The third bank holiday weekend of May came around fast. The promise of sunshine all weekend was enough to tempt me into looking at a short getaway, perhaps a 3-day hike or a bike ride out to a camp spot. Maybe I could go to the beach with my camera. Inevitably, plans got stopped, when at the last minute I had to work over the weekend, limiting my available time to just the Bank Holiday Monday.
A day of adventure would be enough at least, until a friend asked me if I could go give him a hand building his shed. The long-term project, which has included salvaging secondhand wood, was halfway to being completed and he needed a second pair of hands to finish felting the roof. So instead of packing my backpack and setting off, I instead got into my car and drove over to his allotment to spend the day helping out.
The day overall slipped by as it took a few hours to get the roof prepped and the felt laid and nailed in. Most of my help involved cutting and holding the ladder stable, but I didn’t mind at all. We were blessed with bright, blue skies all day and a gentle breeze to keep us cool. I spent time chatting with my mate and some of the neighbouring gardeners about plants and building stuff. I watched birds race between the fruit trees at the bottom of the field, singing loudly enough for us to hear them.
In the end, I was there nearly all day getting the jobs needed finished. I might have, at an earlier time, turned my nose up at missing a day out in the hills to sit around in an allotment, but it was great to just spend a day outdoors with a mate. The setting didn’t really matter to me.
Get Up Go Outside 