The society season came to an end with a glorious day at Fletching (Near-ish to Uckfield)
The day started with drizzle as we arrived, but it did not last that long and it settled into a cloudy but dry day. So with the weather recorded (perfect weather for hedge laying) we set off. So what delights had David Droscher and Frank found for us? Well a beautiful setting and an interesting hedge, which was mainly thorn, pretty old and brittle, and full of wild rose, tangling everything together. It was possible with hand tools, and a fair number of people did attempt it, but chainsaws were the order of the day. The STHIL battery chainsaws are starting to get very popular, and it makes a massive difference to the noise, and because you don't have to leave it burbling away they are perfect for hedge laying. So well done STIHL.... another tool which needs to be purchased. I hope Mrs P is not reading this :-) In order to encourage people to attend David Managed to convince his family to support us with tea and coffee and.... Cake. As is often the way the old thorn can be a little brittle, and I don't think many people finished the day without breaking a few off. All to soon battle had to stop as the BBQ was ready, the catering team put on a great BLT, cooked fresh with plenty of it for seconds for the hungry. Back to the hedge people were starting to add stakes, but Frank who was next to me was still chopping away. It soon became clear that he had somehow managed to bag himself a cant and a half (with nobody to blame as he was the one who measured and marked each section). With a bit of a hand Frank soon dropped the last of his bonus section and I was able to stake and bind. picking up a tip from the competition I was busy pushing and pulling the stakes to get a good line an CRACK I managed to snap one! right in the middle of my nice straight line of binders. luck was with me as I managed to squeeze a slightly smaller stake in to replace the broken one. Another reason to be grateful for the chestnut stakes from David Dunk :-) All in all a great day out, interesting hedge, and superb food. Pictures are on flickr https://flic.kr/s/aHskWhZtdq If you have any money for the charity www.chf.org.uk please make sure you get it to me or Mike as soon as possible, and we'll let you know how much we managed to collect. |
AuthorMatthew Archives
January 2024
Categories |