GOODS AND SERVICES (3)

Readers of this blog will know from an earlier post my view that rich, globalised societies (like Denmark) no longer repair anything, since it simply costs too much in comparison with a new purchase.

I confirmed my theory this week. When we bought this house some 10 years ago, we found a huge amount of junk in the barn. One item was a garden table and two chairs. They were remarkable for two things; the fact that they were completely made out of wood, and their colour, a dreadful bright yellow. I have had my eye on them for some time, not least because some of the planks that made up the table top were beginning to warp and the paint was flaking.

So I got to work. I stripped off most of the old paint and used the last of my black-blue oil paint to give them a new colour. Then I put new slats underneath the planks and screwed the planks down so that the table top is flat again. In a couple of weeks, I will give them a second coat of paint, and they will be ready for the summer. When my roses blossom, I will invite my rose consultant mother-in-law to come and have a look at her work, and we shall have tea by the rose garden using my new(ly restored) garden furniture.

In terms of paint, screws and labour, it was a ridiculous waste of money, it would have been much cheaper to burn the old things and buy some new, plastic rubbish. However, it was also immensely satisfying, which just goes to show that economics isn't everything.

Walter Blotscher