Actually, mowing my own lawn is a rather novel experience to me, even though I've been living here for the last nine years. I really don't enjoy gardening. As in "at all". I see why some people do, but to me, it's all about sweating profusely, swearing and batting away flies and gnats and mosquitos and horseflies and what-nots while praying you will spot the viper in the flowerbed before it bites you.
If possible, I'd get a goat or some ducks to keep my grass nicely cut. But knowing me and goats (speaking from experience here), it'd turn me into a prisoner in my own home (I really don't have a way with goats). As for ducks, well, I don't have a pond for them to stay in, and with my luck, they'd probably turn feral on me. Imagine trying to explain how you got those bill-shaped hickeys to your coworkers...so nature's way is obviously not for me.
But no, I haven't left my garden all to itself for the past nine years. The beauty of being a teacher/headmaster is that you've got a pool of kids who'd just love to earn some money. So, for the last 8 summers and all up until this spring, I've had kids from comprehensive school (14-16 year-olds) doing all my gardening chores for me. Mowing my lawn throughout the summer has been worth 2000 kr ($400), provided the kid in question got hold of a lawnmower with which to do the job - ie his family's. It is a system that has worked beautifully for the said 8 years. I get my lawn mowed and the flower beds weeded, they earn money for mp3-players, mobile phones, clothes, CDs and whatever teenagers today want.
But not so any more. That neverending supply of kids has just run dry. In this small community, some day there will not be kids in that certain age bracket living within walking distance of your home. Which happened after this spring. The neighbour girl who's been doing the job for the last two years, has gone to stay with her father for the summer. And no one moved in to take over the job. Aigh.
So. As we say - when in direst need, even the Devil will eat flies. Which in this case meant I'd have to start mowing my own lawn. For which I had to buy myself a lawnmower. Which I did three weeks ago. My first motorized, selfpropelled vehicle ever.No, I don't own a car. Never felt the need to have one. Hey, I haven't even got a driver's license. The only things I've got a license for driving are fork lifts...which comes in very handy for a headmaster. Right.
I have to say, though, I like my new lawn-mower. Having used it three times, I'm quite happy with it. It cuts the grass nicely, it goes where it is supposed to go, and it does what I want to make it do (except trimming the edges of the garden...hmmm...maybe I'll get one of those trimmers, too?). Now, I just hope that today's cutting of the grass will be sufficient so I won't need a scythe to cut it when I get back home from Scotland in 18 days time....even here at 65N 12E, the grass grows something wicked during summer.
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