Lawn mowing
Happy new year to you all. And happy birthday Merrianne. My sister was born on New Year’s Day, which can’t be fun. But I hope the weather is lovely and the day festive.
I’m sitting here in my office, confined to barracks as it’s a bit drizzly. Nothing that would really stop me from working, but I have pictures to sort.
Besides, I’ve cleaned the potting shed and I’m hiding from Artur who wants nothing more than for me to sit still and be a lap. But who is going to weed the verbena bonariensis bed, rake and aerate the giant lawn and move more chipping sticks down to the stables? 
One benefit I get out of being here in my office is I can look down and see wildlife.
The horses are eating the grass on the lower terraces. Hurrah.
Just before Christmas I put up the fencing. It needed help from Gillie and Gael and all looked neat and tidy and ready to receive guests.
The most important thing was to avoid any precious trees inside the temporary paddock. Canaialle loves chewing bark. And we have quite a stand of oak, cherries and yet more oak down here that don’t need to be ring barked.
Then on a gorgeous sunny day I wandered up to my neighbours and asked Jean Daniel if he could bring down the beasts.
What a kind neighbour – free lawn mowers and at a bit of inconvenience to him as Ulysse needs riding almost every day while the grandchildren are visiting.
I was so pleased to see them cropping that grass. Every bite of their strong teeth saves me from using the strimmer.
They won’t touch the bramble or the creeping vinca, but I can have a go at that, at least I don’t have to worry about swathes of grass.
Naturally I was pleased with the efforts too soon. Ulysse, that great houdini of a horse, escaped.
He didn’t go far, just up onto the next terrace. I spotted him when I was drinking my first pot of tea of the day. And then had to go and attend. Grrr.
And borrow a proper electric fence. The extension chord for the battery runs a long way up to the house.
I immediately thought of Dan and Katherine’s solar powered electric fence at their farm in Wisconsin. What a great idea. It would save on the snaking black cable that travels up so many terraces to the basement power point.
With luck the horse will be staying inside the perimeter from now on. 2016, the year Ulysse decided to stop escaping every week.
One good thing about these trudges down to the lower terraces to visit my lawn mowers is I get to admire the good work Nicolas did with strimming the oak side of the lower terraces.
I’ll leave you with a photo essay as this print might be too small to read after a heavy New Year’s Eve celebrating.
