Monday, March 26, 2012

people who live in glass houses

It all started at the end of January. We were down at the lottie moving some things so that the hedge behind the shed could be trimmed, when our old friend John Badger came up to see us. He said that he was going to sell his greenhouse as he had bought a new one to use at home, so we  got all excited and said that we would have it.
Terry said that he had a week off in March and he would be able to help us  and JB said he would also help to dismantle it and show us how to put it back up. At the committee meeting John Davis said he had put up and taken down 36 greenhouses so with his help as well  it was all systems go. Ten days ago we started clearing and levelling the ground it was going to stand on. After that we ordered the slabs and bricks to go underneath it and they duly arrived on the Friday after a three hour wait in the freezing cold.
Saturday morning we got the sand, as instructed by Terry, and set to work. Sunday morning off we went to carry on, but it started snowing! We had no choice but to go back home and hope that it would stop so that we could finish laying the base as Terry was coming on the Tuesday. Thankfully it did stop so we were able to finish the base on the Sunday afternoon. Monday we rested from our labours and bright and early on Tuesday last we arrived at JB's plot to start dismantling. The two Johns, Davis and Badger, had the glass out in double quick time and Terry and I took the frame up to our plot and set it upon the slabs which it just fit.
By this time the sun was out and it was looking to be a lovely warm sunny day. As we started bolting the base to the slabs, we had a lovely surprise. Our niece and nephew and our great niece had been to a local wedding on the day before and, as a surprise they came to see us.Our little niece, Issie was dressed in her flower girl dress and was carrying a basket of petals which she scattered down the path. Then she went and danced in the greenhouse with her granddad! It was a joyous, wonderful start for our greenhouse. Our first happy greenhouse memory and when the seeds start germinating and the tomatoes start coming there will be more.
We cleaned every pane of glass until it was so see through and shiny, that when Plum said 'is that the pane that is missing?' and put her finger where she thought it was, she bent her finger on it! Now, a week later, the panes that were broken have been replaced, the seedlings are on the staging and growing rapidly, there are flower borders around the greenhouse, hanging baskets and tubs of pansies on the patio, and it looks like it has always been there. Thank you to everybody who helped us make this dream come true, we couldn't have done it without you!