Shovelling bark and coke

Just in from spreading a load of bark over another section of garden. Hopefully to discourage any weeds that were thinking of growing up there. And hopefully not to discourage all the established plants, roses, day lillies, peony etc.

John took me to Parkhouse for two scoops of bark in their hired trailer, dumped the bark here at home then off to the shop to use the trailer to get a load of bricks which we took to John's home where he'll lay them beside the barbecue where the grass is giving up the ghost. All in an hour - to avoid another hour's rental on the trailer. Phew!

Shovelling bark from a heap on the flat concrete drive into a wheelbarrow was a breeze. Not like a dreadful job I was given in uiversity vacation work at Birdseye. I was plucked off the inspection belt and led to an open railway wagon full of coke - for me to shovel into smaller wagons.

Coke, what is left when coal is heated to drive off coal gas, is a wonderful smoke free fuel but the devil to shovel. In knobbly chunks with a coarse sandpaper surface it doesn't flow like shiny coal and the chunks won't move aside when you try to plunge a shovel into a heap of them. It was a great relief, many hours later, when I had removed enough to create a hole down to the smooth metal bottom of the wagon; now I could slide the shovel under the heap and shift it quickly.