Refurbished Garden Wind Chimes

About this time of the year, you can really tell what needs a touch of paint in the garden.  After the frosts of winter and the strange hot and cold, dry and wet weather we have had this spring, some of the paint work needed touching up.  After a spell dry weather, I felt it was time to give my lovely blue bench a couple of coats, as well as some touching up of the cream paint on the gazebo.

A week or so previous to that, the Garden Wind Chimes had really collapsed with its wooden ring from which the tubes hang, broken beyond repair.  During the winter the thread to one of the tubes had perished, and the tube had embedded itself into the soft foliage below.   Mr S and I were in a dilemma.  We have had these chimes for over 15 years, they are large, and have a lovely deep tone.  In the meantime I painted the clapper and wind watcher blue to match the benches.  I think I shall still need to apply some oil, as there are some deep cracks on these too.

We trailed the internet for replacements, and also ideas of how to repair them.  In the US there seem to be many sites with spare parts, but not here in the UK.  Well at least we did not find any.  We racked our brains,  we thought maybe a 'slate plate', but Mr S wondered whether he would be able to drill the holes without shattering the stone.  In the meantime I had bought some wire thread from the local bead shop.  Then I woke up one morning with the idea of using a steel 'snowflake' trivet from which to hang the bells, and for thread, we used some kite twine.  Mr S did a grand job, and now the chimes are back up....