A new-old post

Hello there. How are you? Today I bring you a new-old post.

We spent about two thirds of our Saturday last weekend putting this post in. It's a new post replacing an aged, out-of-line post that required a rusty, flattened tin carefully propped up against it and the gate to stop the hoggets (one and a bit year old lambs) from pushing their way through the gate. So, it's a new post.

But it's also old. :-) It's been cut for a while (a while being an unknown period of time attributed to too many other farm jobs clouding the memory!). It's been lying out in the weather and so the surface looks aged. At least it did until Mr Fencing took to it with the axe and the chainsaw! One lesson, of the thousands I learnt on Saturday, was that the sapwood needs to be removed from the post before you put it in the ground. Otherwise that softer wood rots in the dirt and the post starts to move in it's hole. Then your carefully placed gate and latches will no longer line up. And you have to find a rusty, flattened drum to put in the gap where the post used to be!

Now we have a new-old post that lines up nicely with the fence, gate(s) and latches. Oh, except I must tell you, the top 'hinge' on this gate is currently just a twist of wire. Mr Fencing was disgusted with himself for doing it. But we didn't have the boring bit, as in to make a hole,  to actually put a hinge on the post... That had to wait. In the meantime perhaps we can just adjust the twist of wire as the post moves, thus extending the 'while' before a rusted drum is needed!!! ;-)

Ah, but it's fulfilling work. To now be able to go to gate, unhook it and swing it (actually swing, not carry) the gate across, so the hoggets can feed their hungry selves on the oat crop. Something satisfying to know that you can take a weathered old post, give it a tidy up and make a nicely useful gateway... Now I'm eyeing off a few other gateways :-)

 How's your week going so far? It's been cold here. It's been foggy. But I can almost feel it, almost smell it, I think winter is turning. I hardly dare say it, but I think we're turning the corner, or at least approaching the bend that will take us into spring... Oh yay.