Monday, March 15, 2004

DIY Man

My maternal grandfather died the best part of twenty years ago. Poppa, as he was known to my brothers and me, was a talented amateur carpenter. He built their kitchen from scratch and made numerous other bits of furniture and toys for Mum and us boys. He was a diy man before diy was invented. He took such care over the work and enjoyed it immensely. Even now, practically a quarter of a century since he last used them, his tools are still in perfect condition, so much so that my father is using them now instead of his own.

So it was that I came to wonder yesterday, as I was fitting some shelves in our larder, what he would have thought of my efforts. Was he looking down at me as I was taking those first few steps down the diy path? Did he smile knowingly as I made mistakes and nod to himself when I learned from them? Would I have got the thumbs up from him?

I can't say I'm anything other than a beginner at all this and I very much doubt I'll ever reach the standard that he maintained. I just hope my work is good enough to pass muster.

As long as L never needs to call in these guys then I reckon I'll be okay.

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