The bus left Waterloo at 10.15am on the Saturday, 10.15am? I here you cry, Saturday? Yes! This was not a standard dig but a session “restoring the kit that restores canals” (with apologies to logistics), back in the mists of time at the AGM we had decided that a tool painting weekend would be a good idea and Moose volunteered the use of his boatyard. Some discussion at the National and we fixed a date, the boatyard being only just outside the M25 a Saturday meetup was called for. We finally got to the boatyard at 11.30am with NJF packed to the gunnels with LWRG’s complete tool collection. A cup of tea with Moose, Maria and Marcus and we swung into action, Maria and Sal took the catering kit in hand and swiftly generated a list of the extra stuff we needed while the blokes made lots of noise cleaning concrete off shovels, and that was only Rick and with a hammer! Showing impeccable timing as ever, Tunji rolled up just as we stopped for lunch, apparently her had “stuff” to do that morning.

After lunch Maria and Marcus went off to terrorise downtown Harlow in Beastie (apparently Marcus has now been banned from even more DIY shops after the weekend) while Sal and I started the painting job and Richard Cool and Rick carried on making noise. The painting continued until about 6pm by which the garage looked like the Aladdin’s cave from the National Panto and we were in possession of a freshly sharpened and candy striped wrecking bar and many new bits of catering kit. As the sun set we headed off to a pub that Moose had come to an “arrangement” with for food, the “Good Intent” in Sawbridgeworth, many pints of Pride and a buffet later we turned in, in the upstairs room of the pub itself!

The next morning rolled around and continuing with the theme of a relaxed weekend Moose came round with tea at about 8.30am, a quick wash and we were on the road again to finish off the painting. While Maria cooked breakfast the rest of us carried on painting tools, eeking out the red paint with white spirit as necessary. Having an angle grinder and whetstone to hand we also went on a bit of a sharpening spree, so watch out next time you use the kit: the kitchen knifes are sharp as are the machetes, the chisels and even the mattocks!

As it reached 5pm we decided everything was about done and so packing the still slightly tacky tools back in the van we wended our merry way home. Many thanks to everyone who helped with the weekend; Moose and Maria for loaning us the garage and sorting the food, Martin for gathering the tools from Dorothy’s garage and getting paint, Marcus “I’ve got just the tool for that in the back” Jones for bringing Beastie and Sal, Richard, Tunji and Rick for ceaselessly painting stuff all weekend, I didn’t know we owned so much tat!