Hedge-laying

I happened upon this session of hedge-laying today.  In the main photo a very young hedge has been laid at 45 degrees because it is very sparse still.  It was planted about six years ago by the owner of the land next to the lane so we can expect it to thicken with time.  That owner died a couple of years ago in a rather horrible tractor accident – on the steep hill out of the village, I understand.  Her husband continues her good work, with trees, hedges and their herd of Highland Cattle.

The hedge in the Extra is more mature and is therefore laid almost horizontally; you can just see the thickness of the trunks and how far they've been cut through to enable the lay.  When I started laying our own little hedge I thought that it required a blade to make the cuts, but I've discovered that any implement will do, and that the professionals like this pair use chainsaws.

And the chap nearest the camera in the Extra is the father of the landlady of the pub, I discovered in our conversation – the singer in yesterday's Blip.