I am standing in my damp garden, holding an enamel birdhouse with my left hand, while with my right I’m brandishing a Ryobi combi drill. Shortly, my instructor Moira Tighe promises me, a momentous event will take place – I will drill a hole in a brick wall, into which I will insert a screw from which the bird house will hang.
It sounds pathetic, but for me, utterly cack-handed and with zero knowledge of tools, it’s a seismic moment of empowerment. My entire adult life I’ve felt self-disgust at my inability to tackle the simplest DIY task, meaning I’ve either had to wait months for enough jobs to make it worth our regular builder’s while to tackle them, or – like a 1950s cartoon housewife – endlessly nag my husband.
Challenging sexism
It’s humiliating and it’s unfeminist. In lockdown, our builder was sensibly distancing and my husband was too busy with his work to find the spanner. But with a cupboard door sagging, a loo leaking and piles of pictures that needed hanging, the frustration became unbearable. Knowing others used quarantine to transform their homes only made me feel worse.
DIY can be hardcore. Actress Cate Blanchett recently revealed she’d ‘had a little chainsaw accident’ at her East Sussex mansion. ‘Apart from the little nick to my head I’m fine,’ she added, nonchalantly yet unreassuringly.
This story is from the July 20, 2020 edition of WOMAN - UK.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the July 20, 2020 edition of WOMAN - UK.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
Fast&fresh DINNERS
Healthy meals to keep you satisfied on busy weeknights.
Health checks that could SAVE YOUR LIFE
We service our cars and boilers to make sure they run smoothly, so why not our bodies?
FEEL SEXIER in 60 seconds
Try these instant tricks to lift your libido and get turned on fast
Destination SWAPS
Change your favourite resorts for these great-value, lesser-known places
5 steps to the PERFECT HALLWAY
Try these makeover musts to transform the often-overlooked space into an entrance you can be proud of ai
The secrets WE KEEP
Two women explain why they realised it was finally time to speak up
Our split made us STRONGER!
Bernie Jones loves her husband more after their break-up 4
Can our beloved NHS BE SAVED?
With waiting lists for surgery reaching new highs, we investigate the lengths patients are going to in order to receive treatment
WANT TO SEE BEHIND THE CASTLE GATES?
It’s an interesting development that King Charles has increased public access to Buckingham Palace and opened up Balmoral Castle for the first time.
'The divorce SPEAKS FOR ITSELF"
Singer-turned-actor Billie Piper on her turbulent past and becoming the woman she is today