Tree fellas

We had tree fellers in today and they were quite amazing.

Actually there were five of them and they were tasked with taking down 7 huge eucalyptus trees too close to our house in soggy ground of winter, the wind storms of spring and the fire danger of summer. Much as we love them they also drop leaves - and limbs occasionally - all year round and their roots invade every garden bed we have. We are sorry to see them go but are trying to make up for it by planting about 500 more on the property. They were far too big for us to cut down ourselves, ranging from about 20 to 40 feet high and sandwiched between fences, gates, heritage garden and other things we didn't want to squash. Like the chicken house. So professional Tree Fellers were called in, complete with abseiling harness, chainsaws and slight madness.

The tree fellers were not at all phased by the lack of space to actually fell the trees. They just went up there and brought them down, bit by bit. Dropping great branches accurately between the 40 year old camellias, the flimsy bit of wire holding back the woolly horde and a lonely garden tap. Grinning all the while. They came from all over the place, a Canadian, a New Zealander, a New South Welshman among them. They laughed and joked and had games of duelling chainsaws.

The morning started shakily when SO declared they'd be here between 7 and 7:30am, but he didn't expect them until after that really and at any rate they'd have to set up first so he wasn't going to get up too early. I was unpopular due to making him get up at 6:00 after checking the ewes all night, but the tree feller fellas were here, chainsaws revving, at 7:15.

We were then treated to a wonderful show of aerobatic wood cutting, trapeze tree trimming and gravity defying gum grooming all morning. The pregnant ewes, in the paddock we optimistically call "The Orchard" closest the house, were a bit alarmed at all the noise and gathered together in the farthest corner whispering among themselves. The alpacas were completely unfazed.

The tree feller fellas worked on the five biggest eucalypts first, all together in what could not be called a small copse at the back of the garden acre. The pile of wood and leaves there now cannot be traversed. It will take us several weeks with our own little chainsaw and mulcher to clear up, but at last the trees are down.

When we eventually let the cats and dogs out of the house again after all was safe Jelly pretended to be sad about the loss of the trees, then spent the afternoon being a tiger in the branches and leaves and running and jumping from log to log having the best of times on her own little assault course.