Longside Farm: 28-01-2020

WILL WE? WON'T WE?

These were the questions on everyone's minds this week as the NCVs revisited Longside Farm to see if they could, finally, finish laying that hedge. They were very close to the end last time (just 30 'Tom Strides' short). So - was this week going to to be THE week? Was there going to be a loud shout of HURRAY! at the end of the day? Would there be the popping of champagne corks at home time? 

Let's see shall we?....

A day's hedge laying always begins with a van filled 

to bursting point with all kinds of tools.

So - this is the stretch of hedge that was still needing to be laid.

Six NCVs worked in pairs to do the actual laying. 

 Some were working at the 'lay down' end 

(note the proximity of the tree at the start of the work)...

...others worked further along preparing the stems in advance.

The remaining four NCVs had to be deployed 
in getting rid of the brash that had built up over the last few weeks.
Oodles of it stretched in both directions from the base camp set up in the centre.

 Graham got busy at one end of the site making fire A.

Whilst Osian got busy at the other end with fire B.
Whose fire would burn more brightly?
Whose fire would clear more brash?

By morning coffee time the hedge was coming on well.
(See how far along they got from that tree.)

At coffee time the base camp tarpaulins were nice 
and dry to sit on in the pleasant sunshine. 

By lunchtime things had gone downhill with the a change in the weather.
The tarps were starting to look like muddy swimming pools 
and nearly everyone remained standing.

By mid morning fire A was crackling and burning well....

...unlike fire B, which was still a bit on the weedy side.
Luckily things picked up after a while and it became 
a worthy opponent in the brash burning stakes.

Unfortunately, as time went by the ground around 
each fire got muddier and muddier.
Likewise the NCVs tending the conflagrations.

Liz kept her hedging team supplied with rails, occasionally losing one along the way.

Team hedge was cracking on well. The end was in sight.

Soon (1:30pm) this was all that remained to be laid.
Could they do it? Dare they hope?

Of course they could.
This one was almost the last one - but a real awkward customer. 

And then - the very last one was put to rest.

TA DA!!

And there it was. 
Finished.
HURRAY, HURRAY, HUUURRRAAAYYY!

Oh - hang on - what about the brash piles?

All clear at the fire A end of the site.

And good progress had been made at the other end of the site with fire B.
Still some to burn - but then there was twice the amount up here.
The NCVs can finish the burning on the day they return 
to fill in the hedge gaps with saplings.

All in all a job well done. 

Oh - hang on - what about all those (now wet and muddy) tools?

 Well - first they all had to be sprayed clean...

...then they had to be dried off and sprayed with WD40.
Another hour's work.
Time to go home.