22.08.2023 Neighbours from hell.

 ~o~

 Tuesday 22nd 15C/60F. Bright but a smudgy/milky sky. Dead calm at 7.30. Up at 7.00 after a restless night. Aching all over from yesterday's "gardening." Today is visitor day. I had better have a walk. 

 I had hardly gone a couple of hundred yards before a large bird of prey crossed my path. It vanished into a dense copse without so much as pausing its powerful wing beats. 

 The farmers were busy. A spraying machine opened its arms as I drew alongside on the road. Further over, black sludge was being loaded onto a large muck spreader. Then flung far and wide. 

 10.00 I have been attacking the front beech hedge. It had grown too tall and dense again. The hedge clipper could only do so much. Due to the thickness of the branches. So I held the battery chainsaw at head height and walked forwards from end to end. It was noisy and messy but knocked over a foot off the top of the hedge. It needs a new chain. 

 Still lots to do from both sides before it is acceptably tidy. I had to cut the Cornus back too. It had doubled in size since last year. Making access to the front hedge too difficult. I want the hedge low enough for sunshine to reach the greenhouse in winter. This hadn't been possible for many years. 

 We grew the front hedge to protect the lean-to greenhouse. From air rifle pellets fired by our neighbours. The pellets used to collect in the greenhouse gutter. These neighbours used to let their dog roam free too. It would often come into our garden uninvited. So we had to put up gates on the drive too. 

 Not that this stopped the other neighbour's kids from coming into our garden. Where they would steal my wife's flowers. We caught them red handed one day. When we came back in the car. They were gathered with a tiny toddler by the garden pond. Each of them clutching a large bunch of flowers. 

 After that I had to padlock the gates as we left. By hanging over the top. This went on forever. Both lots of neighbours eventually moved on. So I could halve the front hedge height and discard the double gates I had built. This was immediately after my wife died. She no longer needed their protection but alas, much too late.

11.00 22C/71F. Hot sunshine as the wind picks up slightly, My visitor won't be here until this afternoon. So I can press on with lowering the hedge. I found a resharpened chain. So another foot of beech hedge has gone. I'd like it at an easy height to clip from both sides without ladders or stretching. The sawdust is stuck firmly to my sweat. I need a shower! I'll need to go shopping at some point.

11.40 Shower over. Second lot of towels gone into the machine. I can shop before I pick up my visitor. 

My visitor arrived and we spent hours talking and just catching up.

~o~