On Saturday I noticed that the old black grubby plastic pot of even grubbier garden utensils had vanished. Now this is a black plastic pot about ten years old and in it was a pair of dirty gardening gloves rolled into a ball, a trowel, used in the garden and unwashed, secateurs, older than the trowel and dirtier, two kitchen knives used for planting seedlings and poking around small or new seedlings because I don’t want to wreck them with the trowel.
The big question is why would anyone take it? There was nothing saleable, the most valuable thing (in terms of money), was the secaturs and they were old, over ten years, needed oiling and cleaning.
The last time I can definitely say I saw the pot was Thursday morning. I walk past that table on my way to the line, to the garage, to the vege garden. Thus sounds like a big space but its not, it’s quite small.
My garage is never locked (although that might change now)but none of the far more expensive brooms, gardening tools, drying racks, shopping trolley, shelves with gardening supplies on them, had been touched. My ‘lady’s’ spade (exactly the right height and weight), for example was still leaning against the wall. Spades are not the kind of thing you find in op shops. You can only buy them new or get given them by someone. All were untouched.
Very puzzling.
I’m wondering if I should move my writing table and laptop back to the dining room. I had it moved to the back of the house a couple of months ago so the dining room could be a dining room again. Now I’m thinking it might have been a good thing that people could actually see me there and I could see them if they came through the gate.
I’m not nervous but for an hour or so after I discovered it missing I felt what I suppose was unsettled. I’ve lived here for eleven years and never had anything stolen or indeed any attempt (that I know of) to do so.
My neighbour hadn’t seen anything, also found it puzzling. And wasteful. Because, as we both agreed, it was probably kids, they probably chucked the pot of utensils away – but wouldn’t you think they’d know enough to realise that there was nothing saleable among the things in the pot in the first place?
Maybe they’re mad keen secret gardeners? Maybe they need glasses?
I think I will move my writing table back to the dining room. But first, I’ll buy a new trowel, secateurs, gloves, find a pot, scratch up two old kitchen knives and put the whole lot back on the table.
