Trimmings

As mentioned on Sunday, I gave the rowan tree at the gate a trim. It gets it every 5 years or so to prevent it getting too large.

Some might say it has had a brutal hair cut rather than a trim. But every time it recovers well and the honeysuckle which grows through it survives.

Today after a morning meeting it was so pleasant in the sunshine I began the task of tidying up the trimmings and with secateurs I cut the twigs and smaller branches into pieces. Over an hour later and with the refuse bin full I stopped.

Tonight we watched the repeat of Michael Palin’s New Europe programme which we have been following. Tonight it was Hungary and Ukraine. The programme was from 2007 and it was desperately sad to see Lviv in prime condition being lauded as a European city well worth visiting. The discussions with many of the local citizens were full of optimism even projecting their thoughts 15 years forward to 2022. They were not to know.

It was interesting though to hear the discussions in Crimea where the pro Russian comments were much more evident and a young tour guide diplomatically trying not to criticise Stalin.