March : Mowing

G is keen to get the mower going.
He is by the shed, investigating last season’s machine. I am in the Polytunnel nearby, hoping against hope that he is lucky.
HOPE IT STARTS……

Short answer; no chance. He managed to persevere for 15 minutes without swearing, which is at least 12 minutes longer than I’d have managed. Undaunted he put the mower away and did hedge cutting instead. The new strimmer / brushcutter/ hedgecutter is excellent and very fast. By the end of the day he had trimmed all the conifer hedges, including those around the grass garden. A colossal task.

As usually happens, in March we have our annual lawnmower dilemma. Regardless of cost;
brand new, cheap, expensive ride – on, powered, push along or secondhand vintage from the auction, they invariably conk out after one season. We can, and have spent a fortune over the years on servicing and maintenance, and G has spent whole weekends dismantling and reconstructing them. Due to the vast scale of the job we demand they do, they inevitably just get totally worn out and lose the will to live.

Recently, over the last few years, at the start of spring we hire a rough grass cutter for a day or a weekend to manage the tough long meadow grass. It’s an unusual year when the conditions are dry enough in March, but if it can be delivered by 10 am we can take it in turns and clear the whole area of tussocky grass in one day. There is the best part of 1 acre below the pond, which includes slopes and rough grass around the trees on the boundaries. First a high cut to get rid of the tussocks, then a closer cut to neaten it all up.

A tiring day, and fantastic to see the transformation.
All the paths, slopes and otherwise overlooked areas now look smart and ready for the spring.
A good start