The Monkey Bar Adventure: Turning a Dream Into a Backyard Playground.
What started as a sketch in my notebook has finally come to life!
I had been dreaming up this new toy – a 3-meter monkey bar with a triple pegboard – to hang under our balcony in the front patio.
The original plan involved our local carpenter father-son duo, who were all in with great ideas, but months passed, and it remained just a dream.
Enter Hannah, our young and spirited volunteer carpenter, who joined us for 4 weeks in October/November 2024.
Her main task was to make our vegetable garden rabbit and partridge-proof, but when I mentioned my monkey bar idea, her eyes lit up like it was Christmas morning.
With her background in circus arts, she was immediately hooked and ready to take on the challenge!
In just three days, using mostly leftover wood from our stash, Hannah crafted a stunning piece of functional art – sturdy, shiny, and heavy as can be.
Next, it was time for the installation, which turned out to be quite the spectacle.
Ismael, our village handyman, promised to hang it in a single afternoon.
Instead, it took over a week of brainstorming and muscle power, culminating in a six-hour marathon session with the help of our 85-year-old neighbor Rej and his 60-year-old son Kevin.
But we did it!
The contraption is now securely suspended, complete with acrobatic rings and a yoga trapeze.
I’ve only had a few minutes of playtime so far, but I’m already hooked!
The plan is to train on it for 20 minutes every day, testing my strength and creativity.
Here’s to the good life, filled with laughter, sweat, and the joy of swinging like a kid again.
I’ll keep posted on my progress – or if it turns into its own epic saga, it might get its own new page entirely!