12th August 2022 - Getting Back to Normalcy and trying to adult

Thought for the day:"I have a new night job looking after birds of prey. I Get paid an owly wage"

Two very hot days almost as hot as Brokeloh and not really a time to be trying to do things outside.

However, today was not a great day for mechanical things.

But the newly painted roof on the house shines bright and grey  and looks very good 

And Toby the Tavern Dog is ready at the gate with his billywig...

And finally home after many days traveling (well two)  it is time to cut the ties to the Conquest 

John Deer started and did one row of the well needed cutting of the lawn and then the drive belt came off.

This seemed an insurmountable problem - and in the end I decided to drive the mower onto the patio and onto some patio stones to raise it and watch a lot of Youtube.

And there was good news - I adulted and managed to get the drive belt in place and working

After managing most of the lawns for some reason it came off again - but the second repair was easier - I now know what I am doing - what a surprise.

 

And so the lawns were done and then I went down to the lower quarter and  completed the clearance of all that area...   And that was all good - and then, sadly,  a bit of a disaster.

As I started on the road back the path is quite narrow and a second of  attention to the rear wheels as I cleared the tree stump - sadly the front wheels slipped off the path and towards the spring...

 

I have to say that the next hour was pretty fraught - trying to get the machine back onto the path - however it went from bad to worse.

In the end I decided to try to get a straight line on the bank and drove back into the spring. However - far too steep for the John Deere - it is a mower not a tractor after all - as Susie keeps telling me.

I may have mashed some plants as I turned the mower and tried to get up the other side ...

I almost made it but good old Victor had put stone walls at the ridge and the cutters got caught . and stuck!!!

Well - when we started putting up our tents for the Crimson Moon many years ago - at one time we were not confident enough that we could lift the canvas on our own - it turned out that we were able to lift without assistance but for a full season we lifter the marquees using ratchets - which were still found in the the workshop.

And these ratchets now found a new purpose - and with the assistance of a tree the mower was winched out of the spring an onto the path.

(we found out afterwards that there is a lever at the rear of the mower which if you pull it puts the vehicle out of gear!!!  we were pulling with it full in gear!!)

And so for the second time in one day I adulted - until we found that it would not start !

And that is where we are at the moment 

I have charged the battery so it is not that

(I have watched a lot of youtube)

I have shorted the solenoid with a screwdriver and the starter and solenoid work well 

The starter spins the engine - but it will not catch..

And so - we have left it for a night ...

Maybe tomorrow I can adult again !!!

 

And Susie and the Dogs went for a swim - I don't blame them 

And so I now get to say once again 
Cheers !