Tuesday, April 22, 2014

Behold, I Stand at the Door

Tomorrow is St. Georges Day. The English, generally, don't make much of a fuss about it. But just in case some of our English readers do think it should be celebrated - Happy St. George's Day to you.

Barbara came to work last Thursday as arranged. It took a little more organising this time. She's grown a bit since we first kitted her out, so she needed new overalls. And a new hard-hat. This time she got a proper one (the smallest fitting I could find) rather than the toy one she had originally. The hardest thing was boots.

Even though we would be preparing, bracing, wedging, and supporting the doors, and all she'd be doing was the fixings, the manager insisted she'd need safety footwear. Just in case a door slipped. (They weren't that heavy and they wouldn't injure an adult, but a child's feet break quite easily.) Do you have any idea how hard it is to find safety boots or shoes in that small a size??

It took me three days. Eventually I found some safety trainers (US - sneakers) that were only one size too large. (A definite sign that there are more women in construction trades these days.) With two pairs of socks they weren't too bad. They were fairly light, too, so she wasn't clomping around like a deep-sea diver.

She wasn't going to be cutting any hinge rebates - kids & sharp chisels are not a good combination. Hell, me & sharp chisels is a fairly dodgy prospect!! Nor cutting any latch or handle sockets. We'd prepared all that in advance.

I took my own electric screwdriver in for her. It's smaller and lighter than the ones we use on site. I also took a camera in. Her mother had given it to me and asked me to take some photos for her. I took pics of her standing in her kit, balancing on the small stepladder, and fixing a hinge to a door. She fitted the hinges onto the doors, in the rebates the chippy (carpenter) had cut. Then the chippy and I positioned the door, braced and wedged it. Barbara stood on the steps and fixed the hinges to the frame. Then she fixed the latch and handles to the door, and the latch-plate to the frame.

She sat with me and the chippy to eat our packed lunches. And talked nineteen-to-the-dozen as usual.

In total she did twelve doors - which was a pretty good number. And at the end of the day she got her door-hangers mate certificate, and a little frame with a brass door-hinge in it, from the chippy. And I took a photo of her being presented with them. She was well chuffed. So was her mother, who was there to pick her up, and witnessed the little presentation.

She loved ever minute of it. That kid is going to work in the construction industry in one way or another when she grows up, I'm certain of that.

Ze

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