Backyard Ballet

My backyard has just had a makeover. My old retaining wall collapsed and has been replaced by a beautiful bluestone wall. I have had some paths replaced and I bought a garden shed to house bits and pieces of gardening equipment.

My dad thought it would be a simple thing to assemble the shed; “It’ll take Mat (my son) and Max (my grandson) an hour or so, I’ll give a hand”, (He will be ninety next month!) I have unpleasant memories of the last time I had a backyard shed erected, that time it was Max (my late husband) and Mat (my son), it took all day, lots of skinned knuckles and it was a great challenge to harmonious family relations. The door never worked properly and when it rained, the floor of the shed would resemble a baby’s wading pool.

This time I decided to call in the experts. They were booked for Monday but I got a call on Saturday night; “Would you mind if we did your shed tomorrow?” Never one to look a gift horse in the mouth I agreed.

They arrived at 8 am just as I was sitting down on the patio with my first cup of coffee.
Tall, bronzed and wearing strategically torn jeans, their ensembles were completed with heavy workmen’s boots. They were fine specimens of strong Australian men, clean shaven with sun bleached hair.

As I sat sipping my coffee, pretending to read a magazine, I enjoyed the view while with calculated movements they placed the sections of the shed on the concrete pad, and then riveted them in place. Each knew what the other was doing and as they worked fluidly together, I felt as if I were watching my own private performance of a quaint backyard folk dance. Two sides, then the other two sides, with choreographed precision the shed took shape. Three panels for the roof and then the cyclone bolts to secure the structure to the concrete floor and exactly one hour and fifteen minutes later I was handing over $A130 as they packed their tools in their truck.

A small price to pay for a delightful hour of entertainment on a Sunday and a sound investment in family relationships, I certainly think so.