Lesson 46Do it yourself自己动手So great is our passion for doing things for ourselves that we are becoming increasingly less dependent on specialized labour. No one can plead ignorance of a subject any longer, for these are countless do-it-yourself publications. Armed with the right tools and materials newlyweds gaily embark on the task of decorating their own homes. Men particularlyspend hours of their leisure time installing their own fireplaces laying out their own gardens; building garages and making furniture. Some really keen enthusiasts go so far as to build their oivn computers. Shops cater for the do-it-yourself craze not only by running special advisory services for novices but by Goffering consumers bits and pieces which they can assemble at home. Such things provide an excellent outlet for pent up creative energy but unfortunately not all of us are bom handymen.Some wives tend to believe that their husbands are ircfinitely resourceful and can fix anything. Even men who can hardly drive a nail in straight are supposed to be born electricians carpenters plumbers and mechanics. When lights fuse furniture gets rickety, pipes get clogged, or vacuum cleaners fail to operate some woman assume that their husbands will somehow put things right. The worst thing about the do-it-yourself game is that sometimes even men live under the delusion that they can do anything even when they have repeatedly been proved wrong. It is a question of pride as much as anything else.Last spring my ivife suggested that I call in a man to look at our lawn mower. It had broken down the previous summer and though I promised to repair it, I had never got round to it. I would not hear of the suggestion and said that I would fix it myself. One Saturday afternoon I hauled the machine into the garden and had a close look at it. As far as I could see, it needed only a minor adjustment: a turn of a screw here a little tightening up there, a drop of oil and it would be as good as neiv. Inevitably the repair job was not quite so simple. The mower firmly refused to mom, so I decided to dismantle it. The garden was soon littered with chunks of metal which had once made up a lawn mower. But I was extremely pleased with myself. I had traced the cause of the trouble. One cf links in the chain that drives the wheels had snapped. After buying a new chain I was faced with the insurmoun ta b le task of putting the confusing jigsaw puzzle together again. I was not surprised to find that the machine still refused to work after I had reassembled itfor the simple reason that I was left with several curiously shaped bits of metal which did not seem to fit anywhere. I gave up in despair. The weeks passed and the grass grew. When my wife nagged me to do something about it, I told her that either I would have to buy a new mower or let the grass grow. Needless to say our house is now surroundedby a jungle. Buried somewhere in deep grass there is a rusting lawn mower which I have promised to repair one day.Lesson 59Collecting收藏People tend to amass possessions sometimes without being aware of doing so. Indeed they can have a delightful surprise ivhen they find something useful which they did not know they owned. Those who never have to move house become indiscriminate collectors of what can only be described as clutter. They leave unwanted objects in drawers cupboards and attics for years in the belief that they may one day need just those very things. As they grow old, people also accumulate belongings for two other reasons lack f physical and mental energy both of which are essential in turning out and throwing aivay and sentiment. Things owned for a long time are full associations with the past, perhaps with relatives who are dead, and so they gradually acquire a value beyond their true worth.Some things are collected deliberately in the home in an attempt to avoid waste. Among these I would list string and brown paper, kept by thrifty people when a parcel has been opened to save buying these two requisites. Collecting small items can easily become a mania. I know someone who always cuts sketches out from newspapers of model clothes that she would like to buy if she had the money. As she is not rich the chances that she will ever be able to afford such purchases are remote; but she is never sufficiently strong-minded to be able to stop the practice. It is a harmless bait, but it litters up her desk to such an extent that every time she opens it, loose bits of paper fall out in every direction.Collecting as a serous hobby is quite different and has many advantages. It provides relaxation for leisure hours as just looking at ones treasures is always a joy. One does not have to go outside for amusement since the collection is housed at home. Whatever it consists of, stamps, records first editions of books china glass, antique furniture pictures model cars stuffed birds toy animals there is always somethin