A gardening grandfather is keeping fit at 80 by pushing his lawnmower four miles – every day.
While most of us dread the grass-cutting season, Andrew Moore cuts an acre daily using a push-style mower and a further four acres on his sit-on mower.
Andrew turned 80 in February this year and attributes his astonishing fitness to his daily 12-hour shifts in the garden at his home in Kilmarnock, East Ayrshire.
The spritely grandfather-of-two, a former insurance agent, walks about four miles cutting the acre closest to his house using the push mower, taking a little over an hour.
The remaining four acres, cut using a bigger drivable mower, involves a 10-mile trip.
Andrew, who is proud of the fact he can still click his heels, gets the entire five-acre, 14 mile job done before lunch.
Mr Moore, married to Emily, 76, has even been known to cut the grass in the winter as well as the April to October “growing season”.
As a result, his stunning lawn has been compared to a billiards table and some people even check if you have to take your shoes off before walking on it.
“I’m getting a bit older,” said the retired insurance salesman. “But I keep the lawn nice and grow a lot of begonias.
“My wife does all the herbaceous stuff.”
He explained: “I’m up early. I’m out cutting the grass at the back of eight every morning. There is five acres all together.
“I do the first lawn in about an hour – the other part in an hour and a half.
“I have a ride on lawn mower and a John Deere.
“I cut it this morning – it’s twice a week at the moment. Soon it will be every morning.
“The grass is growing every day.”
The grandfather of two says he’s often out in the garden from 8am to 8pm in the summer and will cut his grass every 24 hours in growing season – “that’s weekends and all”.
Asked if others in the area spend the same amount of time on their grass he laughed: “Not really, no. All my neighbours think I’m and stupid and daft for spending so much time in the garden.”
He added: “It keeps me fit.”
His daughter Helen Moore said: “He’s been like that for as long as I can remember – he just wants his lawn to be perfect.
“Both of them, my mum as well, spend a lot of time in the garden.
“Dad likes all the straight lines and my mum is loose and free. They complement each other.”
She continued: “People ask ‘is it ok to walk on it?’, and he always says, ‘of course you can walk on the lawn’.
“People ask, ‘should I take my shoes off?’. He says, ‘Of course not’.”
Helen said: “Definitely it’s what’s kept him fit.
“You can’t keep up with him. He can still click his heels – he does it frequently,” she laughed.
“He’s really fit. He’s fitter than I am.”
Speaking about the perfectly manicured lawn she said: “A lot of the neighbours come to view it. People stop to look.
“It’s looking fabulous – once he gets stuck into it that’s it. It’s more like a billiard table.
“I’ve seen him cutting it in the winter time.
“He would prefer not to cut it in the rain. But if he’s got visitors he would get it done.”
