I’ve been talking again to Jonny the farmer and we’ve agreed that the wire each side of the beck will not be replaced – that is, it has to be put back along the length by the garden, but the two fields will not be separated any more.  The main advantage of this will be to make it possible to cut back brambles and nettles – it looks a mess and it’s not especially friendly to wildlife, except possibly to rabbits.  There is plenty of other cover for animals, nothing is ever sprayed so it’s bee and butterfly friendly and it will encourage less rampant wild plants: or so we hope.  It will certainly look prettier and save the cost of the extra posts and wire.  The cattle will probably still cross through the ford, but they can make their way into the beck if they want to.

I discovered this morning, checking my Facebook feed (where they remind you what you posted on that day in previous years) that this is the sixth anniversary of the first blog party – the Wall Party, as it was called that time.  At least four people have come along every year since, and expect to come again this year – I should look up the guest list from that time.  Tim and I hadn’t started reading each other’s blogs at that time, though we did quite soon afterwards, and he came to the second party.  We still look at each other in amazement at the change in our lives.