Tragedy as old friend is mown down...

You know how everyone has a favourite piece of apparel, be it slippers, a comfy shirt or blouse or a cap. In my case it is a Cardigan, Fawn coloured, 4ply Exlan (admittedly artificial) but nice and light and wonderful for those mornings when you just need to take off the chill in the morning air. Lyn knitted this wonderful garment about 25 years ago and I have worn it constantly. It has been mended in weak spots (elbows etc) and Lyn has knitted two sleeves out of the last couple of balls of wool in anticipation of further wear and tear and I had hoped it would last for many more years.. YOU CAN'T BUY EXLAN ANY MORE!

Badly damaged evidence!

I was mowing the lawns with my Husquvarna Ride On and I came across my Cardigan lying by our Pin Oak, where I had left it earlier in the day when we were cutting and collecting bamboo. I picked it up and carefully placed it on my seat and continued mowing. As I approached the deck area where I was going to unload the cardigan, I spied a grassy area that Lyn had cleared for me and carried on mowing, up and down. Suddenly the mower stopped! I tried to start it again, but to no avail and I looked down at the catcher to see if I could spot the problem. I noticed what looked like tiny bits of string and wondered if I had caught some garden twine in the twin blades. Got off the mower and lifted the grass catcher and then I saw what it was! My Cardigan had slipped off the seat behind me and I had run it over as I backed up!! I just couldn't believe it and I have been sad all day as it was like losing an old friend. I backed it up a ramp and because of my arthritic knee problem, Lyn crawled underneath for an hour trying to unwind it from the blades but to no avail. She had to get some scissors and cut it out and what a forlorn mess. Shredded does not do justice to the damage and I am in mourning.

A challenge to repair

Please, please, if anyone knows where to get some 4 ply Exlan, please get in touch. Lyn has offered to knit a replacement using some Exlan she had left over, but this is a small amount of brown and the rest is green, not exactly what I had in mind. Probably ok as camouflage in Army maneuvers'.

I might have to have a single malt whisky tonight to honour "The Cardigan"  Just as well I didn't give it a formal name!

A side note to the Husky Mower.

"Husky" The Mower

After years of using a large walk behind Honda mower, we agreed that a ride on mower would save time and effort, especially as we started having a few health issues. I managed to get a good deal from a local supplier and we bought one for me and one for the Caledonian Society at a very good discount.

The day after the mower was delivered brand new from the showroom I was learning how to drive and use all the nice gadgets that came with it. Unfortunately my gumboots were a bit wide for the pedals and instead of reversing, I managed to hit the forward pedal and rammed the front into a low branch of our Apple tree. The bonnet got jammed and as I tried to regain control of the situation, I panicked and hit the wrong pedal again, jamming it even tighter. When I finally managed to reverse, the whole front bonnet was crushed and one light was hanging down, held only by the wires. With an embarrassed demeanor, I looked around to see if anyone had witnessed this spectacle, but fortunately nobody saw what happened. The Husqvarna agent called after a week to take the mower back to the workshop for a complete Free after sales inspection and he was startled when we drove the mower out of the shed. Not only was the front crushed, but one tyre had punctured and a wheel that balances the twin blades had fallen off and I had inadvertently run over it. He didn't comment, but the look on his face said it all! When he returned the fully repaired machine a week later they had fitted a couple of metal bars across the front of the mower and he also delivered a free 45 page manual on repairs!

Perhaps they should have donated a nice little trailer to tow behind for loose items of clothing.