A tree in the wood, leaning about 30°, unsupported. Nothing terrible will happen when this one comes down, I think.

My house, from the back. You can see one tree that's broken off just above the top of the roof, and most of that tree is actually lying on the roof; but it has been for more than a year and I'm not worried about it. You can also see a tree leaning over the house, but it's hung up in the tree in front of the house and I don't think it will move. What worries me more are the two trees to the right of the house, leaning towards it. One of them is definitely unstable.

I went out into the wood to try to assess what dangerously unstable trees still standing in places where they could cause damage when they fall.

Needless to say, besides the two trees that have already collapsed above the house, there's at least one and […]

[Original post on mastodon.scot]

As described in the post. In the background, left, dark spruce woodland. There are two steel gates to the left of the tractor, one new, one relocated. The tractor is in the middle, between the gates, with an old but sound wooden gate loaded into the box, leaning against the roll bar. There is strong sunshine.

Three gates on hinges and stock proof. One wooden gate loaded up to be relocated. This feels like a useful afternoon's work.

#Crofting
#TheJoyOfCrofting

Well, that's another gate hung. It has to be said Icarus isn't impressed. #Crofting #TheJoyOfCrofting

The Little Tractor That Can, carrying two new galvanised steel gates and some big fence posts in its link box. It stands on rough grass facing up the hill.

Bringing new gates and fence posts over the hill. Nothing in the least dodgy about this load, no sirree. Hopefully this means I can get all my parks stock proof and the bulls separated from the cows (and ideally sold) before the cows calve.

Well, this afternoon I have found and fixed the earth leak problem on my electric fences; and in the process, of course, I've given myself a full 9.8KV shock. It doesn't injure, but jings! It hurts!

My re-hung garden gate, open. Behind it, the short frosty turf of my meadows stretch away to the horizon; a few black cattle graze under a blue sky.

My gate, closed, from the outside. The strainer post is noticably squint, which I'm not at all proud about, but it's good enough. In the foreground, the old posts lie on the frosty ground.

Right! After, frankly, way too much work, I once again have a garden gate which opens properly and easily both ways, and which closes and latches properly and easily. I don't love the galvanised steel gatepost, but it should not need to be replaced again in my lifetime.

More -- and much thicker -- sheets of ice lifted from the trough and leant against the fence.

Today's cattle trough ice was about 60mm thick. It was really heavy to lift!

#TheJoyOfCrofting
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Sheets of ice taken off one of the cattle troughs this morning, leant up against the wire fence. The ice is about 20mm thick, and the biggest piece is about 800x400mm.

First properly hard frost of the winter, so that's taking the ice off the cattle troughs added to the daily jobs.

#TheJoyOfCrofting
#Crofting

Me, covered in filth, with a spade and a pinch bar, beside a deep dark hole, with the collapsed gate and the culprits behind me. It is a wet day.

Today was hardly the ideal day to be grodgelling in the dirt like one of Jinian Footseer's gobblemoles, but then today was not the ideal day for the cattle to demolish the garden gatepost. Fortunately, I did have a replacement steel gatepost ready to go in.

#crofting
#TheJoyOfCrofting

The remains of a rotten, broken gate post stand in the ground. Around it a hole half a metre deep has been dug, and the tools used to dig it are scattered on the grass. In front of the hole, a new, galvanised steel post lies waiting to go in — but the hole is not deep enough yet.

I've six gate posts, each twelve years old, that are rotted through at ground level and need replaced. I could replace them with posts from my wood, which would be free, but would rot very quickly; or with commercial wooden gate posts like the ones I'm […]

[Original post on mastodon.scot]

My sawmill, cutting a not very big, not very straight log on a very wet day. The log lies on the bed of the mill, mostly squared up. The carriage of the sawmill, with its green steel box enclosing the blade, sits across it.

Sawmilling in the rain.

#Crofting
#TheJoyOfCrofting