An early start was made this morning, and after a mere thirty minutes, both ditches were complete. After returning the tractor to its shed, I laid the rainwater pipes between the workshop and the ditch and filled in the trench. This was the important trench, because it cuts straight across the access track leading to Soggy Bottom (the name we’ve given the lowest field), and this track is used fairly frequently by M&O as they put out food to attract the wild boar (for hunting purposes). Even though the current hunting season is over, they want to ensure the boar remain in the area.
I then laid the pipes in the Horse Field trench and filled this one in as well (after feeding the electricity cable and hosepipe through first, of course.)
Mood (the bunny) is gathering straw from all over the cage and building a tunnel in one corner, so it looks like she’s getting ready to have kittens. Why do they call baby rabbits kittens? No idea. LSS has managed to break the petrol-engined weed trimmer, so that’s another item for the list of things to be repaired.
This evening we tried our second bottle of home-made perry. A month ago we tried some; it was very flat and a bit sharp. I’m pleased to report that Bottle Number 2 was much improved; it would appear that malo-lactic fermentation has started, so it was moderately bubbly and tasted much better, so we can chalk up another success on the home-brewing front! Speaking of home-brewing, the aged FIL still has the legal right to make moonshine (home-distilled alcohol). Apparently this right was issued in the past to French persons who served in the armed Forces. Unfortunately it’s not hereditary, and I believe it’s no longer being issued. So whilst the aged FIL is still around, we’ve decided that this year we will gather a crop of pears and/or apples (depending on which is most abundant) and use his licence to have these distilled into a form of brandy. Purely for medicinal use, of course.
Wildlife diary: Mrs Duck is still on her nest, so we’re not too sure what’s going on there.