tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12726562651903895512024-03-19T15:38:40.132+00:00HedgelayingShowcasing some of the competition, group and communal hedgelaying projects I have been involved in. Laying a hedge re-rejuvenates it and creates valuable habitat for many species of wildlife.RogerThttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04525491693108387048noreply@blogger.comBlogger56125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1272656265190389551.post-91046904341571651182016-01-11T15:16:00.001+00:002016-01-11T15:17:51.317+00:00Making something out of very little!<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Last Saturday I was out with SHG working on a hedge in a private garden near Lingfield. I say hedge but it was a very disjointed affair with many large gaps. Needless to say it rained on and off all day as seems to be the norm for most hedgelaying sessions this season. It looks thicker than it actually was because of the scrub Holly and Blackthorn that was out of the hedge-line and was later removed.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">The shot below shows the cant that Fred and I worked on; part Hazel, part Blackthorn with some Hawthorn and a previously coppiced Holly in the center.</span></div>
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Looking the other way you get a view of the ditch and the bank riddled with rabbit holes. The hedge thinning to nothing beyond the culvert.<br />
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We removed all of the Holly except the main stem, where we raised the crown and left it as a standard. We laid back some of the Hazel and later double pleached a couple of stems to cover the gaps. Some of the Blackthorn was difficult as it had been debarked in the past by rabbits and had dead wood where you would like the pleach - that's the challenge of hedge laying for you.</div>
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At the end of the cant, and just before it made a right-angle turn, the old hedge petered out under a large Oak, however some replanting had been done recently, which with a bit of luck will thicken up despite the deep shade.<br />
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In the end we managed to make something presentable out of very little, and once it has a bit regrowth it should make a decent hedge.<br />
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This shot does not fully show, or do justice to, the nice smooth curve Fred got to the binders round the 90 degree turn in the hedge-line nearest the camera. </div>
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RogerThttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04525491693108387048noreply@blogger.com1Lingfield, Lingfield, Surrey RH7, UK51.176981 -0.01412600000003294651.1371605 -0.094807000000032948 51.216801499999995 0.066554999999967057tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1272656265190389551.post-50130437486978221872015-11-01T14:54:00.000+00:002015-11-01T20:40:56.052+00:00Back at Cherkley Court<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">
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<span style="color: white;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";">On Saturday SHG were back at Cherkley to lay
80 meters along the road by the main entrance. The road was conned off and
lights controlled the traffic flow. A bright sunny morning with higher than
normal temperature for the end of October.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">The hedge had an odd mix of species, with very little Hawthorn and a lot of Spindle and Field Maple. Most of the stems were two to three inches in diameter with the few of four or more. There were some large multi-stemmed plants, and some that had been damaged by road-salt and pollution that presented a challenge, and some large gaps that will need planting up.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">This is one of the better sections, mostly Spindle with some reasonably sized Field Maple., but note the variation is stem size.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigviMWEgLienkXSyWEYMm3G6sn4XTIAFStwmJ_RAeSJLiEe8Twe04aZfJqa-qyDg_sT7ahXyD9jfvKolT4W14liGhyphenhypheniintqFKgJVBQwFO5MRTRz6ZwxtOA60K2dlKyMlZjVOaz4-5JWDQ/s1600/Cherkley_02.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigviMWEgLienkXSyWEYMm3G6sn4XTIAFStwmJ_RAeSJLiEe8Twe04aZfJqa-qyDg_sT7ahXyD9jfvKolT4W14liGhyphenhypheniintqFKgJVBQwFO5MRTRz6ZwxtOA60K2dlKyMlZjVOaz4-5JWDQ/s1600/Cherkley_02.jpg" /></a></div>
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<span style="color: white;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Rather a poor shot of the finished hedge but with nice autumn colours.</span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9qTxl6g1c2wjyvg_LJpbdzurFbaxpvQ-RrRyE8C4MljCvbUyg5Vs00NQGyEdicwR3ZpaWQcOr-I_pW3b9No8iU6W6SSMWcMypYtVH-K2ePdPRYLU3G3NBXGX1nMFvB6xPa8_Zgo1j8LQ/s1600/Cherkley_06.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9qTxl6g1c2wjyvg_LJpbdzurFbaxpvQ-RrRyE8C4MljCvbUyg5Vs00NQGyEdicwR3ZpaWQcOr-I_pW3b9No8iU6W6SSMWcMypYtVH-K2ePdPRYLU3G3NBXGX1nMFvB6xPa8_Zgo1j8LQ/s1600/Cherkley_06.jpg" /></a></div>
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<span style="color: white;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">There are several ways to approach the laying by hand of a stem of a reasonable size and yesterday presented an opportunity to photograph one of them.</span></span><br />
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<span style="color: white;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">This is a Field Maple of some 4 inches in diameter at the base. I have just removed the remains of the spiral guard, hence the markings on the trunk. </span></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKwSLrMw08NDXZZdl2ohWGy-dIE2LsEXivNvrCV_iXsT_jBBcYzI3iN8Auk3dxee2MmgiXzFAo2AKiEY0AIT_vRTNcWxJRWCvrAow8QswE2chg2drcqyd2NL7QDmB8ACYOXHHaHlzaDcs/s1600/Cherkley_03.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKwSLrMw08NDXZZdl2ohWGy-dIE2LsEXivNvrCV_iXsT_jBBcYzI3iN8Auk3dxee2MmgiXzFAo2AKiEY0AIT_vRTNcWxJRWCvrAow8QswE2chg2drcqyd2NL7QDmB8ACYOXHHaHlzaDcs/s1600/Cherkley_03.jpg" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">What I have done here is to make a straight saw cut about two thirds into the stem a few inches above where the final heal cut will be made. I have then used my axe - in this case a 4lb Elwell topping axe - to make the pleaching cut. The saw cut I made allows the chips to fall away easily, allowing a clean line of sight when using the axe and reducing splitting of the heel.</span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjT6bW9yQ6V0ZbIk5EvGYwu9OAjlfBtCj6AhCcwky7UHBZLk3GxKGFmDD1yV4i5OOtlUY2zeR7EVuvdNI5hHtJRtJJT-nguc0Oi-Y3tEmHOmn6vKoxGZnTT91WK-y0waxXKfJMt5_M2rhs/s1600/Cherkley_04.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjT6bW9yQ6V0ZbIk5EvGYwu9OAjlfBtCj6AhCcwky7UHBZLk3GxKGFmDD1yV4i5OOtlUY2zeR7EVuvdNI5hHtJRtJJT-nguc0Oi-Y3tEmHOmn6vKoxGZnTT91WK-y0waxXKfJMt5_M2rhs/s1600/Cherkley_04.jpg" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Having cut in to the required depth for the pleach, I then used the axe to cut downwards and lever over the stem, leaving a nice hinge. The heel was then cut off at an angle to allow water run-off - this may look a bit high from this angle but the bank is very steep and there is only an inch or so of the heal above the soil on the other side.</span></div>
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<span style="color: black;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguAQRh7gZ0PwBVHpO8zdSYpcJUKUtSiJvoPP6Ze2CJV4XhsK7MDW1Ft1xzlbVdtQIXQy8ILbtXuMdQkCjp5IxRk91a_6Z0ugwREP5WV7e0bql_bEojZqD4IUAfXzU4JvbLjo53gsAWDsk/s1600/Cherkley_05.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguAQRh7gZ0PwBVHpO8zdSYpcJUKUtSiJvoPP6Ze2CJV4XhsK7MDW1Ft1xzlbVdtQIXQy8ILbtXuMdQkCjp5IxRk91a_6Z0ugwREP5WV7e0bql_bEojZqD4IUAfXzU4JvbLjo53gsAWDsk/s1600/Cherkley_05.jpg" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">This technique is often referred to as 'using a safety cut' and can be very helpful when working in confined spaces, especially on 'South of England' style hedges. In circumstances where you can swing a felling axe, experienced hedgers will cut the pleach and the angled heel at the same time using downward and upward cuts. A good example of this can be seen in this <b><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WN9Q3PKwADQ" target="_blank">YouTube video</a></b> of Peter cutting a Midland style exhibition hedge in The Netherlands - he only had a 2.5lb axe with him so it was no easy task, and you can appreciate why we now use chainsaws.</span></div>
RogerThttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04525491693108387048noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1272656265190389551.post-86431830995236290222015-10-27T16:20:00.000+00:002015-11-01T20:19:27.500+00:00The Nationals 2015<div style="text-align: justify;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwqJvM6tBIl2VW20hMkXtqN-nY8qhb7mB6Yy5z4F_c1ff7_OnuAhw4oM8d7TKIk_DJBfU8HDvFSOJJoHPZmSl15aDuf_nLo0SZ_P8yaanqkEl6ca61a644xMKwvRC_JurIBOmL3S_d35o/s1600/Nats_01.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwqJvM6tBIl2VW20hMkXtqN-nY8qhb7mB6Yy5z4F_c1ff7_OnuAhw4oM8d7TKIk_DJBfU8HDvFSOJJoHPZmSl15aDuf_nLo0SZ_P8yaanqkEl6ca61a644xMKwvRC_JurIBOmL3S_d35o/s200/Nats_01.jpg" width="200" /></a><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">This year's Nationals were held at Chew Valley Lakes, Stoke Hill, Bristol. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">In complete contrast to the recent weather it rained all day, or at least for the whole time we were cutting, and as a result I took very few photos. However, here are a few shots of the day.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">This is a shot up the hedge line before the off. unusually the cants were pre-drawn with the SoE Vets nearest the camera, then the SoE Open extending almost to the corner at the far end of the field. Along the far side were the various Midland classes. </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJ5aXrhIQFlq3bjX27tm6krwbmyUAjfsmnnmarQQ4ZwSf9MaaTz6cgxdYwpoLMgyzOAzz8mkZuP7ynr-moNpUiJz5chW3r280efcGY5quqwqYCLK0M9sMe_gXDW6EwZlAGL3RawZUHVs4/s1600/Nats_03.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJ5aXrhIQFlq3bjX27tm6krwbmyUAjfsmnnmarQQ4ZwSf9MaaTz6cgxdYwpoLMgyzOAzz8mkZuP7ynr-moNpUiJz5chW3r280efcGY5quqwqYCLK0M9sMe_gXDW6EwZlAGL3RawZUHVs4/s1600/Nats_03.jpg" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">This is my cant, second from the end, well third really as we had a 'no-show'. Almost entirely Hawthorn with a couple of self seeded rose and some bramble. The front and back had been mown off, and presumably the stock fence removed, so there was little clearing out to do. There was little of any size in our section, with only a few stems over three inches but much of it was multi-stemmed from ground level and being under the pines it had grown very much to one side. </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgV-e_E7j1Yeb8UrwJd5miF7tkvByZ5XS2Uosiciss8EhFxSa7UEZcYDGcuDSXH_cVaLye-xvr9E-1TXYcCTez1bu6pWcyIZTeDqo-zahhs7f1d4JZyzoMpu5X_-26QUKSix5gqf_qbytA/s1600/Nats_02.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgV-e_E7j1Yeb8UrwJd5miF7tkvByZ5XS2Uosiciss8EhFxSa7UEZcYDGcuDSXH_cVaLye-xvr9E-1TXYcCTez1bu6pWcyIZTeDqo-zahhs7f1d4JZyzoMpu5X_-26QUKSix5gqf_qbytA/s1600/Nats_02.jpg" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">It started to drizzle before the off and heavy showers passed through on a regular basis making for a very wet session. Being rather warm it was impossible to work in a coat so most cutters just got wet. I find the worst thing is wet gloves, and so I wore a gripper glove on my right hand, which gave a good purchase on the hand tools but was in no way thorn proof - my hand still bears the evidence of this.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">This is my finished cant. Not too bad but notice my silly mistake - last week at the Hampshire competition we had laid to three and a half feet and I did the same here. I realised my error before banging in the stakes and lifted the binders but you can see that the top of the hedge is rather low, leaving a bit of a gap under the binders - did the judges notice?</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEic2B5ohiUyEAE0d1TbKlDERHiLT4HVGvfqf3b1DP3VVf78FSZONRpCi-Zklef28jsbam2D9PXVOUicfPiUi3lxuFCIluwHemItOGaduvzmq-iD_mE0cZcw2bHgOzFgUUyH_VAK8-LOX1Y/s1600/Nats_04.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEic2B5ohiUyEAE0d1TbKlDERHiLT4HVGvfqf3b1DP3VVf78FSZONRpCi-Zklef28jsbam2D9PXVOUicfPiUi3lxuFCIluwHemItOGaduvzmq-iD_mE0cZcw2bHgOzFgUUyH_VAK8-LOX1Y/s1600/Nats_04.jpg" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Looking back up the finished cants we have Clive nearest the camera, then mine and then Dave and Frank, there being only four of us (plus the one no-show).</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhH37ERZToS6QBupuTIzZoAmlSA4_RIO0kd1gaJHYiTOPQdpOgRjJ8f5V0NgoirvW1aMfUnkwFFm_-yIsEAFliCWJ2-SACLEonkGpvtpX2ZhyyEC1RsfrHKvnv-_mp-LG4sP_pifFXGnEY/s1600/Nats_05.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhH37ERZToS6QBupuTIzZoAmlSA4_RIO0kd1gaJHYiTOPQdpOgRjJ8f5V0NgoirvW1aMfUnkwFFm_-yIsEAFliCWJ2-SACLEonkGpvtpX2ZhyyEC1RsfrHKvnv-_mp-LG4sP_pifFXGnEY/s1600/Nats_05.jpg" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">I manged second slot behind Dave's winning hedge seen below. Nicely done with a thick even build.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">And here is a picture (by Jackie Gilligan) of a very happy Paul having won the SoE Open AND Supreme Champion. I think this is only the second time a SoE cutter has won Supreme and it has been many years since the first. Well done Paul.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><img alt="" class="spotlight" height="320" src="https://scontent-lhr3-1.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-xfa1/t31.0-8/s960x960/12185305_1260144510669723_4876701183805009325_o.jpg" style="height: 828px; width: 624px;" width="241" /> </span>RogerThttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04525491693108387048noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1272656265190389551.post-24787537247839759282015-10-20T17:35:00.002+01:002015-10-25T11:57:37.550+00:00Hampshire Competition<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Just a few shots from Sunday's competition at Hattingley. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">It was a continuation of the hedge we laid last year, so we were laying left handed again, towards the camera. A light hedge, planted with an amenity mix, with perhaps only 30% Hawthorn. My cant contained Hawthorne, Hazel, Dogwood, Buckthorne, Spindle and Privet. So a lot of small stems to lay with just a few of 3 inches or more in diameter. Although some were using chainsaws I stuck with billhook and axe.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">There were several standards in the hedge and in my cant was this straggly Ash, which I was originally told I had to keep despite it having been damaged in the past.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">This is the SoE veterans section and there were four of us laying - all the usual suspects! Being just over eight yards and light we all got it down in good time and were able to spend time fussing over the stakes, binders and trimming.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Reasonably stock proof, given the species mix, and the stake-line was almost straight. They decided that the Ash should come out so I turned it into a stake.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Further up the line the SoE open cutters were finishing off and a splendid job they had made. Don't know the results as I had to leave before the prize giving (found out that Nigel Adams won the SoE Open and I got the SoE veterans but don't know any others).</span><br />
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RogerThttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04525491693108387048noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1272656265190389551.post-17916813173759611522015-10-10T17:31:00.000+01:002015-10-11T20:24:55.751+01:00Belmont Wood FestA quick shot of the dummy hedge created at today's Belmont Wood Fest looking away from the event towards the wood.<br />
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I was in a bit of a corner but not cut off from the main event being between some stick makers and Kent Woodland Employment, some of whose machinery can be seen on the right. I did get a good number of interested visitors and some possible leads for work, although some people did want me to build one of these in their garden!<br />
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RogerThttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04525491693108387048noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1272656265190389551.post-49421446122174939452015-10-01T16:48:00.001+01:002015-10-28T20:01:49.086+00:00What did you do on your holidays?<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Over the summer I finally finished the wall I have be re-constructing at our cottage in Co Mayo, Ireland.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjf_q32Gpq-NU1V0TBgFBe_bIankcOUUleWajpciHmvKSZf1CkCz-Xppx1rihUs_b_T-GEa9APhxIBOsYtRqHzi7II2731xe3BPyolrV0ieTS1YU2nW7fwmZPLCGyuJWmGUtifSQIlt3zk/s1600/Wall_Small.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjf_q32Gpq-NU1V0TBgFBe_bIankcOUUleWajpciHmvKSZf1CkCz-Xppx1rihUs_b_T-GEa9APhxIBOsYtRqHzi7II2731xe3BPyolrV0ieTS1YU2nW7fwmZPLCGyuJWmGUtifSQIlt3zk/s1600/Wall_Small.jpg" /></a></div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">The original was probably built over a hundred years ago but has most likely been partly rebuilt during that period, as the section furthest from the road was of an old and unusual style known locally as <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">feidÃn, </span></i><span style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">where the base and lower part of the wall is built with small stones, often with large uprights at regular intervals, with larger stones used for the upper part. My understanding is that this particular style is only found in walls in parts of Galway and Mayo, but oddly also in Galloway in Scotland. Several local people were able to name this style but no one had a translation from the Gaelic or a reason why it was used in this area - more research needed.</span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">This is the </span></span><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">feidÃn </span></i><span style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">section nearest the camera and I was able to retain the lower part, having removed a large tree stump from the middle of the wall. You can also see the remains of the ivy which had completely covered the wall and dislodged most of the upper stones. Additional stone came from some recently demolished sheds that were of a similar age to our cottage.</span></span></span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhibKwM4vt-hm9Emm8zRzTrTwoPeARhOpYYMs_l0ckfSaXltbCfThEp8b8M2hoWocz-niIaYHwzTLkid5jVKii8YNPb5W4k85b6W9UMfIZAo7HJBuiCxp0V_JtZumeIvH2LplNcq5HqviU/s1600/Feidin_small.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /></a></div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">This is my first attempt at a dry stone wall and whilst it may not last 100 years I hope it will see me out. </span></span></span></span><br />
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<br />RogerThttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04525491693108387048noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1272656265190389551.post-76111140280726984512015-07-06T14:49:00.003+01:002015-07-18T10:47:37.154+01:00Before, After and Regrowth<div style="text-align: justify;">
Paid a quick visit this morning to the hedge at Avery Hill that we laid earlier this year. This was not an easy hedge to work, having been planted more as an amenity line of shrubs and trees than a hedge - far too many Field Maples and ornamentals and too few Hawthornes. Some of plants had been 'pruned' in the past and others, mainly Field Maple, allowed to grow into medium sized trees.</div>
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All three photos are taken from approximately the same place and first up is the hedge as it was in November 2014 before laying. Tall Field Maples, some Hawthorne, shrubby Holly, dense areas of Dog Rose and some Hazel nearest the camera. There were also a number of large gaps and little growth under the maples - see earlier posts.</div>
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This is the same section after laying on 29th January. A lot of wood has been removed as well as an assortment of bottles, cans etc!<br />
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I was concerned that with so many large stems laid to cover gaps the regrowth would be patchy but I was very pleased with what I found today. As you would expect the Hazel in the foreground has done well as has the Hawthorne and the growth from the maple stools is also good. Whilst regrowth is not uniform throughout the hedge it is coming along nicely and with a trim up in the autumn should look good and provide a thick wildlife hedge for next spring.</div>
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<br />RogerThttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04525491693108387048noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1272656265190389551.post-10587504240057801642015-03-14T14:43:00.000+00:002015-03-17T14:44:10.986+00:00Last session of the season<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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The last session with SEHLS was held on Saturday on the Angmering Estate. This was a charity event and continued on from the hedge laid during the annual competition a couple of weeks ago. A lovely hedge to lay with hand tools; mostly Hawthorn with some Guelder Rose and Hazel in my cant. </div>
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The planting was quite widely spaced, with a few gaps and little side growth as it had been closely fenced. I was pleased with the cutting and the build was going OK.</div>
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I was one cant down from Peter (his is furthest from the camera) and we finished about the same time - only because he went for a walk - so we ran the binders straight through, as this gives a much better finish. As pleased with this as anything else I have done this season.</div>
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And I <i>nearly</i> managed a stake line as straight as his!!<br />
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Note the teeth marks of the Hares on the binder nearest the camera. Not sure why they would eat hazel bark that is not that fresh in preference to the young rape plants growing in the field. <br />
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Further down the line, at the bottom of the valley they had done a very nice switch from left to right hand laying. <br />
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In total the run is over 500 yards and is looking very nice.<br />
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So, with the exception of tidying up the coppice next Saturday, that's it for another season. <br />
<br />RogerThttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04525491693108387048noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1272656265190389551.post-42664019794526815262015-03-08T09:08:00.000+00:002015-03-17T13:47:29.825+00:00SEHLS on tour 2015<div style="text-align: justify;">
I was fortunate to be able to join a small group of SEHLS hedge layers on a visit to The Netherlands. The purpose of the visit was to help with a training day and to take part in the annual Maasheggenvlechten festival of hedges and hedge laying.</div>
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The training hedge was a continuation of the one we worked on last year <span style="color: red;">(<a href="http://hedgelaying.blogspot.co.uk/2014/03/heggen-vlechten-in-nederland.html" target="_blank">link</a>),<span style="color: black;"> about </span></span>twelve years old and easily manageable with hand tools. </div>
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Some sections contained nice stems of Beech, Hawthorne and Field Maple but others had block-planted Dog Rose and Guelder Rose. </div>
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After the lunch break Phil gave a short talk on tool care and sharpening.<br />
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I was working with Sjoerd, who has some experience of hedge laying but wanted to brush up on cutting techniques and building the hedge. We drew the end cant that had a great deal of Guelder Rose in it and ended with a large section of tangled Dog Rose. It wasn't ideal but we worked through pleaching small and large stems, back laying and double pleaching.<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"></span></div>
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We were both pleased with the end result...<br />
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...and the stake line was nice and straight.<br />
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On Sunday we moved to Oeffelt for the Maasheggen festival. This is an area of land on the flood plain of the Maas River. It has been managed in a manner that recreates the field systems that existed before the last war and several kilometres of hedges have been planted over the last twenty years. This year is the tenth anniversary of the festival and its popularity continues to grow. The photo below shows the competitors getting their pre-session greeting and photo-shoot. I believe that thirty four teams, of between two and five competitors, took part laying the local style.</div>
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Gary and Phil entered the competition and Peter and myself laid Midland and SoE respectively as demonstration cants in an area set aside for international styles.</div>
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We got about ten metres each of rather heavy hedge (for hand tools that is) which had no field layer and good top growth. There was some rabbit - or more likely hare - damage and some rot caused by the use of the flail cutter.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCYNuB_nW-LmmuNBkHi5JR9jApoM0qaXuHjVKB3dGdLgJxG36hzGQvx0vEOPq3aN01eszkGRGa9Slttk6DOapjNPimQRdV_EWuH3IgSMtZZA2eKg5X_bNqcGP4RFMU60afxZK2VC0Gxj8/s1600/NK_21.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCYNuB_nW-LmmuNBkHi5JR9jApoM0qaXuHjVKB3dGdLgJxG36hzGQvx0vEOPq3aN01eszkGRGa9Slttk6DOapjNPimQRdV_EWuH3IgSMtZZA2eKg5X_bNqcGP4RFMU60afxZK2VC0Gxj8/s1600/NK_21.jpg" height="320" width="292" /></a><br />
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The axe work was enjoyable although some of the stems had rot but were not particularly brittle.</div>
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As was the case last year, the weather was dry and very warm - so warm in fact that Peter was forced to remove his trade mark blue overalls!</div>
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The photo below is a close up of the cant laid by a couple from France who were laying their local style. The large stem has been sawn through to the extent that one would when cutting a pleacher and then laid over. I have seen this method before but never with this level of skill. Note there is no split-back and the hinge is of exactly the right proportions. We might say that the heal would be better cut at an angle to allow water to run off.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6klfMk4z2-zLg7z8seT0Zz3f2CyWSCT6Yn5I8Fy6CN641H9noOenG_bVa4H_rhU1orZjDJKRxjTE1OB0R081hltpuCbr_SGrqjrdCNSu4LScM3r-SXsdaK3ePE5PFTf_trGDOXOxCjn4/s1600/NK_15.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6klfMk4z2-zLg7z8seT0Zz3f2CyWSCT6Yn5I8Fy6CN641H9noOenG_bVa4H_rhU1orZjDJKRxjTE1OB0R081hltpuCbr_SGrqjrdCNSu4LScM3r-SXsdaK3ePE5PFTf_trGDOXOxCjn4/s1600/NK_15.jpg" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieFu3yDsmpC8E28afvEN5HB9mJ2raVx-m3JuUp5kdpBiiX8ad9gFaYw5bFcN48YDGW-PnCdeo3Of9Xq4HMZNorBdvz7pwAeheG8tVkg6s71Nfpsf5ijpAETDL6SIyZRw24aJm5ZuwUMcM/s1600/NK_16.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieFu3yDsmpC8E28afvEN5HB9mJ2raVx-m3JuUp5kdpBiiX8ad9gFaYw5bFcN48YDGW-PnCdeo3Of9Xq4HMZNorBdvz7pwAeheG8tVkg6s71Nfpsf5ijpAETDL6SIyZRw24aJm5ZuwUMcM/s1600/NK_16.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a>The style practised in Flanders is thin and sparse with small stems tied into the hedge with willow whips. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5opaa86onRe-cn4MGDrM9MaBkjZjDdyMYqCwLRHhKhBugoWmv3iCAcuUS4eEKUohyCijk9uJdx-kax8hv4Od7IT99Hrbd80ajC6Ph0bkAAr6T5FeUZz1s2GK4xy5LE5lFGMqdhdTfxvE/s1600/NK_17.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5opaa86onRe-cn4MGDrM9MaBkjZjDdyMYqCwLRHhKhBugoWmv3iCAcuUS4eEKUohyCijk9uJdx-kax8hv4Od7IT99Hrbd80ajC6Ph0bkAAr6T5FeUZz1s2GK4xy5LE5lFGMqdhdTfxvE/s1600/NK_17.jpg" height="237" width="320" /></a></div>
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Although the International section was away from the main competition, good numbers of visitors came to look at our hedges. Visitor numbers were estimated by the organisers to be in the region of 10,000 - imagine that at our Nationals!</div>
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This is the local style. Rather sparse and very open at the bottom to our eyes but I am told that as this is a flood plain account is taken of debris building up against the hedge in times of flood that might sweep the hedge away. Live stakes (crops) give good stability and the tops of these are pleached along and woven into the top of the hedge. </div>
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This is the winning team looking very pleased with the Golden Heap. </div>
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<a href="http://www.maasheggen.nl/files/imglib/150308%2Bnk%2Bwinnaars%2Bstaatsbosbeheer%2Bfoto%2Bperry%2Bfilippini%2Bklein%2Bformaat.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" border="0" src="http://www.maasheggen.nl/files/imglib/150308%2Bnk%2Bwinnaars%2Bstaatsbosbeheer%2Bfoto%2Bperry%2Bfilippini%2Bklein%2Bformaat.jpg" height="266" width="400" /></a></div>
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Two of our champions discuss a great weekend. Many thanks are due to our Dutch hosts who made us most welcome and were very generous with their hospitality.<br />
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A YouTube slide show of more photgraphs from the trip is available <span style="color: #cc0000;"><b><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1LqPVUVU1Bw" target="_blank">HERE</a></b></span>RogerThttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04525491693108387048noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1272656265190389551.post-27603742861968347982015-02-26T12:14:00.000+00:002015-02-26T12:15:53.953+00:00SEHLS Annual Competition<div style="text-align: justify;">
Sunday saw the SEHLS annual competition - yes, the day following the Patron's competition. Taking place on the Angmering Estate, West Sussex within the South Downs National Park there could not have been a more beautiful setting for a hedge laying competition. The weather behaved itself, with a bright frosty start and, although it clouded over later, it stayed dry until we reached the pub for lunch and prizes. The Skylarks sang, Buzzards soared over the woods and without the background roar of chainsaws (a hand tools only competition) it was a very peaceful and enjoyable day.</div>
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The hedge itself was some twelve or so years old, double planted and consisting -in the veteran section - of Hawthorn with some Hazel. Some cants at the top of the hill had more Hazel and consequently more stems to the yard. The hedge had been fenced against rabbits and whilst this had in the main been removed, some of the wire remained in the ground. There was little field layer, except ivy in some cants and no bramble or rose. Unfortunately the hedge had been flailed more than once at about eight feet producing some nasty stag-horns but then left to grow on about another three feet.</div>
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I didn't take any photos for a while as I was concerned about time but in fact there was plenty thanks to the lightness of the hedge and the lack of clearing out to be done before laying.</div>
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Everyone finished in good time and the standard was very high. The novice class in particular must have been difficult to judge as they had all done an exceptional job - pity I didn't think to take some photos of their cants; this however is a shot up the hedge from the champions and senior sections, with the veterans and novices at the top.</div>
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<br />RogerThttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04525491693108387048noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1272656265190389551.post-54927410453306983042015-02-24T12:59:00.002+00:002015-02-24T12:59:49.975+00:00Patron's Competition 2015<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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After last years cancellation due to heavy rain we were hoping for a dry day for the Patron's Competition and we were granted this wish - at least until a hail shower within the last hour. The hedge was close to, and similar in nature to the 2013 hedge being about fifteen years old, mainly Hawthorn with some Field Maple and Hazel. I believe 48 cutters were present, cutting Midland, South of England, North Somerset and two Welsh styles.</div>
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As you can see the hedge was not at all heavy, with little field layer, no rose or bramble and mercifully it had not been flailed or cut at any time.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBmU3bjR1HsWDG432DGxssTvQMkFphbfMkgwh67KrI0WW9sAJrBiyn7pqd-YggGW505NfTO_7kdbxYp-uLAcFYc9pdXkjzypuD4t6haAFufytAC7jwJoXzmSrjgEzt-SlNv2usxPRE8CQ/s1600/Patrons_01.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBmU3bjR1HsWDG432DGxssTvQMkFphbfMkgwh67KrI0WW9sAJrBiyn7pqd-YggGW505NfTO_7kdbxYp-uLAcFYc9pdXkjzypuD4t6haAFufytAC7jwJoXzmSrjgEzt-SlNv2usxPRE8CQ/s1600/Patrons_01.jpg" /></a></div>
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Whilst the hedge had been planted in two rows, in some places the plants on the field side had died or had poor growth. In the example below the clump of Field Maple may well have stunted the growth on the north side.</div>
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Whilst a hedge of this age and structure could be presumed to hold few challenges, in every cant there are always some difficult stems. In trying to make a thick hedge one strives to keep as much as possible but twisted and interlocked stems can make for some difficult decisions.</div>
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Looking up the South of England cants at the end of the session...<br />
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...and I managed a reasonably straight stake line<br />
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A flavour of the relaxed and jovial side of this event is shown by this Midland competitor from Lancaster flying the flag of John of Gaunt over his cant.</div>
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And finally a shot of Alan finishing off his Midland cant.<br />
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<br />RogerThttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04525491693108387048noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1272656265190389551.post-30014682563001318072015-01-25T16:44:00.000+00:002015-01-25T16:44:01.321+00:00Avery Hill hedge number four - the big one<div style="text-align: justify;">
The South London chapter of SHG have in recent years worked on three hedges at the Avery Hill campus of The University of Greenwich but none of the size and complexity of this one. Running almost uninterrupted for 170 meters down the side of the football pitches and adjacent to one of the main access roads on the campus, it is a planted, amenity-style hedge but with very little Hawthorn and dominated by substantial Field Maples. </div>
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As well as two large gaps that had been deliberately left in the planting - one of which will be staked-through for later planting up - there were areas of severely reduced growth due to the overshadowing of the large maples.Also, the Spindle and Guelder Rose had not done well on the heavy soil and block-planting meant other areas of poor growth.</div>
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The object of the exercise was to bring, what was fast turning into a line of trees, under control and produce a thick wildlife-friendly hedge. Regular SHG(SL) member Fred being temporarily out of action, Ian, Tony and myself set about this last Monday with the hope - on my part - of completing the job within the week. I soon realised that I may have underestimated the task. There was a considerable amount of wood to be removed and whilst the remaining maples and Hazel went down well the Holly and especially the Privet took an age to work through. </div>
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However, the weather was kind, with only some light drizzle on Wednesday and with ten man-days worked by the end of Thursday we had 100 meters laid, staked and bound. Friday was a day of rest and boy did I need it - although I did have to go to Crossness to take some willows out of the reed beds there.</div>
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Must also mention here the excellent stakes and binders supplied by Paul Mathews. These were a mix of red Birch and Hazel and very consistent in size throughout, enhancing the look of the finished hedge.</div>
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So, we're back on Monday to finish off the job, hopefully by the end of Tuesday and I'll update the blog after that.RogerThttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04525491693108387048noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1272656265190389551.post-16688250792855357282015-01-18T17:11:00.001+00:002015-01-18T17:11:27.602+00:00Skinny hedge made good<div style="text-align: justify;">
Out with SHG on Saturday working on 50 odd meters of hedge along a footpath near Beare Green. Situated at the bottom of a sloping field and under the shade of some large Oaks on the other side of the path in a neglected hazel coppice with standards. A sleet shower mid-morning brought a winter feel to the day.</div>
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The hedge had been planted and was made up of Hawthorn and Hazel with some Field Maple, willow sp. and Blackthorn. Growth had been compromised by the amount of shade and perhaps the damp cold soil conditions, so that the stems of Hawthorn and Hazel were tall, stretching for the light, but the Hawthorn lacked side growth. Other than the willow - which had not been planted - the other species had hardly grown at all, stunted by unsuitable soil conditions and the nearby Oaks.</div>
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Left the camera in the car so didn't take any 'before' shots but here are some of the finished job.<br />
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A sweep round the corner to soften the start. The hedge being rather thin, the challenge was to get some body into it, and to aid this we set the height somewhat lower than the usual 4 feet. With the exception of competition work there is no fixed height for binders in the South of England style and these should be set to reflect the amount of material in the hedge, its location and purpose. </div>
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The stakeline went OK for once..<br />
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This is not the full length of the hedge but gives a view along about two thirds.<br />
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<br />RogerThttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04525491693108387048noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1272656265190389551.post-9987971570342356712015-01-12T11:23:00.001+00:002015-01-12T11:23:22.574+00:00SEHLS at Ticehurst<div style="text-align: justify;">
Out with SEHLS near Ticehurst on Saturday. Another wet day, although it did brighten up in the afternoon - I don't mind working in the rain but do dislike having wet gloves.</div>
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This was an interesting job, as the hedge was around part of a smallholding, and whilst in parts it was a planted two-row hedge of mostly Hawthorne with a few stems of Beach, Spindle and Field Maple, other sections were the remains of an old and overgrown garden hedge full of exotic species.</div>
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I was working on one of the more straightforward sections and you can see that the hedge was about eight feet high and had been cut several times at about five foot. A bit tangled and knotted but generally light and easy to lay with hand tools. The only minor problem was that we were laying left handed.</div>
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Getting it down now and trying to cover the pleachers with what little material there is. Trimmed off the lower branches of the Oak standard but this had suffered some damage in the past at about five foot putting a kink in the trunk and making it a little uneven. Still raining, and getting muddy now.</div>
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Hedge laid, weather clearing up and just a bit of tidying up to do. </div>
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This shot shows most of the main run of hedge but there were three other sections, all different in character which unfortunately I didn't photograph.</div>
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<br />RogerThttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04525491693108387048noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1272656265190389551.post-40402323130754437112014-12-15T17:41:00.001+00:002014-12-28T19:50:24.459+00:00Root and Back Laying<div style="text-align: justify;">
Out with SEHLS on Saturday at Rotherfield. For a change the weather was cold, dry and sunny although the recent rain had left the fields and tracks waterlogged and very soon the area around the hedge turned to mud.</div>
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There were two sections of hedge being tackled and I was with a small group of six working on an old and much bashed-about hedge that needed rejuvenating. As you can see from the photo below the hedge was a continuation of a trimmed section, about twelve feet high and next to a redundant farm building.</div>
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It had been cut at various heights in the past resulting in multiple stems and a very tangled upper section.<br />
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One of the first plants I had to lay in my cant was a Hawthorn where the stem had two sizeable roots either side of where the hinge would normally be but had rotted away underneath. This could not be laid in the normal way so I severed the root on the far side and then cut down the stem so that it was held by just the root on this side.</div>
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This allowed the stem to be laid over, retaining the root to keep the plant alive and leaving the now separated heal to the right to form a new plant. It's not laid right down yet as it is being held up by the laid-off stems out of shot to the left.</div>
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The next problem was a large five stemmed stool of what I think is red-stemmed willow - not easy to see from the photo but this years growth was a deep red colour. This stool had been much hacked about in the past and if there had been more material around it I might have just laid the stem on the front left and then trimmed the stool down nearer ground level. However, I needed to fill in the gaps so I laid all the stems bar one and back-laid the one on the right. This can be difficult if the stem is in any way brittle as it has to be bent back at an acute angle, but luckily this one behaved itself. A few contorted stems of Blackthorn can be seen on the right of the photo and with multiple pleaches these were brought in to fill the gaps.</div>
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A bit further down the cant was a large old Hawthorn, which again can prove challenging but this one was sound and not too brittle and went down well. <br />
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The hedge was so tangled in places a bit of climbing was required to free it up.<br />
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By the time we got round to the final clear up the light was fading and it was getting cold. This hedge had presented us with a number of challenges and at times it seemed an impossible task but in the end we made a great job of it and breathed new life into an old neglected hedge.</div>
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<br />RogerThttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04525491693108387048noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1272656265190389551.post-63602127794042365342014-12-07T21:25:00.000+00:002014-12-07T21:25:55.355+00:00Cherkley Court - Second Session<div style="text-align: justify;">
On a somewhat surprisingly - in this rather mild early winter - frosty morning SHG were back at Cherkley Court. This time we had two hedges to lay within the complex. One was in the 'car park' and the other at, what will become in due course, the main entrance. I was assigned to the latter, which was a maiden double row hedge of some ten or so years; mostly Hawthorne but with a few Field Maple and Spindle mixed in. There was no field layer to speak of and, other than some <i>Clematis vitalba </i>tangling the tops, there was no impediment to laying the mostly 2 to 4 inch stems.</div>
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This piece of work was difficult to photograph due to the proximity of a rather busy road and the fact that we were working on the north side on what was a very bright sunny day.</div>
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It would appear that the hedge had been cut at about four foot at some time in the last few years but was otherwise unmolested. So it was easy enough work and handled in the main with hand tools.</div>
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Although this hedge was planted as a double row, many of the whips had not taken and there were many sections of single row stems and some sizeable gaps. In the photo below Con is healing-in some whips in one such gap. Note the heavy frost on the grass in the background. Even a short lived frost such as this has a surprising effect on the interaction of metal cutting tools and living wood. There is a distinct sound and brittleness to the cut, and 'Yorkshires' have a pronounced ring to them when cutting the pleach. I'm told that after prolonged periods of hard frost - not something we get to often nowadays - even young stems become so brittle that they are impossible to cut and lay without them breaking off.</div>
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As I said, not great photos due to the bright sun coming from the 'wrong' direction, but this shot shows the finished section from the East. This will be mirrored on the West side of the entrance when we lay that side in January.</div>
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Another shot looking East, with the strong sunlight makeing the hedge look rather thinner than it actually is, but with a nice stake line - and the frost still on the grass at 1300hrs.</div>
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Looking from inside the entrance you get a different perspective and I wish I had taken more shots from this side, although the brash rather obscures the view.<br />
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<br />RogerThttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04525491693108387048noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1272656265190389551.post-79061122465504815312014-11-20T19:42:00.002+00:002014-11-20T20:02:37.613+00:00South & West Wilts Hunt hedge laying competitionBy way of a change from the South of England style, here is a link to a slide show of photos from the recent South & West Wilts Hunt hedge laying competition. Some great work here with the use of crooks and bonds.<br />
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Open the link and click on View Slideshow. <br />
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<a href="http://www.photoboxgallery.com/swwhunt/photo?photo_id=2484479714&vendor_id=3744215" target="_blank">http://www.photoboxgallery.com/swwhunt/photo?photo_id=2484479714&vendor_id=3744215</a><br />
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<br />RogerThttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04525491693108387048noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1272656265190389551.post-57838701554979048952014-11-16T12:52:00.001+00:002014-11-21T16:10:22.140+00:00Scotney Castle - second visit<div style="text-align: justify;">
Back at Scotney Castle on Saturday, for the second visit with SEHLS. After the rain we have experienced over the last couple of weeks the ground is saturated and all vehicles had to be left in the car parks. The field next to the hedge was very wet and swishy underfoot but fortunately did not turn completely to mud around the hedge itself. We were working on the second section of the hedge that we started on our last visit in October but this section had a different structure and content, being a mix of Hawthorn and Hazel with one or two other species occurring randomly throughout. There was some self seeded rose and oddly one or two spindly Beech saplings.</div>
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I took the first cant which meant no laying off - don't know why this was left by those who arrived before me, as it was no better or worse than the other cants. I just had to undo some of the binding from the end of the previously laid section and start laying straight into the existing stakes - bonus! </div>
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As it rained on and off for most of the day I didn't take as many photos as I had intended.</div>
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You can see from the photo below that the hedge had been allowed to grow up uncut but had recently - possibly last year - been flailed at about eight feet. This combined with the grazing of the sides of the hedge by the Sussex cattle meant that there were a lot of sturdy stems but not much side or top growth...</div>
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...and you can see it was much the same all down the hedge, although it was rather thin under the conifer (Scots Pine?) at the far end.<br />
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Looking down the hedge you get an impression of the species mix and density of the stems. On the right is a large Hawthorn with a 5-6 inch base and a lot of side stems, and on the left a Hazel stool with half a dozen straight poles and no side growth. What I did was to remove most of the large Hawthorn and lay the smaller stems in front and behind this, then lay most of the Hazel - but I did take out a couple of the straight poles for use as stakes.</div>
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In this shot you can see that one of the earlier large Hawthorns (right of centre) has been much reduced and laid. The sides look and bit bare for South of England style at this point but there was just sufficient material coming up to cover most of the pleachers.</div>
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A bit later...<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNJ_kxrdek21h5geQuLmwS-Tw7BgpyTiDmBqM3py7IzBX3K6QsfD5FpGIBtMrvhx9SdlMqJiRtntz9G-SyIQqLkDAigTkRpawFUD6_T8js2VCU58Hvkrs8vnEWvYHQRG6LkMkxZOeehUg/s1600/Scotney_13.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNJ_kxrdek21h5geQuLmwS-Tw7BgpyTiDmBqM3py7IzBX3K6QsfD5FpGIBtMrvhx9SdlMqJiRtntz9G-SyIQqLkDAigTkRpawFUD6_T8js2VCU58Hvkrs8vnEWvYHQRG6LkMkxZOeehUg/s1600/Scotney_13.jpg" /></a></div>
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By the time we got to the staking and binding stage the rain had cleared and the sun was out. Quite pleased with my finished cant and with the fact that, although hedges like this can be a struggle, you get the satisfaction that the hedge is rejuvenated and remodelled, which has has many benefits for wildlife, as well as improving the appearance and making the hedge easier to manage in future; and on this note I found, in my cant, what one of the NT wardens identified as a disused Dormouse nest just off the ground in a Hazel stool.</div>
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This last shot is looking up the two sections of hedge with binding in progress.<br />
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<br />RogerThttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04525491693108387048noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1272656265190389551.post-36584885537807880112014-11-11T17:37:00.000+00:002014-11-12T20:51:55.219+00:00Cherkley Court<div style="text-align: justify;">
Last Saturday saw SHG at Cherkley Court for the first of three session this season. The house, gardens and estate once belonged to Lord Beaverbrook but are now being turned into an exclusive hotel, spa and golf course.</div>
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After several days of sunshine and heavy showers the day dawned dry and bright and the previous nights forecast indicated a mostly dry day. However, this was not to be the case and the showers soon arrived and remained with us for the rest of the session.</div>
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As you can see from the shot below the hedge is a maiden of some ten or so years; mostly Hawthorne with the odd rose, Field Maple and other species mixed in. Conveniently located alongside an internal roadway with the golf course taking shape in the background - the chalk subsoil showing clearly through the hedge.</div>
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There was a bit of discussion as to the species of the trees in the foreground. These had Hawthorne-like berries but noticeably larger, and sizeable spines on the branches, but the leaves did not resemble the native Hawthorn at all. It would appear that these are Cockspur Thorn (<span style="font-weight: normal;"><i>Crataegus</i> <i>persimilis</i> 'Prunifolia'), although they have a more upright stance than most of the on-line descriptions and illustrations suggest but perhaps the crowns had been 'lifted' through judicious pruning.</span></div>
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It was decided that we would lay 100 yards in this first session and as the turnout was very good we put two cutters into each cant of about 10 yards. Although we all cut with hand tools, the size of the stems, ease of access to the hedge and lack of any entanglements in the crown, meant that very good progress was made and here my partner for the session Dick and I are about half way through laying.</div>
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As the cutters in the early cants finished laying the staking and binding teams got to work...<br />
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...and it didn't take long to complete the 100 yards. The stake-line looks slightly off-centre in the shot below. It was down the centre of the stems, however the post and rail fence on the right obstructs the tucking-in and pruning of that side of the hedge to some degree. Despite the recent rain the stakes were very hard to drive into the chalk, which here is only a few inches below the surface.</div>
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The last shot is of the cant that Dick and I laid. The safety barrier and chalk subsoil in the background detract somewhat but we understand that the rough and semi-rough on the golf course will be reinstated with native downland species, so in a few years it should be much improved.</div>
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<br />RogerThttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04525491693108387048noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1272656265190389551.post-34658696487243744242014-10-25T15:01:00.000+01:002014-10-29T20:45:57.151+00:00The 2014 Nationals<div style="text-align: justify;">
The Nationals were held near Grantham in Lincolnshire on a dry sunny Saturday. Having driven through very heavy rain on the way up on Friday I was expecting the site to be waterlogged but in fact the 'going was soft' rather than muddy.</div>
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The SoE section was alongside a farm track and opposite the Midland section, just a stones throw from the main event site. We were able to park in the field next to our cants, which is always a great help.</div>
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In the photo below, those cutting in the Open class were nearest the camera, with the Intermediate class starting in the distance. We veterans were lumped in with the Intermediates and in fact there was only one non-veteran in the class. </div>
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The cants were ten meters (eleven yards) for both classes, which was a bit of a surprise and the stakes and binders left something to be desired. However, we were all in the same boat and the hedge was even throughout with a few large stems in each cant, no difficult under-storey but very tangled at the top where it had been flailed repeatedly. </div>
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As usual the five hours flew by and it was a rush to get my bit finished, so no time for photos during laying. I could have done with another half hour to put some finishing touches but did get the basics finished. The build was OK but the stake line was rushed and could have been a lot better as it wandered out of the hedge-centre towards one end. </div>
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My cant is below with the Midland cutters across the track and the event marquees behind them.</div>
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I managed a third place in the Intermediates behind Dave and Lex and all in all I was happy with that as a fair result. Below is a shot of Dave's winning hedge.<br />
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The SoE Open class was won by Paul with this...<br />
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...and his very nice stake line.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg55v0nkRwsQzx_Z0uIMESTTVAktAS1IaoKS8UFYBzqOpm-Xntm2Fw_apHHFldp6edi9z6tCF7EsxVp7s9XSOSFk_lGSnhwUKBXm0_hKyACUxou9GksWPuGcQS8KFLXFeTTkW_ix1OCe5M/s1600/Nats_13.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg55v0nkRwsQzx_Z0uIMESTTVAktAS1IaoKS8UFYBzqOpm-Xntm2Fw_apHHFldp6edi9z6tCF7EsxVp7s9XSOSFk_lGSnhwUKBXm0_hKyACUxou9GksWPuGcQS8KFLXFeTTkW_ix1OCe5M/s1600/Nats_13.jpg" /> </a></div>
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This is a shot down the SoE section from Intermediates towards the Open class in the distance.</div>
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And for something different, this is Gary's cant in the Derby class.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLrOlGAIKPdJmihZ7FJapQpVzisb7ConzGEvvVReGfbLMzVx6s_CzSBkD1t6v6Xh-mt4FwfIu8_sF6dt1QSQlT-pHou7-vzdQCZ_bGFCtBgkumcQ3CihV7awJa1Bg5iixLtPjSg-ATBFY/s1600/Nats_14.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLrOlGAIKPdJmihZ7FJapQpVzisb7ConzGEvvVReGfbLMzVx6s_CzSBkD1t6v6Xh-mt4FwfIu8_sF6dt1QSQlT-pHou7-vzdQCZ_bGFCtBgkumcQ3CihV7awJa1Bg5iixLtPjSg-ATBFY/s1600/Nats_14.jpg" /></a></div>
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Despite the length of the cants it was another great event as the Nationals always are. A nice meal at the hotel and a few drinks in the bar afterwards completed the day.<br />
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Oh, and Ian won the SoE regrowth prize - hurrah.RogerThttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04525491693108387048noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1272656265190389551.post-70401904751970479962014-10-21T18:07:00.001+01:002014-10-21T19:53:40.588+01:00Back to Back Weekend<div style="text-align: justify;">
A few months back it seemed like a good idea to do two hedge laying sessions back to back, good practice for the Nationals next weekend etc.; after the first session on Saturday it seemed like madness.</div>
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Saturday was SoE's first training day of the season at Scotney Castle. As there were only a few trainees most of the cutters were laying a nine yard cant on their own or in pairs. The hedge was rather odd as it contained some Hawthorne of twenty five or more years together with much younger Field Maple, Wayfaring Tree, Cherry and Hazel. Perhaps an old neglected hedge planted up more recently. it had been flailed a few times at about five foot and then allowed to grow on to about ten feet high.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFM5-ka9HNDtK7F3jyuEankIlM_IBzx9T3AFY7U2UttRUr6o-BU5MXyXSTjlvUvWG-mqViQV2a6NBpX-FtE0heDzWlHccRqFF16EaC80RNAJ-dOwR23zuBbVF-Hm4lQCDmG4Dch6E82sE/s1600/Scotney_01.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFM5-ka9HNDtK7F3jyuEankIlM_IBzx9T3AFY7U2UttRUr6o-BU5MXyXSTjlvUvWG-mqViQV2a6NBpX-FtE0heDzWlHccRqFF16EaC80RNAJ-dOwR23zuBbVF-Hm4lQCDmG4Dch6E82sE/s1600/Scotney_01.jpg" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiBtnG8m9nAym753GTTg5dlA4jSIh_K_d1Sim_BQCwjf0jRDdgFevbJuEZwgp3o5_a5-G6KWhbpkle8x0SJYto_bepolq4TOOwal3qYQPhWdHQ7V2GspCrsnikwYMfe0S0J_AZMHzXzFA/s1600/Scotney_02.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiBtnG8m9nAym753GTTg5dlA4jSIh_K_d1Sim_BQCwjf0jRDdgFevbJuEZwgp3o5_a5-G6KWhbpkle8x0SJYto_bepolq4TOOwal3qYQPhWdHQ7V2GspCrsnikwYMfe0S0J_AZMHzXzFA/s1600/Scotney_02.jpg" /></a></div>
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Although it had rained heavily overnight the ground was well drained and did not turn to mud underfoot.<br />
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Except for the removal of a couple of heavy heals I laid with hand tools, finding my newly re-handled 4lb Kent pattern axe very useful. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwOW88G0-9yXJQi0tePUTmGmVMLB5SkO55Ua1HzQlBk_5PYtUYjH9wcIN0x_x27NyETOAOBPxrolifFAn_FhPuOM55J_q7mXWIEMsaKbXpWC_hA8qMW6gPXha94RWCy7wjAC4IfWjga1Q/s1600/Scotney_03.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwOW88G0-9yXJQi0tePUTmGmVMLB5SkO55Ua1HzQlBk_5PYtUYjH9wcIN0x_x27NyETOAOBPxrolifFAn_FhPuOM55J_q7mXWIEMsaKbXpWC_hA8qMW6gPXha94RWCy7wjAC4IfWjga1Q/s1600/Scotney_03.jpg" /></a></div>
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Lunch time and most cutters were half to two thirds through laying stems.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizsjdFuez573KqGW_D1nSy0ydgI_YQzeTDKC73TycaPwaysPfRJftAQ_1g8yN0XZkV5yh_lks4lWILZkF42dPpLH_FSwQ3KzHDnFU72X_hzctWG6ncqyOkY4pyWkLLLLb1hNjo-e1eRQ0/s1600/Scotney_04.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizsjdFuez573KqGW_D1nSy0ydgI_YQzeTDKC73TycaPwaysPfRJftAQ_1g8yN0XZkV5yh_lks4lWILZkF42dPpLH_FSwQ3KzHDnFU72X_hzctWG6ncqyOkY4pyWkLLLLb1hNjo-e1eRQ0/s1600/Scotney_04.jpg" /></a></div>
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I was quite pleased with the final result. A couple of pleachers showing but stock proof - and speaking of stock, notice some splendid Sussex cattle in the background.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9gLdF1j1eJcKHCyfK49Lg3vMkQQj88DwsY32TWchkJm0V2Sdb3Iv-Am3mfPpC862Zyu90bK7WHg9p2GHf1VHNMoSURBuK2Stij_gKSpMAq4gN9Pd27YEVyKLFovkkBxKeUMRBIx4AAGU/s1600/Scotney_05.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9gLdF1j1eJcKHCyfK49Lg3vMkQQj88DwsY32TWchkJm0V2Sdb3Iv-Am3mfPpC862Zyu90bK7WHg9p2GHf1VHNMoSURBuK2Stij_gKSpMAq4gN9Pd27YEVyKLFovkkBxKeUMRBIx4AAGU/s1600/Scotney_05.jpg" /></a></div>
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The Hampshire Hedge Laying Championships were held on Sunday near Medstead. Fortunately the overnight rain had cleared by the time we arrived on site but the hedge to be laid had been changed due to conditions. The new hedge was not that tall having been flailed not that long ago but it was alongside a concrete roadway and with no ditch it was relatively dry. The down side was that we were laying right to left and there was a wire sheep fence on the other side of the hedge - so not good for right handers.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqLYHu6jVM-nz1h3Q80O6BfMjNptehRJ9k1mee8dCXe15ggJU5MWDav2CMtb2XVDIiWzaZrROc4PYkndS89xZYFbS6KOCzNO3wAcBERK93hvTaij1MtPmuTGgE6Ar9ZiuaDZqmqr4gmuI/s1600/Hants_01.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqLYHu6jVM-nz1h3Q80O6BfMjNptehRJ9k1mee8dCXe15ggJU5MWDav2CMtb2XVDIiWzaZrROc4PYkndS89xZYFbS6KOCzNO3wAcBERK93hvTaij1MtPmuTGgE6Ar9ZiuaDZqmqr4gmuI/s1600/Hants_01.jpg" /> </a></div>
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There were classes for Novice, Midland Open and South of England Open. My cant was typical of the rest of the hedge; about sixty percent Hawthorn with a mix of Hazel, Dogwood and, as you can see in the left of the photo below, some Wayfaring Tree. Dogwood is not a favourite of mine when laying as it tends to be spindly and results in thin sections in the finished hedge - see later.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcKfdyRkdk7b8qibt5DsOSfUgyQQFx4nTJ8Lsh8-ruX_AQ2hEGZhxB7wBP8QFz5piIndXLUqVrTpn6qy33n11dFEsLCJ21bgZA_mcrwldzd45oprQkqxzll7Uoy_OO8Mxjbesgzc5Zw_E/s1600/Hants_02.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcKfdyRkdk7b8qibt5DsOSfUgyQQFx4nTJ8Lsh8-ruX_AQ2hEGZhxB7wBP8QFz5piIndXLUqVrTpn6qy33n11dFEsLCJ21bgZA_mcrwldzd45oprQkqxzll7Uoy_OO8Mxjbesgzc5Zw_E/s1600/Hants_02.jpg" /></a></div>
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I laid with hand tools and though rather tired from the previous day, really enjoyed the cutting and building of the hedge.<br />
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About two thirds of the way through I was ahead of time and just about to get to the section of Dogwood. We were to lay at three foot six to the binder tops, which was helpful in view of the original height of the hedge.For a change this hedge contained very little bramble or rose and because of its age and height there was little extraneous material to be removed.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4eKXInuun8qb5shyphenhyphenSdVuZzAKNfIB_OtdC6Y9t6bit3xdnyzHk_yElKRLrKppEePTU4XoUIFTm0iZfFuIV0FQBA4hXs_GOV_kj6qQeW9E7HBDaJnqjlGF5lJudCkQFl6FuXUlQon5pqKA/s1600/Hants_03.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4eKXInuun8qb5shyphenhyphenSdVuZzAKNfIB_OtdC6Y9t6bit3xdnyzHk_yElKRLrKppEePTU4XoUIFTm0iZfFuIV0FQBA4hXs_GOV_kj6qQeW9E7HBDaJnqjlGF5lJudCkQFl6FuXUlQon5pqKA/s1600/Hants_03.jpg" /></a></div>
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This is the finished product. Stock proof but lacking in material at the front in one section. I found that laying back to front meant that I was concentrating too much on building the back of the hedge rather than the front.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOlkXwC1uZBTxX1Bp57edj2THw8o_u5Jyez-Y4XeJ9dzWRV2X1mTyhMNsI7-KFNBH4MPqs594iNfQ6FnMXFhlyuer_lwdSJQDeGs9h21DdM7CWlhSnNQJvLGPOEFGK923N_5SsOOpwjJE/s1600/Hants_04.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOlkXwC1uZBTxX1Bp57edj2THw8o_u5Jyez-Y4XeJ9dzWRV2X1mTyhMNsI7-KFNBH4MPqs594iNfQ6FnMXFhlyuer_lwdSJQDeGs9h21DdM7CWlhSnNQJvLGPOEFGK923N_5SsOOpwjJE/s1600/Hants_04.jpg" /> </a></div>
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A reasonable stake-line and good build width. I was reasonably happy with what I had achieved and managed a third place.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6dP-1_aeS625FNf3Mng6chE4DgY1IQJCsvOWIWcanAOYCb5wMtuiG_kd0iQIaKKXds0vknvw4WOamKtc45RmrCMYWp0k2qO__YgXKx_cptk8ziWhlRF63bqlLQwzxQG9pNAFZkdfhTS0/s1600/Hants_05.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6dP-1_aeS625FNf3Mng6chE4DgY1IQJCsvOWIWcanAOYCb5wMtuiG_kd0iQIaKKXds0vknvw4WOamKtc45RmrCMYWp0k2qO__YgXKx_cptk8ziWhlRF63bqlLQwzxQG9pNAFZkdfhTS0/s1600/Hants_05.jpg" /></a></div>
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Here is Clive's hedge with the man himself giving a final check to make sure the pleachers are well covered. Good work and worthy of his second place - and he was only a whisker away from first place.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3ylqCgTSGUXTiG6XTF8UdUaYEGNAIuK7WRj-KHG9RUlfaV-E9oDn0Nvj_5hl6vKMy6OipdicY8r8h7F6wdoZbs1bxd3fleFwdRbKSOmaPbGaE7chqxD6-LL2NHewpC0jDvsKSMuUv9n4/s1600/Hants_06.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3ylqCgTSGUXTiG6XTF8UdUaYEGNAIuK7WRj-KHG9RUlfaV-E9oDn0Nvj_5hl6vKMy6OipdicY8r8h7F6wdoZbs1bxd3fleFwdRbKSOmaPbGaE7chqxD6-LL2NHewpC0jDvsKSMuUv9n4/s1600/Hants_06.jpg" /></a></div>
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And the winner of the SoE open, and overall champion, was Mike with this great effort. He does build a nice hedge and I must spend some time watching how he does it. There are some uncovered pleachers nearest to the camera but his neighbour was the last in the Midland section so there was little Mike could do about that.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTU93vJLayHpPaoLj_YVKcnIM59z9Rl1Pk8Fv0PGgjXMWiJcY_BZbMaYpBxS55mPYY54oP3IzzlxvSZ94c6sszS2BP24egcd3uz_tdlhRODTErxLMDu7JVLJNgYvkKMnCIStmkb_HJyDg/s1600/Hants_07.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTU93vJLayHpPaoLj_YVKcnIM59z9Rl1Pk8Fv0PGgjXMWiJcY_BZbMaYpBxS55mPYY54oP3IzzlxvSZ94c6sszS2BP24egcd3uz_tdlhRODTErxLMDu7JVLJNgYvkKMnCIStmkb_HJyDg/s1600/Hants_07.jpg" /></a></div>
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RogerThttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04525491693108387048noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1272656265190389551.post-90626498458218505712014-10-13T09:25:00.001+01:002014-10-13T09:28:44.762+01:00From the other side of the water!<br />
From the Hedge Laying Association of Ireland's annual competition!!<br />
There are 200 photos of the event on their Facebook page - <a href="http://www.facebook.com/hedgelayingie">www.facebook.com/hedgelayingie</a> <br />
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<img alt="" class="spotlight" height="320" src="https://fbcdn-sphotos-h-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-xpf1/v/t1.0-9/1920476_655919167857112_1562227282122803858_n.jpg?oh=b626dea3faa81cbf979a696e3509a8f8&oe=54B3321F&__gda__=1422247390_47a0638b603c8bb81cb40ea5f564bd2f" style="height: 821px; width: 546px;" width="212" /> RogerThttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04525491693108387048noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1272656265190389551.post-12611305931320511552014-10-12T16:56:00.000+01:002014-10-12T16:58:27.371+01:00Speynes Mere<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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SHG were at Speynes Mere again on Saturday, laying another section of the hedge we
started last year. This is a planted, double-row, predominately
Hawthorne hedge of twelve to fifteen years. The photo below is of the
section we laid last year and shows the lack of any substantial
undergrowth which is a great boon for the hedgelayer. The section we
laid on Saturday was very similar but had been flailed at about five feet a few years ago, which had left a
lot of stag-horn growth and tangled tops.</div>
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<img class="CSS_LIGHTBOX_SCALED_IMAGE_IMG" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjp45mbJT9TFOkXxYAX68Jba3CV_VmkdjIS50lfmwIqWlGyIYmcuEEh_nba19CAeMc0_Va2ubEoZILAEJ3LBcXufs6hdNxUUDHIBKbilE0_JwabiWg-DS72FkUJNIHwRUocRdnp6Nt7grs/s1600/SpeynesMere_1.jpg" style="height: 432px; width: 576px;" /> </div>
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It had rained heavily on my drive down to the site and I was sure we were in for a wet morning. However, the rain kept off until lunch time and we just got a drenching as we made our way back to the vehicles. Because of heavy rain in previous days we had parked some way from the hedge and I left my camera in the car, so only got a few shots at the end of the session. The cant I had was a joy to lay and was done with hand tools only. It's surprising how fast you can work with just a billhook, axe and saw when the stems are of a reasonable size, not too tall or old and brittle and there is little clearing out to be done; as someone remarked 'that's all the pre-war hedgelayers used on any sort of hedge'. </div>
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The photo below shows the team staking and binding through the final few cants. In the foreground is a section of Hazel which was the only poor part of the hedge with just a couple of small stools to cover eight feet of hedge, so it was laid in both directions to fill the gap. </div>
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Looking in the other direction we see a finished section - well almost finished as Roy is just taking off the ends of the binders with loppers.<br />
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And then it rained!RogerThttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04525491693108387048noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1272656265190389551.post-54292878000855502742014-10-04T13:00:00.000+01:002014-10-06T17:35:38.462+01:00Hurstpierpoint & District Ploughing Match<div style="text-align: justify;">
Saturday saw a dozen or so cutters take part in the Hurstpierpoint open hedgelaying competition. My previous experience of these early sessions at ploughing matches has been mixed. I know I don't have a hope in hell's chance of a place and they are often very hard work on less than ideal hedges - but hope springs eternal and one always thinks that this one will be different and you'll get a nice cant.</div>
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At first glance this particular hedge looked great, not too heavy and with plenty of material to make a thick stock-proof hedge. A mixed hedge of mostly Blackthorn with some Hazel, Willow, Spindle and Hawthorne. It was an odd mix and may have been planted up or just grown up along the line of an old neglected hedge as some sections contained a lot of thin young stems interspersed with large old Hawthorne.</div>
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My cant ran through the right-angle intersection of another hedge that you can see in the background of the photo above and was a real mix of Blackthorn and Spindle with a couple of old Hawthorn stems all intertwined but with very little substance and a lot of the Spindle was diseased and had bracket fungus on the stems close to the ground.</div>
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Having removed the considerable amount of dead Blackthorn the layable growth was rather sparse, especially around the section where the two hedges met. It was going to be a challenge making a thick hedge. </div>
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And as you can see from the finished job below it was rather uneven having some bulk where the bushy Spindle had been laid but thin elsewhere. I felt that I made a reasonable job of the stakes and binders so perhaps I could scrape a few points in these categories. Although we had one heavy shower mid-session the rain held off until we were finished.</div>
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By way of comparison here is Tony's rather splendid hedge, although he did have to lay in some out of line stems to provide bulk.<br />
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And here is a view of some of the other contenders for the top places.<br />
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One pleasant diversion was the splendid teams taking part in the ploughing competition. Unfortunately we did not have enough time to watch them in action. <br />
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<br />RogerThttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04525491693108387048noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1272656265190389551.post-26322788326668838822014-09-28T15:48:00.000+01:002014-09-28T15:48:04.447+01:00Opening sessions 2014/15<div style="text-align: justify;">
Well it's the hedge laying season once again, although you would never guess it by the weather we are experience lately - far too warm for laying heavy hedges. I missed the opening session with the Surrey Hedglaying Group on the 6th of September but did join them for coppicing on the 13th. This was followed by two sessions at Churt on the 20th and 27th when we laid approximately two hundred or so meters of predominately hazel hedge.</div>
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Hazel is easy enough to lay, being thorn-less, forgiving in the pleach and usually easy to clear out both in the canopy and at the field layer. However, it comes with it's own set of problems and challenges. It has usually been coppiced in the past and therefore has multiple stems emanating from stools, which may be closely spaced, or have large gaps between them. It has often been left to grow to twenty or more feet high before laying and hazels natural tendency is to form tall, straight poles with little side growth. The upshot is that the hedgelayer is faced with either too much material all in the form of long poles with the only side branches at the very top, and/or large gaps between the stools with nothing to infill with. In most cases a lot of material will be removed from the hedge, which is great if you can use the larger logs as fuel and can chip the smaller waste.</div>
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As you can see from the photos, our hedge was beside a country lane and on top of a steep bank on that side; on the field side the bank was only eighteen inches or so. As is often the case some of the stools have slipped down the bank over time due to erosion, creating an uneven hedge line and, on this steep bank, a difficult cutting position for right handed layers. </div>
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The finished hedge looks a bit sparse in places due to lack of material but, being hazel, it will thicken up quickly come next spring.<br />
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On the field side there is a neat finish opening up the view and, with the raising of the canopy on the standard trees, a lot more light is let into the paddocks. Although I did not take any photos before work started you can get an idea of what the hedge looked like from the one on the other side of the road. </div>
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Hedges made up almost entirely of Hazel are an interesting point for discussion. Most planted hedges, from either the period of enclosure or later, would be predominately Hawthorne as, unlike Hazel, this forms a good stock-proof hedge. From what I have read - and hopefully someone will correct me if I have got it wrong - Hazel hedges are of more recent origin and were in the not too distant past managed woodland that was worked under a coppice regime. When this form of woodland management became uneconomic the coppice was cleared for pasture or arable but the coppice stools at the field edge were left in situ to form a boundary marker. If the land was set to arable then there was no need for a stock-proof barrier and if there were stock then a post and rail or wire fence would be erected - barbed wire became common at the end of the nineteenth century.</div>
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On a different but connected note, below is a photo of two unusual billhooks seen at the recent Bently Woodfair. They are both from the well know maker Elwell, the upper one is marked 3811 and the unusual size of 11<span style="font-size: x-small;">1/2</span>; the lower 3722, 10. Neither of these patterns feature in the 1950s Elwell catalogue I have a copy of - anyone know which model/region they are. It may well be that they were made under licence for Elwell by another forge, for sale locally or for a bespoke order, as they both have similarities with well known Elwell patterns.</div>
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<br />RogerThttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04525491693108387048noreply@blogger.com0