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Scything on Countryfile
This enjoyable piece on the Austrian scythe and hand hay making featured on Countryfile last night, with prominent UK scythers Andi Rickard and Simon Fairlie. Countryfile – Meadows – The scything starts at 30.35. The linking shot from the previous
Peening to Keep Mowing
Whilst mowing this morning both Phil and I were sharpening more frequently than usual to keep our blades mowing well – time for a peen. Here is Phil working on my 75cm Profisense ready for tomorrow morning’s mowing. Permaculture Magazine
Saving the Hay
National Meadows Day last Sunday saw us spending a fair part of the day out in one of the Trust’s meadows, saving the hay. This is grass that was cut in the rain on our last scythe course. We would
Mowing in the rain
Mowing in full waterproofs, not what you might imagine when you are thinking about using a scythe. Nine brave folk happily took on the challenge on Tuesday during our wettest scythe course of 2016. The wet grass was cutting nicely
Making Hay while the Sun (briefly) Shines
We sneaked in a bit of hay making in the last little patch of good weather. The hay, cut on Wednesday morning, was racked last night to protect it from the showers that arrived over night. I didn’t get any
Mowing a Meander in the Meadow
Every year I mow a labyrinth into the top hay field for Summer Solstice. Here is the one I mowed last year. The labyrinth is useful in that it gives people a chance to walk and play right in amongst
Poldarking vs Mowing with Ease
“Poldarking” is one of the latest words to have entered the scything lexicon. No, it’s not mowing with your top off. Rather, it refers to that style of mowing that seems to be more akin to golf then scything. You
A Good Start Made
This last week of beautiful weather has given us a good start on the seasons hay making. Phil has mowed every morning from Saturday 28th May until Friday 3rd June. The cut grass has been spread and rowed daily, taking
The Summer of Hay Making Begins.
It’s a weekend of firsts – we had our first beginners scythe course of the season yesterday and we started the first hay making of the year. Phil also found the first orchids in the hay field. The first was in