I killed the ride on

Okay.

I mowed yesterday. I mowed, and I mowed and I mowed. I mowed the dogyard, I mowed the bits I could where the slasher couldn't slash, I mowed the side, I mowed across the front. Then...

"Funny noise from the mower", I thought. "Better get off and check..."

Hmm. The chain guard was off and scraping along the chain cog thingy, it was twisted and there was no way I could fix it (besides, mechanically I'm hopeless!). I thought it a good idea to fire up the mower and put it in the shed and get someone to look at it (and fix it!). Not a good idea, the chain came off, not broken, just off (it was loose), and I had to push it to the top of the side driveway (grass) and coast it down to the shed.

Today I went to work to tidy up some things that need doing, and then decided to visit the mower repair place and see what I'd be looking at to get the thing fixed, and a full service. It uses a wheel which is driven by "cones", and the cones are worn and slippery, so when it gets hot it just won't go, and has no guts at all in reverse, the mower's been accidentally run with the "handbrake" on and that's buggered the handbrake. The battery is always flat and won't hold a charge, the mower isn't used very often, particularly since it's been so dry here and for at least half the year it sits idle (winter), and the battery won't hold a charge any more, so I need to pull-start it all the time. Usually it starts pretty easily, especially after the friend's son cleans the air filter and spark plug and gives it an oil change. Labour for free! But I think it's past that. I can't do any regular maintenace not being mechanically minded, and I really just want to get on the thing and mow, to hell with starting it up once a week, blah!

So I asked, and explained that I have no way to get the mower to the shop... woohoo! They have pick-up and delivery, about $35, which means my friend and I don't have to help him lift it onto the back of his ute!

I hope to get it fixed soon, the mowing's not finished and the grass hasn't stopped growing with all the rain over the Christmas to new year week.

The slasher told me I should poison all the green panic. He said, "It's useless, poison it all." Well, I would if I knew it was going to rain and I could put some proper grass seed down.