Three years ago I was given an old cart to restore. It proved to be a major task, for much of the wood was rotten.
The cart came to me with rubber wheels. Fitting a replacement wooden axle proved difficult.
The cart came to me with rubber wheels. Fitting a replacement wooden axle proved difficult.
By the end of last year, three spokes on one of the wheels broke and the wheel collapsed. I also found a lot of wood that was even more rotten than I thought. So, with the Spring, the time came for major overhaul.
Gerard Gallon gave me two new wheels in excellent condition that needed only a small amount of work before I painted them. The previous salmon pink wheels had provoked some adverse comment from traditionalists so I chose a darker colour..... but NOT BLUE
Gerard Truchard found an axle that proved very easy to fit. The cart already had the groves in which the axle fitted. So this must have been how the cart was originally equipped.
Pierre Constant provided me with some oak for some of the bigger woodwork jobs.
And so here it is ready for us to install the flowers and shrubs.
And so here it is ready for us to install the flowers and shrubs.
FORTUNATELY, WE HAVE SOME VERY HELPFUL AND GENEROUS PEOPLE IN OUR VILLAGE
The replacement wooden wheels looked quite good when I had finished them, but were, in fact, very rotten.