Drains

There is nothing quite like the satisfaction of a job well done. In my case, I'll take the well out of that statement and just say, job done.

The job in question was cleaning out the drains at the bottom of the drive, which, as Stephen pointed out, was not our responsibility, but that of the council. However, despite a phone call to them two years ago, and a follow up call a year ago, nothing was done. The drain on the left created a hazard because of grass, tea tree and gorse growing so high, that it blocked our vision. I have had one too many near misses, of pulling onto the road only for an unseen car to come screeching into sight. To be fair, the obstruction was not all from the drain, with some of it from growth on the surrounding bank. However, that land is also council-owned. The first time we notified the authorities, our job was logged, but could not be found when we rang again, most probably because the girl did not go far enough back. After the second notification, we received a call from the contractor, but still no action was taken.

All we have done with this clean-up, is trim the gorse, grass and tea tree to ground level, but as there is so much sludge, it will most likely grow back again. A drain digger will probably be the best bet to remove that. But at least we can now see the cars coming down the hill, and driving out of our driveway won't be so much of a hazard.

The big thing for me though, is that this job has made me aware of how much my health has improved over the last few months. I'd attempted it once before, but wasn't able to do it. I have lost so much fitness since contracting the pericarditis and I guess it will just be a matter of pushing myself to get my body fully-functioning again. I have always been a physically active person who has worked hard, so these last four years have been difficult, not being able to do the things I would have taken for granted in the past. However, today offers hope of a total recovery.

And of course, there are still two walls of the garage to paint so I am hoping that when we have finished that, I'll be slightly more agile than what I am now and a wee bit fitter too. Sometimes those chores are really a benefit in disguise.