They say that gaffa tape is like The Force; there’s a light side, a dark side and it holds the universe together. They say a lot of things but I have to say that gaffa tape is presently holding the handle of my lawnmower together. I thought I’d give the grass a quick trim this afternoon – even if your beds are quite wild, a trimmed lawn gives the illusion that everything is just as you intended – but had to take a break partway when I spotted a piece of plastic on the ground. It turned out to be part of the fastening for one side of the handle!

Jane and I both searched hard and I did recover a metal washer but there was no sign of the accompanying bolt. How odd! I should have heard if it had been gone over by the lawnmower and it surely can’t have fallen too far. There was no sign though, so gaffa tape it was. That may prove to be an enduring repair; if not, perhaps it is time to renew my search for a small push mower – we’ve got such a small amount of lawn that I don’t think a manual, rotary mower would be too much hassle at all but most of the market is driven by electric or petrol powered machines.

As for the bolt… perhaps there is a relative of the sock monster lurking out in the garden!