Manic Mummy with a Mower

‘Mummy, is that one of those old fashioned lawn mowers?’

                     ‘Yes, Louis, it is.’

My little boy watched with wide eyes as I manically attacked our half a foot long lawn, armed with a mower that would not look out of place in an episode of Noddy. You know, the non electric, rota blade sort, that on grass which I could easily lose my son amongst, is not much good.

I had decided that with the amazing weather we have been having, that I should take the opportunity to sort out our jungle, I mean garden! The problem with this decision is that I am in no way green fingered.

I want to tell you that I would like to be, that being an expert gardener is something I aspire to, but if I said that I would be lying. Don’t get me wrong, I long for the end result; beautifully cut grass, weed-less beds filled with an array of colourful flowers and a selection of fresh herbs for me to use in the kitchen. However, to me gardening is a little like cleaning, only worse, in that as soon as you have finished it, the whole thing needs doing over again. The problem is, it just keeps growing!

The fact that my friend commented recently that a burnt out car would have looked at home with my field like grass and jungle like flower beds, shamed me enough to attempt to fix the situation.

So, Louis and I set to work. Him on weed duty and me on the grass. Three hours and a bucket of sweat later and I am not entirely convinced that it looks much better. However, we did find all sorts of things as we mowed and pulled and cut like demons...

3 skittles (the bowling sort not the ones you eat)

2 footballs (one deflated as it seems to have gotten too friendly with a rose bush)

A golf ball (no idea where from as neither Louis or I play golf)

More spiders than you can imagine (which are all probably relocating to inside my house as I write)

A slug (who looked as though he was on steroids)

A snake (First time I’ve ever seen one out of a zoo, and wouldn’t be too sorry if we didn’t meet again!)

A baby frog (At about which time, Louis lost interest in the weeding and spent the rest of the time, unsuccessfully, trying to catch  him as a pet)

Now, I think overall I am pretty capable at doing the jobs of both parents, I don’t mind taking the bins out or pulling hair from the plug hole, I have even been known to get a bit handy with a power drill but today, with beads of sweat dripping from my brow and an aching back, I don’t think I would have said no if there had been a man around to mow the lawn!