Gordon Nightingale
I received a call from Danny while driving home from Ballarat.
“I’m at the Rotary shed!” he said to tell me where he’s at.
“I’ve been trying for an hour now to get our gennie started.
I’ve yanked the cord a thousand times and it hasn’t even farted.
“I’ve got a Honda 2kv,” said I, it’s in the garden shed.
“What is it you need it for?” “To clean the Pavilion,” he said.
“We want to use the pressure spray to clean the old wood beams.
There’s no power point for power but there’s water there it seems.”
“Okay, I’ll meet you there tomorrow at the pavilion on Wombat Hill,
What about 10:30? I have plenty time to kill.
I’d already set the Honda up when Danny arrived just after.
Volunteer Jenny turned up but forgot to bring the Karcher.
She raced back home to get it while we men had morning tea.
Jenny brought the Karcher back with no hose that we could see.
Again she headed back to home to retrieve the missing hose,
While I tested out the generator to see how well it goes.
Then I searched my glove box for the universal tap key.
To open up the steal-proof tap to get our water for free.
When she returned we set it up, the Honda and the Karcher.
Took one pull upon the cord and the Honda gennie started.
The water jet removing dirt and slime, I worked the northern wall.
Danny did the west and south until he’d done it all.
My turn to do the east wall then it’s on to the interior;
Carefully removing dirt and grime, not wanting to look inferior.
I was on a roll so carried on to do the concrete floor,
But halfway through the fuel ran out, lucky I had some more.
Refuelled, restarted, back to work until the floor looked white,
Then handed on to Jenny before going home for a bite.
Later returned to get the gear, outside concrete had been done.
Pavilion now ready for painting but I won’t be the one
To wield the brush and roller will be some other persons’ role.
I’m going home to have a beer, it’s in the fridge getting cold!
Gordon Nightingale is a local author and poet and the convenor of the Daylesford U3A Writers’ Group.
