Hard-ish yakka

I really tried to get a photo showing that I cut an overgrown pittosporum tree to half its height, but the sun was in the wrong place (although obviously it was in the right place and free of clouds). You can just about see the cut stems. If I had taken a photo in the same position before I started, there would have been no blue sky visible.

In 2018 I planted a number of native trees on the south side of the chook run, aimed at giving them some shelter from winter southerlies. They have grown like the clappers and are doing what they are designed for beautifully well.

However they have grown so tall that at this time of year, when the sun is at its lowest in the sky in the middle of the afternoon, they are shading the new cabin. 

I depend on the accumulation of the maximum possible sun-heat in the new cabin through winter so that I don't need a heater or fire in there all evening. It saves me a heap of power.

As a result the tall trees have to be lowered, and this was the first one to get the chop. Three more to go. Tomorrow and Tuesday.

Ironically next winter, some of these very same trees will be removed altogether because they are precisely where my replacement kitchen cabin will be located. I feel awful to have planted them and now contemplating their demise, but I did what was sensible at the time. Incidentally they are way too big to relocate.

I have also started to tackle the major task of this winter: to return the herb bed to lawn, and to shift all the herb plants and artichokes to one of the raised beds which is not going to be needed for veggies under my new reduced-production regime. 

Today I removed the wooden planks which have surrounded the herb bed and dragged them to a sunny spot to let them dry out before stacking them for future use (as yet unknown). It will be slow and steady work for several weeks to complete the change.

Elsewhere around the place I did some pruning, some weeding and even some relaxing.

Bean supervised...

I am so pleased that the protests in the USA were such a success. It is great to see today's Blips from the other side of the Pacific. It gives us all some hope... Thank you folks.