The "hole making" machine went back last week and this week the bit of equipment that bangs in the posts arrived (you can tell I've got to grips with the technicalities of this....not!). Everything has to come out on the ferry and be lifted on and off by crane, so it's a case of fitting everything into ferry schedules and availability of the equipment. This latest machine just whacked the wooden fence posts into the ground in a matter of seconds. Quite impressive. The strainer-posts still have to be bedded into the holes dug last week, but the post-whacker was available this week so the wooden posts were put in line first and then it will be back to the strainer posts. Once the strainers are up it's time for the "stock-proof fencing" and then a gate. I hasten to add I don't do any of this work - just take the photos and provide tea on request!
ahhahh getting soft Sian, in my day we used a fencing mell to hammer in posts by hand..... as you say back breaking work!
ReplyDeletelOL! Lots of folk still use the more "traditional" method, but there was the option of the magic machine which was working on another part of the island so it seemed too good an opportunity to miss..... But I've seen folk out in pouring rain, freezing cold whacking with the hammers..... you have my admiration if you've done that! (Speaking as a southern softie....)
ReplyDeleteFascinating to have to time things to a ferry schedule! I want to thank you for turning me on to archaeology in the Orkney Islands and to the Ness of Brodgar dig in particular - great stuff!
ReplyDeleteMakes me think I had better get on and stop complaining about mending our fence - no ferries, tractors just B&Q and a spade and hammer!I can't see why it's taken us 2 years to get started.
ReplyDeleteJanet - I wasn't interested in archaeology at all till I came to Orkney - now I'm slightly obsessive about it!
ReplyDeleteThecurateswife: It's taken a while to get my fence sorted - and I must confess I have someone else doing all the labour. I'm just "supervising" ;-)