It was time to tackle the hedge at the front of the house.
It’s a bit of a monster – too high, a big green block of lelayandii. It needs top come down about a foot or two, perhaps to be level with the Box bush to its left.
And so the ladders came out and the hedge trimmer plugged in. Up I climbed, and set to work. Like a hot knife slicing through butter, the first fronds soon succumbed to my mechanical masterpiece.
But. But … then it ground to a halt. In the middle was not twigs and leafs that would bow before my blade, but thick, thick branches, standing proud and unyielding.
It became apparent that it’s not really a hedge, but two gert big trees throwing up some hefty branches in the middle. Out came my hand saw and I began to cut. I’ve chopped out some big branches, but there’s still more to do. From the roadside it looks fine, from above you can see my butchery. But I shall persevere. It needs to be done, to be literally cut down to size. The aim is to reduce its height such that a quick skim with the hedge trimmers a couple of times a year will keep it in check and looking trim.
Rome wasn’t built in a day, and a march of a thousand miles begins with a single step – today I took that first step and the foundations of Italy’s capital have been laid (and, it seems, I’ve butchered a few phrases as well as a hedge …)
Action shot!