LEARNING NEW SKILLS

2009 was a strange year in many respects. One of the strangest was that I suddenly started becoming a practical pig. After almost 50 years in which I could barely change a plug, I learned tree-clearing, painting, carpentry, insulation and bricklaying. Thanks to my efforts, the value of our house rose by more than 15% between 2007 and 2009, against the backdrop of a sharply falling market.

And, I have to admit, I really enjoyed it. I wasn't under any particular time pressure, so it didn't matter if I took ages to paint the foundation or render the chimney. I was lucky with the weather, with long periods of sunshine when I was painting the house in May and replacing the roof in September. Neighbours chipped in, giving me technical tips, and lending me scaffolding, both for free; well, in return for no more than a couple of bottles of wine, the local currency where I live. My wife looked on approvingly and stopped ticking me off for not doing enough chores. I even managed to impress my children.

I'll never be able to earn my living as a "fundi", I am far too slow. But it has given me great satsifaction to be able to learn something so different at my age. I highly recommend it.

Walter Blotscher