Sparrow Hawk Farm part 2: 28-05-2013

Well - it certainly didn't look very promising first thing. The rain was pouring down and only three NCVs were available to join Paul at Sparrow Hawk Farm to continue with the fencing work started last week. However - once we got up there:
a) the rain eased off 
b) we were joined by two new volunteers (Dean and another Tony)
Hurray! We now had sufficient man-power (and woman-power - which is even more powerful) to do something worthwhile.

The first job entailed putting in the two straining posts for the main run of fence. Easy when you say it quickly, but it turned out to be a job that lasted all morning. Deep holes had to be dug and many pieces of stone had to be removed. Long heavy spits and the giant tweezers were used to good effect and - hey presto! - two straining posts were erected.

Dean was a whizz with the tweezers.

Tony (the new) gets to work with a post hole spade.

We had started the morning with a random chat about this and that when it came to light that Paul is a didgeridoo player (how cool is that?). This inspired Ros E. to dig just that bit deeper for her post hole. She was determined to reach Australia to find an instrument for Paul to give us a tune. John had to retrieve her before she reached the Earth's core.

"Don't worry Ros - my arm isn't long enough to reach you
but I think we might be able to find a rope to pull you out."

Whilst the NCVs were digging Paul had made a first trip to the wood yard to get more fence posts; so before we broke for lunch we carried these over to the site. Anita then did the most important job (fetching the lunch bags) and used this opportunity to check the height of the posts on the other side of the field. She cleverly multi-tasked on her way back in order to remember how high above ground they needed to be: 

Packhorse Anita marking the all important level.
"I must not move my hand. I must not move my hand..."

After lunch we split into two teams of three. One team continued erecting two more straining posts and the other started banging in the fence posts with a post knocker. Hopefully the posts will be seen to be in a good straight line when we return next week. (Well - as straight as they need to be.)

Team A on the straining posts. Paul gives
Tony (the new) a demonstration on how to  lean on a log.

Strainers all in place, Paul then trundled off to the wood yard again to buy more posts. We carried on knocking. And on. And on..... As we knocked we counted sets of ten - in English, in French, in German and even to "eeny, meeny, miney, mo, knocking posts in as we go". I think that the last of these was the most productive as one post went in a good few inches more than it should have done.

We finished the day pleased with our work - all the posts around the second area of trees are in place for the wire to be added next time AND - all the posts for the third and final area are stacked, on site, ready for use.

Ros E.