This weekend has been very productive. My PC broke down during the week so Lucy did not have Internet which a major catastrophe. However all was up and running by Saturday evening. Steve discovered a source of horse manure few weeks ago on Freecycle. We went round and introduced ourselves. The pile had been maturing all summer. There must be a good few cubic yards there. Steve had been down a few times since the initial meeting, filling bags for distribution round his various plots. I, being so much more lazy, considered how the manure could be moved in bulk. I resolved to convert my bike trailer into a muck trailer. I bought a couple of sheets of plywood and some varnish. Steve furnished a couple of lengths of "L" profile light gauge steel. I had a rummage in the screw box and found half a box of screws left over from a previous project. I spent a pleasant morning on Saturday cutting up plywood panels and screwing them together to make a box without a top. I went over to Massey's for some 10M Nuts, Coach bolts and Washers to bolt the new trailer box to the chassis. After a little pondering whilst stood in the hardware isle of Massey's I came up with solution to make the end panel of the trailer removable. Despite the intermittant showers and it going dark early I managed to get the trailer converted and varnished. I gave Steve call the same evening. We agreed to meet on early on Sunday morning for a visit to the poo pile.
The trailer always towed nicely but with the additional weight of the timber it no longer bounced over any slight ripple in the road surface. When we arrived at Colin & Angie's, we're on first name terms now, I pulled up next to the pile. Five minutes later Steve and I had filled the trailer. We were not being greedy. I was not sure my car would pull the trailer from a stand still given that we were on wet grass, my car is not a 4x4 and the trailer probably weighed a third of a ton. Steve filled up his multifarious bags. Colin came out with cup of Tea for each of us. Very welcome indeed on a cold, damp Winter's morning. I should have not worried. I got away without a problem. The trailer made an impact on the pile. Steve and I went our different ways resolving to meet again at my house about 12.30. My trailer of poo went straight on the front garden. That is a job that is finished for the time being. It is time for the worms to do their thing. In a couple a week I can turn the manure into the soil and plant the bulbs I have in the shed.
Steve was on Dad duty. My girl was still in bed when I got home. She is fifteen, that's what we do, she says! The local council have made an offer to supply anyone with a choice small Crab Apple, Rowan, and Hazel trees and native Bluebell bulbs. I went to collect my selections. It was a bit of a laugh because there were lots a people looking a bit disappointed. The "trees" where in fact second year seedling so were no more than a foot tall. Being the winter the "trees" were hibernating so the folks were heading back to their cars with either two thin twigs or a twig and a dozen bluebell bulbs. Bluebell bulbs are only the size of grapes so the freebies were never going to over load the cars. I am not sure what they were expecting.
We went back to C&A for a second load. Same again, me with a trailer full and Steve with his bags. This load went up to the lottie. When building the trailer box I found the chassis has a device that lets the trailer tip. We tried it out. It was rubbish. It did not tip very much. I took the trailer up to C&A. That is where is to live. C&A are going drop the manure straight in the trailer and give us a ring when it is full. That is efficient for both parties. Steve and I get a regular supply of muck and C&A get to keep a nice clean yard. I guess some of the surplus veg will find it's way to them as well.
I went down the lottie for a second time. This time was to feed the worms. when I got home H had a nice bottle of red warming and was preparing Tea. Irish soul food, bacon, cabbage and potatoes. The cabbage and potatoes courtesy of the lottie.
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