Right, let’s talk about what kept me busy last weekend. Had this idea buzzing around my head for a while about sorting out a patch of the garden. Decided some solid edging or maybe low retaining walls were needed. You know how it is, things start looking a bit messy.

Getting Started – The Materials

So, first job was getting the main material. I managed to get hold of some old railway sleeper timber. Proper chunky stuff, looked like it had seen a bit of life, which I actually quite liked. Thought it would give the garden a bit of character. Paid a bit for them, but figured they’d last donkey’s years. Getting them delivered was one thing, moving them into place, well, that was the real workout.

Here’s where things got a bit… unconventional. While I was positioning the first heavy piece of timber, I noticed the edges were quite rough, maybe a bit sharp on the corners too. Plus, where it met some existing paving, I thought it might be good to have a little buffer, something to absorb any knocks or prevent scratching.

The Unexpected Find

I rummaged around in the shed. You know the drill, searching through piles of stuff you forgot you even had. Was looking for some kind of dense foam or maybe some offcuts of garden hose. No luck. Then, under an old tarp, I spotted it – a completely flat, ancient Volleyball. Must’ve been punctured for ages. The kids hadn’t played with it in years.

I picked it up, squeezed it. That outer layer, it felt like tough synthetic rubber. Lightbulb moment! Maybe a bit weird, but I thought, why not? Waste not, want not, right? It was destined for the bin otherwise.

The Process – Making it Work

So, I grabbed my sharpest utility knife. Cutting that Volleyball open wasn’t as easy as I thought. The rubbery material was quite resilient. Took some effort, but I managed to cut out a few decent sized strips and patches from the flatter sections of the ball.

• First, I cleaned the dust and grime off the rubber pieces.
• Then, I measured the corners of the sleeper timber where I wanted some protection.
• Cut the rubber strips to size.
• Used some strong outdoor adhesive I had lying around to stick the rubber bits onto the corners of the timber. Also tucked a strip underneath where the sleeper rested on the paving stones.

It looked a bit odd at first, this tough garden timber with bits of white and blue Volleyball rubber stuck to it. But once the sleepers were fixed in place, you barely noticed the rubber bits unless you looked closely. They just softened the edges and provided that little cushion I was after.

End Result

Finished laying all the sleeper timber by Sunday evening. Back was aching, hands were rough, but it looked pretty good. Solid, rustic. And those little bits of repurposed rubber, sourced from an old forgotten Volleyball, were doing their job, quietly tucked away. It’s funny the combinations you end up with sometimes – heavy duty timber and sporty rubber. But hey, it worked. Saved me buying specific corner protectors, and I cleared out a bit of old junk from the shed in the process. Job done.