Working on the croft..

..got my mower sorted. The 5 mm plate is a bit heavy, and as I have to turn it and the engine to get the mower started, it can be a bit of a job. Anyway, once started, it keeps going! Finished the repairs around 1:00 pm, and took it out for a test run. It mowed the bank outside the house, the one that has all the daffodils on it. I then decided to take it down the croft, and mowed the patch by the compost bins, the bit above the currants, and then the track down to the gate. Once there, did the bit between the road, and between me and A's croft. This is where I stalled it! I tried starting it again without success, and so pushed it back to the gate and out onto the road. Without the resistance of grass, it started again, and I finished the job with a fourth pass back up the track to the shed.. I good test..

A quick bite for lunch, and then back down the croft around 3:30 to do some hoeing with the push hoe. Things are starting to grow a bit now, I can see proper leaves coming on most crops. I hoed nearly everything with the Jalo hoe (the wheeled push one). Also picked around 10 buckets of stones (this is an ongoing job whenever I feel in the mood. I know there's a lot more buried underneath, but each bucket is one less to rattle the hoe over.. There are some "walnut" size, some beach pebbles the size of a cricket ball, and some the size of "bowling" balls! The larger ones block the hoe up, and have to be removed, but I'm picking all sizes..

Had a chat with two ladies. They were quite impressed with my efforts. Turned out one came from the New Forest, a few miles from where I spent my early years, and she even knew the house I used to live in. The other lady came from Bedfordshire, just N of Luton, and worked at Rothamsted where I worked for 30 years.. It's a very small world

Gala meeting tonight, not sure we achieved much, but we had plenty of discussion..

I was hoping for a sunset picture tonight, but when I went out just after 10, the skies were just grey, so got this pic of the croft and today's efforts instead..