the garage door has a slide bolt from inside it so I can't go from the othe r side. However, I saw the post about kitchen knives and being that over t he years of being a broke single mum, kitchen knives have come to the rescu e for various things, hah, it appealed to me. And yep, it worked! Well it got it unlocked. Now I can't force it open because the paint has dried (g arage side) and it's stuck. I've 'knived' it (new word) but still can't ge t the force to pull it open. Remember the lock and handle is in pieces so I can't get the grip on it to pull it open. Anyway, I think tomorrow I will work it out, get a little person to go in between the door and slide bolt gap and try and push from other side. Some things are best left to sleep o n and it's a garage so nothing in there of urgency (not even a car at the m oment). Anyway, thanks for the good ol' kitchen knife advice!
a thin enough blade can often be run round to break the paint that's gluing it. Something more like a wallpaper knife.
NT