A New Friend Arrives.

Friday 27th January 2012

The first clear morning horizon for a while now. And with it a sharp frost.

Sunrise now arrives before 8 and is creeping forward daily.

While I was out today my new rotavator arrived. I already have a small tiller, which is perfect for the system of small beds I operate in the veg plot. But I needed something with a bit more oomph for the larger area which I use for growing spare crops, fodder crops and those crops which demand more space, such as squashes, pumpkins, sweetcorn and maincrop potatoes. I must admit, machines always scare me a little. The bigger they are and the more noise they make, the more they scare me. But hopefully me and my new rotorvator will become firm friends over the next few years.
I was going to buy something bigger, more fancy and more expensive, but I decided to quiz Don about his rotorvator, which always seems easy to handle and does a good job. He spoke highly of his Apache Euro 5 Rotavator, and especially the reliability of its Honda engine. A quick scour of the internet had revealed that I would save several hundred pounds by buying this. And a personal recommendation is worth it's weight in gold, especially from someone who you respect and who knows more than you do. So today my Apache arrived (City Link kindly left it on the doorstep for the few hours I was out!) If it disappoints, Don's to blame.
Late afternoon I discovered three holly saplings which had taken refuge in an old tea chest down by the chicken pen. So, officially, it was today that the tree-planting marathon was 100% finished.

There's probably a Law to explain why this happens but, just a few hours after the arrival of my shiny new rotavator, a sickening crack resounded from the wooden shaft of my trusty spade, which has been a loyal friend for several years now. From Do-It-ALL originally, it has outlasted the DIY chain as well as most of my other tools. I will ask around to find a skilled craftsman capable of giving my spade the loving attention it deserves. Don will know someone. Meanwhile, despite a visible crack, the spade continues to function, though I am being very careful not to stress it.