The Inner Child Inside Me.

 It's funny how small things and events from our childhood stay in our memory and sometimes  become probably more important in our minds than what they really were at the time.

I have very fond memories as a child and as a young teenager happily spending time at one of our local town's  parks while my parents were doing other business and activities that I wasn't involved with.

I had a particular attraction to two main pieces of equipment in the park, the glider swing and the pyramid climbing frame.

Many years passed and I grew up, married, moved away and had children and then we returned for a few years before leaving again for the coast. Our local playgroup had a "Teddy Bears Picnic" in the park and that day is the only early photograph I have of the glider swing( albeit a bad copy) and another great old metal rocker style seesaw.

Many years have passed and I now have 5 amazing grandchildren  aged from 3years to 10 years and since we have been at the farm I have always wanted an old style playground for them to play on when they visit.

During the years  the old equipment became a little dated and the town park equipment was replaced with so called more child friendly pieces that a grant had been obtained for. It was  many years  until we had returned and we went to dinner one night at our local bowling club only to find "my" glider swing and climbing frame in residence there in their  little playground.

A few more years passed and about 18 months ago  we heard that  the bowling club had obtained a grant  and were replacing the playground with a new child safe  fancy model, so we approached the committee and asked if they were going to sell the old equipment and if so could we have first offer to purchase it. Last year we received a phone call on a Friday morning to ask if we were still interested and if so we could have it for free as long as we came and removed it over the weekend as the new equipment was being delivered on the Monday, we  agreed immediately. 

We borrowed  a neighbour's truck and went in prepared to dig out the equipment only to be pleasantly surprised to find that they had already got someone to lift the pieces out.

 

We had to smash off the concrete  at the bases of the legs and load the swing on the truck,

The large swing frame had to be fully dismantled,

It along with the free standing climbing pyramid were then loaded onto the truck.

Part of our free deal was that we were to remove all the concrete, dirt and grass and leave the site  totally clear which we were more than happy to do.

Brian unloaded them  with the tractor and we stored them for a few months until we  had time to sort out what we would do.

We made a decision on where we would locate my playground ,and Brian leveled off an area just outside the yard  where we could see it from the kitchen and outdoor area.

Brian once again relocated the pieces to the new area with his trusty tractor.

Our son arrived for a short visit and helped to rebuild the big swing,

He also did some welding repairs that were needed on the top of the climbing frame.

My little playground was beginning to take shape.

One of our cats , really loves the climbing frame and we often see her out there climbing and jumping off it.

We added a few modern attachments to the large swing and an existing swing that we previously had inside the yard, and Brian checked them out for safety( he said if they held him they were safe for the kids).

We purchased some nice good quality timber to replace the old seats that were broken on the glider swing.

Then, I painted numerous  coats of oil to hopefully protect the seats for many years to come.

Brian brought down a few logs from up the back to create a border on the edge of the playground and still has to bring a couple more down to finish the boundary lines.

When the local laundromat washing machine died , it needed to be taken to the dump  and we offered, we also asked if we could remove the metal inside drum to create a temporary fire pit until we can get a more permanent one.

Brian also cut a few stumps to serve as temporary seats around the fire.

The plan is to lay bark chips under the play equipment and crushed metal in the fire pit area as we get time.

Last week we recycled 2 old posts that were the original supports(there were 4) off our small awning that was at the back door of the house where our big outdoor covered area now is and made them into the gate posts for entry into the playground area.

We now have a great little gateway into the area instead of climbing over the fence or taking the long way around.

We have had the grandchildren and other children  visit and they all loved the new playground, but I have to admit this playground  is equally as much for me as  the inner child in me often finds me  out on the glider swing, glass of wine in hand just swinging and relaxing.

I am so glad we were able to save these old gems, not just for history's sake but for me too, I just adore my lovely new/old playground and I am so grateful  to Brian for making this become a reality for me.

So, until we meet again, take care and  stay safe,

Cheers

Jane and Brian.