This afternoon I took my wife to the airport and was gone about 4 hours. I'm doing some work on the house so there's lots of stuff lying around. Stuff that any casual visitor would see. I'm a "drop and go" type; I like to pick up on a job when I get back, so I don't want to have to put things away.
I'm so used to doing this, and not having it nicked, that I tend not to give it a second thought. This evening, just for fun, I made an inventory of what was lying around, available for stealing (and is still out there now, as I write this):
- new block and tackle
- 2 nice aluminium ladders
- workmate (folding table)
- 2 extension cords
- socket spanner set
- chain saw
- 2 laser levels
- laser range finder
- jigsaw
- cordless drill
- electric drill
- various hand tools
- car battery charger
- mini-digger with key in ignition (not a fast getaway I must admit)
- 2 Kubota compact tractors with keys in ignitions
- John Deere mid-size utility tractor, key in ignition
- cement mixer
- nice two axle trailer to take it away on
- steel wheelbarrow
- garden shredder
- tank of diesel fuel and pump
And my experience is nothing unusual. Two farmers near me have well-equipped workshop sheds - without doors.
I don't know why folks around here (rural Dordogne) don't thieve, but I am truly grateful. It makes life feel completely different.
