An Essay In Concentration

On what has been the coldest morning of the year so far, Martin Bowers from Fordingbridge arrived promptly to start work on replacing our Wisteria arbour.

The first stumbling block was literally one of concrete – a thick layer from which he had to prise the sheathed bottom of a post needing replacement. It was very hard work – even to watch him.

The same was true of the next one which Martin drilled before breaking up to make room for the second post, which would be

cemented in like the first.

Great concentration, employing the obligatory pencil behind the ear, measuring tape, string, and spirit level, was demonstrated in lining up the second post.

Unfortunately Martin then discovered that some of the older posts he had thought could be utilised were rather too like the curate’s egg, and only good in parts. He will therefore need to return with more new timber to complete the job a day or two after Christmas.

This evening we dined on Jackie’s thick chicken and vegetable stew with crusty bread. The accompaniment to the Culinary Queen’s portion was Hoegaarden, and mine, Chateau Chante Mistral Lirac 2020

81 comments

  1. I imagine it’s quite the challenge to untangle a wisteria from its old arbor. Did you have to trim it back a lot? It will be nice to have new timbers for it to climb on when it’s done, but you’re a smart man to hire someone else to get it done. It looks like backbreaking work…

    1. Yes, Anna. Maybe 7 or 8 years ago I could have tackled it if I had the skill – but not now. Jackie really trimmed the wisteria away a lot, but we are confident that it will grow back. Thank you very much

  2. We had a wisteria once, goodness, it was beautiful, but got quite messy with time. We chopped it down and it came back, chopped more down, and it came back. It was tricky to get rid of it. An arbor is a good idea, it’s a heavy plant.

  3. Most interesting Derrick, and it has added another English word to my vocabulary! I did not know the word ‘arbor’ and so I looked it up….and courtesy of Google, I quote…an abor is a vertical structure in a landscape or garden that can provide shelter, privacy, shade, and serve as an accent. It even gave me a picture 🙂
    I am sure yours will look lovely too Derrick.

  4. Given it was a cold morning, I think Martin must have a very different thermostat from mine! You do have so many good workmen/craftspeople and I imagine they are in high demand. I like that he was re-using timber–even if it means he must choose some different pieces and return. And yes, the pencil give confidence!

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