When Rain Keeps You From the Allotment

 Well, what a week it's been! I'd planned to spend several days down at the allotment this week, but the weather had other ideas. The rain has been absolutely hammering down, turning the paths into muddy streams and making any outdoor work impossible. There's nothing worse than trying to tend to your plot when you're slipping and sliding about in the mud, so I made the sensible decision to stay put.

But as any keen gardener knows, there's always something that needs doing, and being stuck indoors doesn't mean sitting idle. In fact, this enforced break from the allotment turned out to be exactly what I needed to tackle some jobs that have been mounting up around the house.

Fixing My Eldest Daughter's Lawn Mower

The first job on my list was one that had been nagging at me for weeks. My eldest daughter had been complaining that her lawn mower was playing up - it had developed a fuel leak and was becoming increasingly difficult to start. She'd mentioned it several times, and I'd kept promising to have a look at it, but you know how it is when you're busy with the growing season.

With the rain keeping me indoors, it was the perfect opportunity to get my hands dirty with some mechanical work instead of soil. I wheeled the mower into the garage and started stripping it down to get to the root of the problem.

It didn't take long to spot the issue. The fuel line had split in a couple of places - probably down to age and the constant expansion and contraction from temperature changes. These rubber fuel lines don't last forever, and this one had clearly seen better days. The splits were allowing petrol to leak out, which explained both the fuel smell and the starting problems.

Replacing the fuel line was straightforward enough, but while I had the mower apart, I decided to give the carburettor a proper clean as well. These small engines can be quite temperamental, and a dirty carb often causes more problems than people realize. I stripped the whole thing down, cleaning out all the tiny holes and passages where fuel and air mix. Over time, these can get clogged with deposits from old fuel or dirt, which affects the engine's performance.

I also noticed that the needle valve wasn't sitting quite right, which would have been affecting the fuel flow. A quick adjustment sorted that out, and by the time I'd put everything back together, the mower was running like new. My daughter was absolutely delighted when I delivered it back to her - it started first pull and ran smoothly without any sign of fuel leaks. There's something very satisfying about fixing something properly and seeing the relief on someone's face when their equipment works again.

Hedge Trimming Turns Into Another Repair Job

Thursday afternoon brought a brief respite from the rain, so Sam and I decided to tackle the front hedges that had been getting a bit unruly. I got out my electric hedge trimmers and started work on the main hedge along the side of the house, while Sam took my 4-in-1 multi-tool to deal with some of the more awkward areas.

We'd been working for about half an hour when Sam's tool started playing up. At first, it was just bogging down under load, which can happen when the engine gets hot or if you're pushing it too hard. But then it started stalling completely, refusing to keep running no matter what we tried.

This is always frustrating when you're in the middle of a job, but I've learned over the years that it's better to stop and diagnose the problem properly rather than keep trying to force a faulty tool to work. We called it a day on the hedge trimming and brought the multi-tool into the garage for a closer look.

After some investigation, I'm pretty sure this one's going to need a new carburettor. Unlike the lawn mower, where cleaning sorted out the problem, this multi-tool has been showing signs of carb trouble for a while. The symptoms - bogging down, stalling, difficulty maintaining consistent power - all point to internal carburettor problems that can't be fixed with just a clean.

It's a more involved job than the fuel line replacement, and I'll need to order the right part before I can get it sorted. These multi-tools are handy bits of kit when they're working, but the carburettors on them seem to be their weak point. Still, it's worth fixing rather than replacing the whole tool.

Back to Work Duties

To add to the week's disruptions, I've had to return to work to cover for a colleague who's had to take some unexpected time off. It's never ideal when these things happen, especially when you've got your own plans, but that's just how it goes sometimes. We all have to pull together when someone's having difficulties.

The timing isn't great with the allotment season in full swing, but at least the wet weather means I'm not missing out on crucial growing time. When the rain finally stops and the ground dries out a bit, I'll be back down there catching up on everything that needs doing.

Making the Best of Indoor Time

Looking back on the week, it's been a good reminder that there's always productive work to be done, even when the weather keeps you from your planned activities. Getting those repair jobs sorted means both pieces of equipment will be ready when I need them next, and my daughter's delighted with her newly reliable lawn mower. I also managed to finish putting up a shelving unit in Iris's bedroom with Sam's help as usual - another job that had been on the list for far too long.

Sometimes these enforced breaks from routine work out for the best, giving you time to tackle the jobs that keep getting pushed to the bottom of the list. Now I just need the weather to clear up so I can get back to what I really want to be doing - tending the allotment and watching this season's crops develop.