Repairing the thatch

Collecting the newspapers this morning from the village shop I noticed one of the thatched cottages was having its ridge repaired. The work had only just started and the building is on a lethal bend in the road so it was impossible to take any photographs of the men up on the roof.

I asked the man what sort of straw he was using and it is "wheat reed", which is wheat straw that is usuallly combed to free it of weeds and the grain-carrying ears. This looked very clean but it still had its ears so perhaps that is fine for the short downward length of the ridge. It is always important to keep the ridge in good repair since its runs along the top of the roof binding the two sides together.

On the ground next to the stooks are the thatcher's knee pads and his special knife for trimming the lengths once they have been inserted into the ridge.

One occasionally passes fields covered with corn stooks grown for thatching. A nostalgic sight when one is used to large round or square bales!