We have had four good days of idyllic weather. 'Too good to last'
I thought, so I took myself and the electric hedge cutter to trim
the spruce hedge of the north drive as it had not a trim for a couple of
years at least and possibly longer.
Things started to get embarrassing last winter when my log man complained
about his old truck getting scratched by the briars etc. The damned
ivy, had climbed over the gate so it could no longer be closed, which
meant it was now seriously attached to the hedge.
The trimming went well and I took frequent rests, for I am at the age now
where I am not doing much manual work and I do like to smoke my pipe and review the progress and what needs to be done.
Actually there’s nothing new in that as frequent breaks are also customary to my character!
Nearing the end of job I stopped laid down the trimmer and stepped back
noticing as I did so a line of blue smoke rising from the motor.
" Oh B***ger it’s effin' Banjaxed !" I said quietly to my self.
As I repressed the switch only to see that the reverberating action had
drastically slowed to almost nil. Well at least the gate is now fully operational.
So this morning we took ourselves into town to purchase a replacement for
the sixteen year old JCB trimmer. Being the sort of store that it is we also
returned home with thorn proof gardening gloves for Mrs H and a bright,
trough-like planter for the strawberries. If all goes well we will be provided
with a bumper crop - hopefully. (wink!)
The trough planter.
We live in hope that the fruit of these strawberries will tingle our paletes.
A macro shot of our the plum tree blossom
Plum tree blossoms for the first time.
Hawthorne coming into leaf
Blackthorn blossom by the studio
