I'm proud of my mowing!

Recently our tractor mower had to be repaired, it was delivered back to us on Friday afternoon.  With grandson Sam on holiday and John getting tired quickly I thought it was high time for me to have a go.  John got me started and I soon got the hang of it ... and now I wish I'd had a go on that big mower years ago, it's so easy!  You just sit on top, trundle all around the grassy areas while having a good look around everywhere, and the machine does all the work. It cuts a much wider swathe than the petrol mower and my old Flymo.

                              

I first cut all areas near the house and greenhouses and then went into the bit of field that used to be fenced off.

At the very back in the middle you can see
the abandoned hut that used to be Captain and Anke's.

Our neighbours Suzanne and Colin [who sent us that nice Christmas card "to our neighbours with the ducks"] had asked us some time ago if we minded if they had the huge ash tree trimmed down that was taking most of their light and view.  We didn't mind at all, as its low branches were often hitting John in the face when he was mowing.

On Wednesday evening - we had just returned from our long day in hospital - Suzanne came around and reminded us that Eden Tree Care would be coming in the morning to trim down the big ash tree.  And so they did, they arrived at 8 while I was still on the morning duck run and did a good job as far as I could see, only pausing for lunch sitting on the grass, it looked like a picnic from the distance.

  

   

                  

                                        before                                         after                                         picnic?   

   












I took these two photos on Thursday evening.  As I got to the fence post in the photo on the right there was a loud squawking protest - I hadn't realized Honey had been lying behind it.  She ran off to join the group in the field, still protesting!

During recent weeks the sacks of soiled duck bedding had accumulated, there must have been two dozen of them - I stopped counting.  John was keen to burn them, so late Saturday morning we transported them [by trailer and wheelbarrow] to our normal burning site way out in the big field. We had a job to find the spot, the grasses and weeds had grown abnormally high around there.  We could see the smoke all afternoon, and today it was all burnt out: 

I took some photos of where the big ash had been cut, the large brown area in the photos below show how far the tree had overhang our field.  What was distressing to see was how nature had been gaining the upper hand again in the strip of land between our neighbours' borders and the cattle fence running along it, it'll be a mommoth job to cut that lot down - hope grandson Sam feels strong when he returns from holiday!

 





Our little National Fores tree plantation is doing well, nearly all the trees have taken and are growing well. Friday afternoon John felt strong enough after lighting the duck bedding fire and cut in between the trees - not on the uphill bit, though, where the grasses had grown too high.  It'll take the big strimmer to tackle that again.

I took over the tractor mower again after that and mowed the big field.  I'm not quite finished with it, but it's beginning to look good: