heleninwales | Finding the right words

Searching the internet goes better when you know the right search term.

I ordered a garden tool that I'd seen advertised on Facebook. I was a little worried when I realised, after placing the order, that it seemed to be being dispatched from China. However, I didn't lose hope. The sun hats (also purchased from a Facebook ad and sent from China) did arrive and turned out to be excellent. Anyway, after watching the tracking, I saw that the item had left a town with a suspiciously Chinese name, then there was a little aeroplane symbol for a while and, finally, it arrived in the UK. The day before yesterday it had arrived in Chester and yesterday it turned up. Yay!

However, it needed a handle. You could buy it with a handle, but reading the comments under the advert, the handle the company provides is only a couple of feet long (60 cm) which would mean crouching or kneeling to use it and my back, knees and hips wouldn't stand that. No problem, I thought, I can buy a handle separately.

First I thought I could use the handle off a heavy stiff-bristled yard brush that I don't really use any more, but it proved impossible to remove. So plan B was to buy a new handle. But searching for broom handles didn't bring up any that were thick enough. After going round in circles for ages, I saw the words "shovel handle" and had a lightbulb moment. A quick Google on the new search term immediately brought up what I needed, and reading the reviews, it looks as though it's what other people who have bought the same tool have been buying. It will arrive on Monday and then, as soon as the weather improves, I can start removing moss and weeds from the paths.