I had a list of jobs for him!

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My friends (old schoolfriend and her husband) came to join us at my place in Wales for the weekend. We often meet up and enjoy hill walks or visits to interesting places. Unfortunately at the moment she has been having various health issues so isn’t really feeling up to doing anything much, just wants to potter about, chat and relax. That’s fine with me, and her husband has been very helpful and supportive, but he does find sitting around rather tedious, he likes to be up and doing things. Last time they came he helped my partner collect up a load of branches from a fallen tree and cut them all up. So she asked me if I had any jobs he could help with. Well luckily for him (!) I had a long list! Logs to chop and stack, a big pile of stones to gather up and put somewhere, an old wardrobe that I already stripped the paint off, that needed to be sanded a bit more and then varnished (more about that later) and then installed upstairs (something I can’t do without help), woodchip to spread on the garden, a shelf to help me put up, several overgrown shrubs to prune, and a lot of accumulated soil to clear off the drive… certainly enough to keep him busy for a couple of days! The weather is lovely just now, so everyone got to do what they enjoy – being busy outdoors, or just sitting in the sun with a cool drink, chatting and watching. And between the husband and myself (with extra assistance from Little One) we did get a lot of jobs done. The only downside is that the friend is now complaining that her husband does a lot more work for me than he does for her! Well she asked me to give him things to do. I think basically it’s just nicer to have some company while you work. I have suggested we all go and stay at her place next and help him in the garden! All rights reserved. © Text and image copyright Fleur 2025.