Night Scents and Secrets
Meadows are a beautiful sight but have you ever noticed their scents? During the day there is not much, except maybe the sweet smell of curing hay. Come the fall of evening though, the scents come alive. One of the rewards of working outdoors late into the evening is the … Continue reading Night Scents and Secrets
Misty Morning Meadow Mowing
Sometimes an early rise during haying weather brings a surprise. We had a lovely hour of mowing in the atmospheric mist. The mist gradually burned off as the sun rose. The sun on the wet vegetation was stunning. I take a lot of pictures of sunny, hot hay making. Below … Continue reading Misty Morning Meadow Mowing
Scythe Festivals of Britain and Ireland
This year’s West Country Scythe Festival was a great success. Don’t worry if you missed out. Here is a round up of the festivals that are still to come this summer. Look out for one near you! Team mowing at the West Country Scythe Festival Meadows Connections Festival 14th and … Continue reading Scythe Festivals of Britain and Ireland
Make a Simple Peening Bench from Offcuts of Timber
A Peening Bench or Peening Pony Before you begin peening, you need to mount your peening jig or anvil. There are many ways of doing this, from a purpose built peening bench to mounting the anvil / jig in large log. Here is how we make a simple peening bench … Continue reading Make a Simple Peening Bench from Offcuts of Timber
Falci and Luxor Scythe blades at the Scythe Festival
Phil will be taking Falci scythe blades and the Fux Luxor blade along to the West Country Scythe Festival (Sunday 10th June) If you will be there and would like to buy one, look out for him and ask!
The Ultimate Scythe Course
The two day Improvers Scythe Masterclass is a fantastic opportunity to learn a lot more about the scythe and have some fun as well Why not come along? There are still a couple of places left on this year’s Improvers Masterclass, held in Muchelney, Somerset. The course runs from Friday … Continue reading The Ultimate Scythe Course
How to Make Scything a Pleasure
A scythe and the right conditions can turn cutting grass from a chore to a joy The edges of our forest garden have been getting rather overgrown. I got up early to give them a trim. My effort was well rewarded. The early morning dew and a sharp blade made … Continue reading How to Make Scything a Pleasure
When to Mow your Wildflower Meadow
RHS Chelsea Flower show starts next week. And we will soon begin hay making with our annual “Chelsea Chop” Conventional advise has suggested waiting until July or later before beginning to cut wildflower meadows. In recent years this advice has begun to change. We now begin our hay making at … Continue reading When to Mow your Wildflower Meadow
Spring Cleaning with the Scythe
At last the grass is growing! Spring has been slow to get underway this year, but now it has the garden is beginning to look rather ragged around the edges. Here is how we use the scythe to give the garden a bit of a Spring tidy up. The short … Continue reading Spring Cleaning with the Scythe