Its that time of the year again, 9 days off driving, Cabin Fever, back in the loft, and all systems go for
garden clean up and outside pursuits. After a week of pick axe work on the remaining ice it has all
been humped into the 60+ temps and gone! The devastation of the Gazebo can be attacked and
removed and god knows how many bags of wet mulchy leaves removed.

The carnage of winter snow and ice

Mother Nature you have beaten me this time!

The coffee table took a direct hit

Of course I WILL be riding Superglitz during the course of all this and hopefully taking a ski day at
Telluride on Wednesday. The Cub goodies should soon be on their way back from CA  but as Rounds
1 & 2 are only 2 weeks away as I write rebuilding will be done slowly and on an opportunity basis……
which reminds me I’d better get the Rockshocks ordered to replace the broken springs!   …… well a
bent rod.

Going nowhere, not even up and down

Gazebo gone, several other tasks, mainly unpleasant, completed. Highlight of the day must be
selling the Enfield to Ray. Well at least I should be able to get to Edward’s wedding in August now
and maybe Brenda will get to see some of Europe to boot.

Then came the leaf blower!! ……. what a great bit of kit, or how to transform YOUR problem into
someone else’s…… wasn’t me, must have been an act of God, dust devil, whirlwind, mini tornado or
the big bad wolf huffing and puffing.

Gazebo, broken glass and leaves…… all gone

Easter morning, I’m cooking breakfast, eggs, what else? …… and then the attack on the winter’s
wood pile outside the front door. The “Great Wall of Dolores” didn’t get used this winter so we have
plenty left come Thanksgiving 2013. Whats left needs to be tidied and restacked and the general
area readied for spring and the outside of the building is ready for a lick of paint.

One day of the 9 gone, pretty good achievements all round I’d say and Brenda was hard at it inside
where the floors have all been sanded and repainted, and I did get to take Superglitz out for a quick
evening spin. Today had better be a little test for the departing Enfield which hasn’t been kicked over
for some time let alone ridden.

Outside for the first time in over a year

Enfield fires into life but needs a carb clean which it duly gets. Don’t need to be too picky on the jets,
last used at 8500′ and now going to about 1000′ so a big difference which Ray can sort out.

Carb cleaned and ready to go

Gleaming in the sunshine after a quick test ride

With the leaves removed from the workshop entry 3 drip pans appear from where I’d pushed them
under the building…. yikes! better get these cleaned up before anyone sees them.

Cleaned and now back in the shop 

With that done and plenty of washing petrol in the can thanks to this crap ethanol time to move on to
the next task of cleaning up the front of the house where the winter wood has been chopped over the
snow months.

The scene of much log splitting

Raking, shovelling and stacking all done

Clean and tidy for spring

Two days into the mission, somewhat sore, but the battle continues with the shade garden and the
leaf problem! I’m thinking its a “12 bagger” without blowing it into next doors yard, quite a big task this
one but the results are always worthwhile when its done.

Pretty leafy !

Much raking required

About six hours clearing out beds of leaves and mulch and dead branches using my large hands as
garden rakes around the remaining plants and I suddenly notice my huge gold ring with the gold
sovreign is no longer on my digit? This does not look good !! Sudden visions of having to sift through
a mountain of leaves and trash…… and what if I missed it ? ….then the thinking man takes over and I
am fairly confident that it must have got pulled off as my fingers raked through creeper and other
ground cover. Being big and gold it was easy to see and was quickly found much to my delight.

Fountain and lights working and the stockade bed cleared

Shade garden re-opened for afternoon beers

good guess, it was a 12 bagger !

TONY DOWN