Graft

Mr B was working over the weekend, and the cycle ride-out I wanted to join was booked up before I even saw the invitation, so I decided to graft instead and was blessed with a couple of days of sunshine.

I don't remember a mere 2 days of grafting being such hard work, and it isn't like I was actually digging for 8 hours solid each day.  No - I merely cleared out the side cupboards upstairs (we have sloping ceilings and side lofts), gave away 4 dozen empty half-pound honey jars, left over from our beekeeping days, and dragged a couple of bags of other oddments off to a charity shop (or two).

While in town dropping rather than shopping, I consulted a locksmith about getting a replacement key for our china cabinet.  Huey (my father's mythical mover of things that disappear right under your nose), played a blinder on us when we left Greece.  The china cabinet has three locking doors - ordinary bureau locks - and the key (only key) was made visible to all by an enormous bright blue beaded 'jewel' that someone had given me as a gift - purpose unknown but an ideal china cabinet key identifier.  Just before the movers arrived I said to Mr B 'that's the sort of thing that gets lost in a move, I will put it in this safe place'.  He even recalls me saying it but neither of us can remember what the safe place was.  We have unpacked everything and waited a while in case Huey put it back when we took our eyes off him but to no avail, so I unscrewed one of the locks and went .... in search of.

Doing himself out of a job, the locksmith advised that wardrobe locks with key can still be purchased from hardware stores and that I could probably get three for less than the price of someone trying to work out what the key was like.

"Look on line" he said, so I walked home and did just that.

What do you reckon the chances are of a new key fitting the old locks?  Several of the big, chain stores of tool suppliers had the locks on their websites and it is only a walk back into town to ask at the counter - so I did.  After all I don't want three with different keys.

First place I asked had none in stock and only one in some central warehouse.  "Try the place next door" the cashier said helpfully.  Next door an identical warehouse of tools and DIY stuff - with a similar colour scheme and different name.  They had them right there - so "Let's start with one" I said "and see whether the key fits this lock" thinking 'fat chance but who knows'.

SURPRISE - the key fits.  End result - had I bought one in the first store it would have been £6.83 (and I probably would have ended up ordering three).  Second place they were priced at £2.34 - and I only needed one.  Back home the old lock is screwed back in place (because the holes line up) and the new key has  green ribbon on it.

Taking bets now on when the original key will make its reappearance.