The heart of life

My greenhouse has been going through a time of transition lately.  It bravely held onto its remaining panes of glass this winter, mainly because the wind couldn't get trapped, thanks to the hole it had ripped through the structure last year.  The wind got trapped before because it had ingressed through a gap in the door, and the roof window wasn't open. 

I discovered that the reason the door was fitting poorly was that the rills on which it runs were clogged with grime.  I cleared them out and applied oil, and it's running smoothly with no gapping now. 

However, I am still without eleven panes of glass.  I found some spares for free on Gumtree, and finally got round to measuring up for them to be cut to size.  I took them round to the glass cutter with neat little labels on each pane saying what the measurements needed to be.  When it came to fitting the cut panes however, they were all too big, and one was bizarrely misshapen.  It turns out the panes are a non-standard 25 inches square, so I've got to go through the whole process again. 

Even if it is a little lacking in glazing, the greenhouse is functioning well.  I've installed two new shelving units, which are a little wobbly but aren't likely to fall flat on their sides like the contraption that was there previously.  They have given me much needed extra space for all my seedlings, and it looks rather jolly in there with the new bright orange and blue propagators. 

The greenhouse also has a new potting table, which I got for free from some lovely Polish house clearance people.  They were clearing the house of an old lady who had lived up the road for many years.  She was a kindly interesting lady, who had a fascinating collection of murano glass paperweights, and a pretty garden which she opened to the village once, so I was able to have a look round. 

I saw the table in their van, and by the time I'd plucked up courage to ask about it, they had moved it to the back under a pile of other things, so it was difficult for the man to extract.  It was so kind of him, and he wouldn't take any money for it.  It is so light that I could just balance it on my head and walk up to the allotments with it.  It looks mid century in style, with an elegant metal frame and a wooden slatted top.  The wood has a satisfying silken texture.  It is just the right size for potting things, without taking up too much space.

I am so glad I have something that was once owned by that lady, as she was a good soul.  I wish I had known her better.