After the good weather we've been having in Andalucia for the last couple of weeks, I thought I should cut the lawns.
The grass and weeds had grown fast.
I got my trusty lawnmower out - a Sterwins petrol job with a Honda engine - but I'd forgotten that the cord for the pull-start had snapped right at the end of last season.
[Reddit]
I took it off to the local repair shop where it joined a rather lengthy queue of lawnmowers needing a repair or service before the mowing season.
"We'll ring you when it's ready."
They didn't!
After 10 days, during which my grass and weeds grew even longer, I called in to the shop. None of the staff seemed to know what was going on with my mower.
Eventually it was located and the repair to the pull-cord had been done, but they were unable to start it! Hmmm!
When I got home I set about mowing some lawn.
But, as they'd told me, it wouldn't start. I tried every trick in the book. I even fitted a new spark plug. No joy!
My strimmer wouldn't start either, a Goodyear. It's not even a year old!
"This is ridiculous," I wailed in frustration.
I went to the two shops in Ronda that sell lawnmowers to see if I could get a cheap one to use now and have as a back-up when the Sterwins/Honda is fixed.
[Niterra]
Nothing in the two shops was cheap enough, so I went online and soon unearthed several cheap electric mowers on Amazon. I plumped for a German-designed Einhell machine made in China for a mere 69 euros.
Rita said: "It can't be much good for that price!"
Well, I ordered it anyway. I've got Amazon Prime so delivery was free and scheduled for two days later, guaranteed.
Sure enough. It was there by lunchtime.
[Bauhaus]
I started to assemble it immediately not bothering with the instructions - it was quite straightforward.
"Let's go!"
I liked the mower; it was light to manoevre - you just had to make sure you didn't cut the cable.
Well, I've been mowing for three days now and I haven't severed the cable yet.
I've done all I can do at the moment, as quite a large area is still under water. But, I'm pleased with my bargain purchase and also with my handiwork. It's hard on the old back and the sun has been unrelenting, but I've broken off from time to time to do other things, such as repairing garden furniture and painting rusty metal plant stands with Hammerite - oh, and to take the odd cup of coffee or 0.0% beer.
So, nothing works, eh? Well, there are solutions to most problems, aren't there?
[Amazon.es]
© Diary of a Nobody
Tags:
Amazon.es, Amazon Prime, Bauhaus, cable, Diary of a Nobody, Einhell, Goodyear, grass, Hammerite, Honda, lawnmower, mower, Niterra, Paul Whitelock, pull-start, Reddit, repair shop, spark plug, Sterwins, strimmer, weeds