Bare Ruined Choirs

[niall Y]

I've just finished cutting back the hedge that runs along the length of the garden. I think 'hedge' is a rather loose term, as most of it comprises Beech trees , that , though they were definitely layered at one time, have continued to grow upwards, unchecked. My guess is that it is probably in the region of 150 years old. Nothing as impressive as the famous one in Scotland, either in height , age or length. but big enough when it requires attention.
Over the last fortnight, it has been given "a short back and sides" because it was shading out the solar panels from the early morning sun. And the greenhouses were beginning to suffer as well. So , drastic action had to be taken. I've removed in the region of 5 ft of the top which has brought it down to a more manageable 18ft.
The result of all this is that I now have copious amounts of brushwood and branches to deal with. On the plus side I have lots of really good "twiggy pea sticks". The branches will be cut for fire wood, which will hopefully be good for next year. That leaves me with all the brushwood to deal with.

 

[Tris]

Sounds like quite a job!
Bundle the brush in faggots and dry for kindling?

 

[okeydokey]

How on earth did you safely cut that much off at that height?

 

[niall Y]

How on earth did you safely cut that much off at that height?

Luckily, the hedge being more like separate trees , I was able to poke a two stage ladder up into the canopy. This was tied onto various branches. a la Fred Dibner.

It was also possible to climb the canopy like a tree as some of the branches were really thick.

Didn't have to use a chain saw as the Japanese pruning saw I used was more than adequate. Though I'm a lot happier, now that I've finally finished the ladder work.

 

[niall Y]

Sounds like quite a job!
Bundle the brush in faggots and dry for kindling?

Funnily enough, I was thinking of that.

I worked in a nearby house that used to be an old bakery. In the rear part of the cellar, that was at ground level, there was still a wood fired oven, The front room of the cellar was used for storing the wood which must have been in the form of faggots.

Regarding the hedge, some of the trees interspersed with the Beech, are Hawthorn. Some of this has a very gnarled and thorny upper canopy so maybe not so good for this purpose.

 

[Tris]

Popped in to the Weald and Downland museum about a year back and they fire a bread oven that way. Takes a surprising amount of material to keep it going and makes you realise just how important foresters and woodland workers were to everyday life.
Apparently in France it was common for the village's poor to be allowed to cook their own food in the cooling oven once the day's bread was finished, wonder if that happened here?