27.04.2022 Another chainsaw massacre!

 ~~

Wednesday 27th 35F, bright sunshine and calm. Up at 6.00. Aching back and shoulders from yesterday's chainsaw massacre of the shared hedge. I had better hold off on attacking the front, beech hedge. The local recycling yard is open today. I could easily fill the trailer with old wood.

  9.00 50F. An earlier and longer walk today. Across the prairie up to the forest. Where a large deer dashed though the beech woods section. It paused to let me take its [out of focus] picture and then carried on. 

Then I descended by the steep track to the main road. The commuter traffic was busy today. While the gentle, westerly breeze was cold on my hands throughout. About an hour in all.

 Plan for today? Something less strenuous! Or not. I worked on the front beech hedge all morning. Cutting it back by 1m/3' on the outside. Then loading the trailer with the trimmings. Two loads, so far, taken to the recycling yard's garden waste area. 

 The top 1.5m/5' wants to be taken off too. It would be much easier working from the outside. Access is very poor on the inside for removing clippings. I pushed the car trailer down the neighbour's field. So I could get close to the work area for loading. Then drove down to hitch it up and drag it back uphill.

 14.30 59F. Another hour and half working on the front hedge after lunch. I am using a combination of electric chainsaw and hedge clippers. The front face is almost cut back top where it wants to be. The top has hardly been touched yet. If I cut through the hedge the top will drop into the base and make it impossible to extract the clipped branches. I am dripping with sweat again from working in full sunshine. Too tired to continue for the moment. The batteries are charging [again] anyway.

Afternoon: Further lopping continued by hand. I have stretched a white cord at about 6' above the internal ground level. Now I am working to that line for the top of the hedge. Another trailer full of clippings has gone to the recycling yard. 

 Beech twigs are very kinked and stiff. So a cut branch won't pull out of the hedge easily. Clipping the twigs with hand loppers, while in the trailer, helps to compact the load. Beech, hedge clippings are incredibly bulky!

  By request: A quick snap through the bedroom window. The hideously hacked hedge [from yesterday] is in the lower foreground. This lies along the far side of our drive. For scale: The cherry/plum trees, on the other side of the absent neighbour's lawn, are at least 8m or 25' high. I shall try to take a better picture when the sun isn't casting a shadow.

 Once the front, beech hedge is finished I shall fell the conifers. Then push them into the field over the hedge. A great deal of prior branch lopping will be involved. Due to the sheer scale of these trees. I don't want them falling onto the greenhouse! 

 It was only polite to seek permission from the new owners to use their field for my "gardening." I had an agreement with the former owners but one should always ask. 

18.00 56F.  I am too tired and aching to do any more today. I ought to think about what to have for dinner. Yesterday's salad was fine but far too much of everything! I used a whole heart lettuce. Half a cucumber, four tomatoes, two eggs, a tin of salmon and half a dozen boiled potatoes. For the latter I needed a second plate! 🙄  I think I'll go with something simple: Cod in breadcrumbs with baked beans.

 Netflix is committing commercial suicide. Just when everybody thinks they'll give it up because of its piss poor content they raise their prices! Bye-bye!

 

~~