Thursday, 18 September

We went to Brookside to wait for UK Power Networks to come and make safe the electricity supply.

We called at Wyevale in Willesborough on the way, as I'd asked them to put aside the only extends-to-4m handle we have seen recently.  [We also picked up a small, vicious-looking bow saw, for me to carry on my tree chopping (we hoped that it would prove even better than my pruning saw, which it did).]  So I had another bash at the valleys on the roof.  I completely cleared the lead-flashed one, but there are bits of broken tile and mortar in the other one that I couldn't get past the two slipped tiles.  The 4m length is just long enough.  When we got home, the "other" end for my Wolf tool was waiting [a single hook a bit like a plough share], so that was the project for Friday; see if the narrower end would coax the debris past the blockage.

I counted the conifers [Leylandii or Lawsoniana], and we've got 22; there have been a few of the worst ones removed by the vendor's husband when he lived there, so it must have been pretty gloomy at times.  I sent an email to the arboriculturist asking him for a quote, and in the meantime [Wednesday] had contacted a tree surgeon recommended by the wonderful Marcus, and he was booked in for 4pm Friday.  I also spoke to the Marcus-referred carpenter, who said he would pass on my number to a joiner.

I "lifted the skirts" of another conifer, and chopped all the side branches off the fallen limb by the cercle manoir, and chopped the limb off, after David had dragged it clear of the paving; we didn't want it to fall and smash the slabs.  David had strimmed all around the area, so we have a section of garden that's looking pretty clear; just needs the edges next to the path and drive strimming.

Then he started on the front "lawn" again to the other side of the drive; it's really starting to look much larger, more open, and more like a garden, now.

Speaking of drive, I cut down three saplings by the gate post that Paul had put in, and grubbed up all the ivy and brambles there so that Mark, the postman, can walk around the gate when it is locked.  There was a load of soil the Paul had dug out of the hole for the gatepost, so I spread that to raise the level, and raked off the stuff that had composted down on the drive, so there's a pretty level path to allow pedestrian access whilst hopefully deterring fly-tippers.

We were entertained by a fly-by from dragonflies (who seem like pretty voracious predators; not that we mind), and several World War II aircraft.  I'm so used to hearing noisy aeroplanes [used to live on Concorde's flight path], that I never even heard it, but David pointed it out and it was so lovely seeing one in the air again.  There was something else, as well, but neither of us knew what it was, and there was also a biplane.  Apparently there was a WWII American air base at High Halden, which is not too far away, so they might have come from there?  Or nearby Headcorn has an airfield.  Either way, we were delighted to see them.

UK Power were a no-show; boo, sucks!

And we had an enormous thunder storm in the night, so I'm particularly glad I'd cleared out the valleys and gutters.