, yesterday I began the process of clearing and preparing the ground, and moving some of the slabs so they are vaguely straight. An expert, no doubt, would use a spirit level; I use the, "Ah, that looks alright," method.

Which I foresee is going to cause me problems. 

A word of advice: do not plant bamboo in your garden. They are sneakily invasive, tunnelling under the ground and making themselves impossible to remove. Unless someone is very determined. The bamboo in the photo may not look like much but it took an awful lot of forking and muttering and sweating to get it out.

I have told Husband that I need to learn things, like concrete-making, and fence-putting-upping. He is taking a long time to recover from his illness, and it's also possible he could be having a heart operation in the not too distant future. That will put him out of commission for some time I guess so I need to up my game.

The thought of me doing anything with concrete does conjure up cartoon pictures of people with their feet stuck, but I am confident if I wear my wellies then, at least, I'll be able to get my feet out, if not my boots. 

Ah yes but the problems arise when Husband finds an old bit of wood in the garden that I can use for fence-posts. He says, "You need to let this dry off, then rub it down, and then varnish it, and let it dry again."

And I say, "Rub it down? It's only a fence post. I don't have to bother with that."

And Husband says, "If you don't get rid of the damp mouldy bits the varnish won't help and they'll weaken the post."

This is why it takes Husband ages to do anything: he is a perfectionist. I am a that'll do-ist.

* * * * *

I parked in M&S this morning for exercise class. I thought when they got planning permission the car park was to be public and not just for M&S customers. Today I discovered they've unveiled the machines they installed some time ago, and while it's free to park for thirty minutes, any longer and you need to spend at least £5 in M&S to get a voucher for validation.

They had a young man explaining it to all the little old ladies and I tried playing the innocent. "I didn't know you had to and I haven't bought anything," in the hope he'd use one of his special vouchers for me. No dice. He told me I had to go and buy £5 worth of food.

I did think about making a run for it! Surely they have a change-over period where they're relaxed about non-payers? And, what's more, nobody had told me about it in advance! I can't be expected to read little printed notices stuck on walls. (Actually I usually do read everything because I'm nosey but that's not the point.)

Fortunately I had my purse with me - that's unusual in itself - so I was able to go in and spend £5 (on one small box of king cherries - I know that's a ridiculous amount but they are huge, delicious and seasonal.)

I am currently trying to restrict myself and not eat them all in one sitting.