Frustration
The month of July just gone was the worst one I have ever known here in the north of England. The weather was very unsettled and though we are told that in the world as a whole it was the hottest July on record, here in Yorkshire that was certainly not the case. Almost every day was miserable and even when sunshine was threatening, rain and drizzle bearing clouds would come scudding along to sadden our hearts. It has been the second wettest July on record in Sheffield since records began back in 1882. One of the upshots of this grey pattern was that I couldn't get things done, There was grass to cut and our fifty yard hedges to trim, a vegetable plot to be tended and a sentry box shed to erect. Above all was my desire to address the second level of our wooden decking. There was never a dry period allowing me to crack on. It was impossible to unscrew the old screws from the existing decking. They had been in place for twenty years. I could not get any purchase on the...