Ex-pats: Ex-pat Graham Denby on life in Portugal

Jun 17 2009 by John Avison, Huddersfield Daily Examiner

I was given a hasty lesson, forwards and back, instructions where to pour in diesel, how and when to wet the surface to improve the surface and zoom, he was off.

I gamely got the hang of it – it’s like trying to manoeuvre two articulated shopping trolleys along when they are intent on going their own ways, especially difficult backwards.

Just when I’d got the hang of it and the road was looking the dog’s ... er bee’s knees, rumble-rumble, cough-splutter-shudder the roller stopped and refused to budge again.

Despite my own early efforts and Helders subsequent technical and sometimes brutal cajoling, it’s still sitting there, slap bang in the middle of the drive.

It’s too flippin’ big to tow so if we can’t get the mechanic out this week I guess I’ll have to turn it into a novelty roundabout.

They’re a feature of most of the towns around here, with concrete pigs and statues and ornaments, so a bright yellow road roller might go well!

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