Chestnut fencing

I’m sporting a good few lacerations and a rather large band aid over the back of my hand. Nothing like wrestling with chestnut fencing and fiddly wire and a mallet to prove one can keep out the wildlife and do good work.

This is the long awaited replacement for the chestnut fencing we hurriedly put up after The Horse in the Pool Incident of last year.

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I was always rather sad that the fencing I had put up (looted from the top of the Dry Garden and dragged laboriously down the mountain) bisected the garden in a rather brusque way.

I am adept at hauling fences. But not hammering in the upright stakes. (As my sore hand can attest.)

These are investment fences. Very suitable for a rustic rural garden. And I love the look of them in among the chestnuts and tall grasses.

But you have to prep well in advance before you move them. One thing I learned is the chestnut palings dry over time (and these are about five years old at least) and can easily fall out of their wire twisted supports if you pull hard enough.

A sort of giant Jenga game of sticks falling everywhere in all the wrong directions. So I tie them up with twine before I even get the nod that the day has come to do the stakes.

I have been waiting patiently for someone to give me a hand.

I realised that once the fence was in place at the bottom of the orchard I couldn’t get in easily to weed.

And believe me, I can see the grab grass tendrils merrily snaking their way all through the bank.

So stakes in place it was time to haul hard.

I didn’t have quite enough to complete the bottom of the path and the gate.

I did move the temporary fence that also ran across the Duck Pond garden.

But even that wasn’t quite enough.

So I went to the pile of mostly charred fencing that came out of the top of the lawn bank (victim of the ash in the compost incident) and had just enough.

And my reward was a pair of work trousers positively charcoaled with stains. Mucky hands. And even the poor cat was covered in mess as she insisted on lap sitting while I worked.

She merrily prowled the stone wall below the pool inspecting as I fiddled and tightened and tried to get the fence as taught as possible.

I can see the twine still along the length of this part of the fence. I secured the slats too tightly. One day I am sure I will have enough leisure to take it down.

Luckily you can’t see it from afar.

And there are always irises to distract the eye. I’m now free to get into the huge orchard bank and weed.

Or just distract myself with picking asparagus twice a day. And putting off the weeding.

Lovely, glutty season.