Would you Lend a Stranger/Neighbour Your Lawnmower?

Ickle-toots

Hi PasturesNew, I live in Blackwood, I'm a bit shy but I'd come & strim & mow your lawn for you xx ( is this anywhere near you ) xx

valk_scot

I ignored my lawn for two years running when I was pregnant/had a young baby. It was easier than finding the energy to do something about it. Belive me it only grows so long and then stays like that. And it's like dust...you get used to it.

I don't think you should get so anxious about it, to be honest. It's clearly stressing you and that's not good. Also, I'm worried about something you said. If you don't have a bed and your clothes and stuff live on the sofa, where do you sleep? And if the flat is so small you can't find places to put your stuff...well, perhaps instead of worrying about some poxy grass, you should be looking for a more comfortable place to live?

lilac_lady

PN - a lot of people (including me) HATE to have workmen around the house. I feel very ill at ease and after exchanging a few words about what needs doing, I leave them to get on with the job. Once they've gone I wonder why I got so uptight.

When the LL comes with his mower, go outside and take the plug inside and switch it on, then switch on your PC till the job's done. Take the plug out, say "thanks" and heave a sigh of relief when he goes. He doesn't need to go inside your house at all.

JoolzS

I understand where you are coming from - I don't have Asperger's, but I do suffer from depression that includes an anti-social aspect. It sometimes takes me until Wednesday evening (when it's dark) to bring my wheelie bin in from the pavement. The bins get collected on Monday!

I've been wracking my brain to work out a solution for you.

One idea - call your landlord to arrange a time for him to mow the lawn and then if you have an extenstion lead, even a shortish one, perhaps you could put this out of the window or front door just before he arrives. When he rings the bell, just tell him you are busy, but he can plug into the extension and do what he needs to do. You could also say that you might not hear him finish (headphones used on the computer is a good excuse) so if he could just unplug and push the extension lead back through the window (or door) that'd be great. You could even keep the curtains drawn if you don't want him seeing your clutter. Don't worry about offending him - he's probably a busy man, so will probably appreciate being able to get a job ticked off his list without having to engage in small-talk.

Second idea - as someone suggested above - a pair of gardening shears. If your lawn isn't too big, then it's definitely possible (and possibly preferably if your lawn is overgrown) to use shears. You could go out and use them when your neighbourhood is quiet. Six a.m. or 9 p.m. isn't offensive for garden shears. From experience, I love hearing them when my neighbour uses them. It reminds me of my childhood.

Third idea - if you can get out once to collect, then a strimmer from Freecycle might work. Go out once to collect it then put it back on Freecycle and answer the door once to get rid of it. Probably not the best solution because the grass will keep growing.

Hope some of this helps, or perhaps gives you an idea that *will* work for you.

Julie

PasturesNew

tsstss7 wrote: »

How big is the lawn PN - if not huge a pair of garden shears might do the basics (ie keep grass short) until you move, pluck up courage to ask neighbour again or phone LL to do the job.

Oh and the answer to your OP is Yes have done and prob would do again.

Hmm.. good question, bigger than the flat. It's an odd shape, going up to an indistinct border with trees and a couple of random bushes.

I'd say it is: 2x (32'x15'), so almost 1000 square feet.

PasturesNew

Ickle-toots wrote: »

Hi PasturesNew, I live in Blackwood, I'm a bit shy but I'd come & strim & mow your lawn for you xx ( is this anywhere near you ) xx

Thanks. You're 20 miles away too

It's not just the LL, it's the timing really and how many days I actually have spare to be around in the next 3 weeks.

In fact, I need to be out in a minute, looking for a bloomin' dress or whatnot (and associated shoes/bag etc) .... more things I am rubbish at.

PasturesNew

valk_scot wrote: »

I ignored my lawn for two years running when I was pregnant/had a young baby. It was easier than finding the energy to do something about it. Belive me it only grows so long and then stays like that. And it's like dust...you get used to it.

I want it done because it looks common and unsightly. It's a lawn on an "open plan block of flats". The ground floors have the four corner gardens, which are open plan to the street ... makes it look like a dole-hole. Also, unsightly grass and gardens are likely to lead to an increase in petty crime - and there's been a spate of that in this road, so I was aware to try to minimise this.

valk_scot wrote: »

I don't think you should get so anxious about it, to be honest. It's clearly stressing you and that's not good. Also, I'm worried about something you said. If you don't have a bed and your clothes and stuff live on the sofa, where do you sleep? And if the flat is so small you can't find places to put your stuff...well, perhaps instead of worrying about some poxy grass, you should be looking for a more comfortable place to live?

Well, there are two small sofas, I sleep on the other one.

I will look for somewhere more comfortable but when I have an actual job. I am about to do four weeks' work, but that's the first for the last year really and I don't get any benefits. If I were on the dole LHA would actually pay a higher rate than I am paying, so I could get a nicer/bigger place, but I am not and so I live within my varying means.

ixwood

I 2nd the shears idea. Or even a scythe!

I think I'd then get a cheap/small push mower and leave it outside under some plastic to keep it dry.

Or just leave the grass be. The wildlife will appreciate it at least, if not your neighbours.

Do you ever use the space for anything? Seems a waste of the garden when you have so little indoor space. Being outdoors and surrounded by plants and wildlife is uplifting and good for the soul.

PasturesNew

The biggest issue is timing. When you are out at work all day, that leaves little time to do "the other things". From tomorrow I am out of the house from about 7.30am to 6.30pm, then when I get in I'll be starving and want to cook/eat/wash up.

In the next 10 days I also have to:
- find a garage to do my brakes and get it there (not on a work day)
- attend the hairdressers (4 hours)
- find a complete outfit
- book a hotel, plan a route
- get to the parcel office to pick up something I've ordered online (I know it will come when I am at work, so there'll be a card and it has to be picked up on Saturday morning, when I am already at the hairdressers in the opposite direction)
So it's just the time aspect right now that's the major limiter to getting hold of the LL and arranging a time for him to come round.

If the neighbour had said yes right then and there I was "in the zone" to do it. The weather was dry, it was light, I was prepared to keep at it until it was all done. Now that "time slot" has passed.

Even now, I can't call the LL to arrange for him to come over until early July, the middle of his busy period when he works 7 days a week, so maybe it'll have to be an evening after work. But I know it takes him 3 hours and there aren't 3 hours of daylight after I get home from work. I just think these things through far too much really ...

ceridwen

SailorSam wrote: »

Even if you can get someone to cut the grass for you, your predicament wont go away, you could say it's a growing problem, so may be you should tackle it from a different direction.
Get a big packet of weedkiller, It's cheaper than paying for a gardener, then drown your lawn a couple of times a year.

Eeeek.....weedkiller....that doesnt sit well with ceridwen that...

On a different tack Pastures - I'm beginning to click how you think. So - howzabout turning that into an asset? How about turning the whole thing of "I have Aspergers and I cant relate to people normally - but I have this big money problem" around and look at it as "Okay - I have this - and I feel uncomfortable trying to think of too many things at once - BUT - once I've got the current "crop" of things off my plate - THEN I will write a book about what its like to be me - and maybe I can make some money from it?"

Now think of the assets that you DO have:
- you are literate and intelligent
- you have a high degree of self-awareness
- you have a sense of humour

I'm wondering if you could write a book about this. At the least - it could be an article or two worth? Give it some thought. What do you think?