Satisfaction
Easter has come and gone and with it a great sense of satisfaction. We picked Jason up off the plane on Saturday, drove the 35 minutes home and with a quick change of clothes, we started work. A 12-square-metre storage-area had been built onto the back of the garage using a mish mash of timber and iron. Over the years the iron had rusted, allowing water into the area and rotting the boards.
The first job entailed ripping the iron off the roof, then pulling out the rotten timber. Stephen and I had bought the materials earlier in the week. As it turned out we needed to replace more than what we thought, but fortunately we had bits of timber lying around that could be used in the restoration. I regretted not buying enough iron to replace the whole roof but Jason did a sterling job of reusing the good bits and waterproofing the enclosure.
The community market day came and went, and a monthly event where musicians come and play, also passed us by. Fortunately, we had the roof back on before the rain started on Sunday. Then there was all the internal wood that needed replacing. Genevieve and Willow joined us for dinner, which was lovely. On Monday, Levi and his family arrived and helped with the remaining jobs. Levi’s truck had a towbar and the dump was open, so the boys soon dealt with the pile of rubbish we had generated, both from the building and sorting out all the items we had stored. Then it was rehanging the door, foaming and siliconing the gaps, sealing the leaking guttering and painting the remaining areas of the garage. I was so pleased that the boys were able to paint the one last window that was too high for me. While Stephen and I managed the high bits of the garage by tying a paint brush onto a long stick, painting this window was a different story. I had wondered how I would do it.
Jason has gone up north fishing today and will spend time with his father before returning to Gold Coast on Saturday. There is now only a woodshed to paint, and a couple of boxes to sort, tools to return to Michael and one more tube of silicon to purchase and apply, then all that maintenance will be completed, leaving a huge feeling of both accomplishment and relief.
But what is even better, is the help that these boys have been to me. Michael built the fence just before Christmas. They all lead busy lives, yet they have made time to ensure that the chores, that would be difficult for Stephen and me, are done. Levi always brings fish or meat he has caught, keeping us well-supplied with food. I feel so blessed that they all have such generous spirits and that they have been so good to me over the years. What more could a mother ask from her children?