The scything gang becomes the ditching gang!!!

We didn't think we would get any scything done this weekend as the weather during the week had been terrible, so much rain and Tim had been ill. He suffers from hay fever and it laid him low for a couple of days.
But Saturday was fine and the Hedge laying Hollands arrived, laden with tomato plants and home made black current jam, and of course their scythes and hand sickles. After a quick cup of tea and a look round my veg plot we made a start on cutting back the reeds and grass around the ditch we'd cleared over the last couple of weeks to see if we could find where the water was running from. We found a couple of drainage pipes, one running with water the other was dry. We cleared them both so they drained into the ditch.
As this point the scything gang split into the ladies scything and the chaps messing about in the ditch, digging in the mud and generally getting enjoying themselves as they cleared the overgrown ditch to make a much clearer run for the water, they also found very large stone in the middle of the path of the ditch, it looks like it was placed their as a stepping stone to get over the ditch.
After lunch we ladies continued scything and stuck to the original order of the day of clearing the fence line along the second field we can graze sheep in on the common land, to check that it's sound before we let the Shetlands in. They are great escapologist, the smallest hole in a fence is seen as a "opportunity to explore" by all Shetland sheep. The chaps decided to continue playing in the mud and decided to clear the end of the ditch that went under a fence, it had become silted up with old twigs, feed bags and silt. By the end of the afternoon, both teams had completed their tasks, but in the process the midges had feasted on us all. I don't know about the Hedge laying Hollands, but I've been bitten along my forehead and arms!!! As usual the day ended with an excellent meal at our local pub, The Black Bull.
Next weekend sees me at the North Yorkshire Smallholder's fibre event on the Saturday, then on the Sunday, Andrew the Sheep Shearer is here to attempt to shear the sheep again!!!!!!