2nd December - A Schizophrenic Season

Cold bright weather returns

A quick look at the next section of hedge yesterday revealed that more stakes and binders are required. Normally we managed to find materials in the hedge to supplement our imported hazel but there looks not to be a single stake in the whole 150 m. The reason is obvious enough. The hedge is grown close to a chestnut coppice and its shade and suppressive influence combined with that of the large oaks which line the boundary, have stunted the mixed planting of hawthorne, hazel, spindle and maple. She will be quite a different beast to work with and whereas normally I spend a great deal of time reducing pleachers so there is not too much volume in the layed hedge, I will almost certainly be struggling to find enough with this one.

After finishing at Rolvenden last week we promised to return and lop another section of hedge for the client. The plan had been to incorporate the short job with a convenient half day at Peasmarsh but this never came to pass, so before coppicing today we were forced to make a special trip. I suspected the task would be irritating and it was! An hour and a half spent balancing on a pair of steps, swinging chainsaw at arm's-length followed by half an hour dragging the thorny hedge to the fireplace. The recompense was fairly meagre - but at least it should be sufficient to fund the forthcoming Wealden Hedgelaying Christmas party! This year's extravaganza promises to be big - all two members of staff will be there with partners, enjoying the glitz and glamour of a £10 curry deal at Marden's premier curry house. Such extravagance may appear rash amidst such austerity but we do like to buck the trend. Besides, last year's budget Christmas event almost ended in ugly scenes as C and myself clashed in the Korker sausage challenge at Jenpsen's eat-as-much-as-you-like buffet. From recollection I took the prize after reaching the high teens (that's well over two pounds of sausages!) thanks to C’s tactical faux pas of overindulging in breaded mushrooms -a schoolboy error if ever I saw one!

The weather couldn't have contrasted more with yesterday's and as we polarded the next section of my parents' hedge for materials, it was a bright and powdery frost that still lined the bottom field. As I write (remembering that I always write the day's entry on the following morning) the mild winds and rain have returned and such rapid succession of weather systems is giving the season a rather schizophrenic feel. The realisation that my trailer would be required on Monday to move stakes and binders led to some emergency repairs in the evening. Last Monday the trailer’s snaking motion became too pronounced to continue ignoring and pulling up by the green in Benenden, we discovered that the tow hitch was no more than a couple of wiggles from falling off. I suspect the rope lashing would have held for months, but C is right, it's far better to do a proper job.

Dinner

Toad in the hole with red cabbage casserole, mash and gravy. It is such a treat to come home to a cooked meal very hard not to be a glutton. Food cooked by someone else is always more appealing and the physical work of late has left me with a huge appetite.