It's finished!
Given the date you might be forgiven for believing that I'm referring the summer holidays. Well yes they are also, unfortunately, over, but I'm actually referring to a fundamentally deeper significant event.
On Tuesday the 25th of August I finished fencing the perimeter of the property. Loud applause please, or reverent awe if you are religiously inclined.
Ok, so this might not sound like such a big deal to those, less unfortunate mortals, who have never had to dig umteen holes, then lug posts and cement to fill in the holes and then finally drag 100 meter roles of mesh and tie it said posts, but believe me this is a momentous milestone.
It's taken me over two years to complete. Ok so I wasn't working on this full time, but even so it has been a long haul. In all I think I've hung approximately 600 meters of meshed wiring, some 300 posts and 150 wheelbarrows of cement (it seemed like and probably was more).
For a complete novice I was, initially, pleasantly surprised at the fact that I had managed to run a straight line and that the mesh wasn't sagging in places like geriatric cow's udder. As the project progressed I even permitted myself the luxury of criticizing those fences put up by the local "professionals".
Then I started to fence a stretch of about 200 hundred meters of, flat, completely unimpeded land, the rest of the fence actually meanders like a lost stream through oaks, ash, European hackberry, hawthorns and of course rocks of all shapes, sizes and dispositions.
Given the date you might be forgiven for believing that I'm referring the summer holidays. Well yes they are also, unfortunately, over, but I'm actually referring to a fundamentally deeper significant event.
On Tuesday the 25th of August I finished fencing the perimeter of the property. Loud applause please, or reverent awe if you are religiously inclined.
Ok, so this might not sound like such a big deal to those, less unfortunate mortals, who have never had to dig umteen holes, then lug posts and cement to fill in the holes and then finally drag 100 meter roles of mesh and tie it said posts, but believe me this is a momentous milestone.
It's taken me over two years to complete. Ok so I wasn't working on this full time, but even so it has been a long haul. In all I think I've hung approximately 600 meters of meshed wiring, some 300 posts and 150 wheelbarrows of cement (it seemed like and probably was more).
For a complete novice I was, initially, pleasantly surprised at the fact that I had managed to run a straight line and that the mesh wasn't sagging in places like geriatric cow's udder. As the project progressed I even permitted myself the luxury of criticizing those fences put up by the local "professionals".
Then I started to fence a stretch of about 200 hundred meters of, flat, completely unimpeded land, the rest of the fence actually meanders like a lost stream through oaks, ash, European hackberry, hawthorns and of course rocks of all shapes, sizes and dispositions.
A doddle, I hear you say, and so I thought to myself. When I finally finished that section a neighbor (the same one who actually inspired me to start this mad folly), kindly commented that strong winds makes it difficult to keep the posts straight. Winds had little to do with it. I'm still surprised that despite the fact that I had a nice straight rope to mark where the posts had to go and that I used a spirit level to make sure everything was "straightish", I don't believe I managed to get three posts in line, oh well I justified to myself, "I'm not a professional and even if it is crooked at least it will keep out the sheep, goats and cows out, which is the reason I put the damn thing up."
It's finished, the great fence of El Sequero.
It's finished, the great fence of El Sequero.
I'll post some photos for you to admire and wonder over, when I get over the post fencing depression, that is surely to set in once I recover from the physical exertion.
I might even have more time now to post here more frequently, puns intended.
I might even have more time now to post here more frequently, puns intended.
