How many Men does it take?

How many men does it take to hang a gate on the driveway?  Five to start with, and a late addition, makes six.  And going by the comments, this was a job that none of them had tackled before.  Geoff had often talked about making his gateway wider, all the better to get our caravans onto his property from time to time when we come to stay.  The time for talking was over, he finally went out and purchased another gate and hinges, and today was the day. 

A few things needed to be done before the extra gate was hung.  First that big post had to be dug up, the bracing post removed, and the wires snipped through.

The bracing post wasn’t too hard to remove, but that big heavy post took a lot of work.  They all took turns at digging at the base with the one and only spade, giving it a wiggle from time to time to check how firmly it was still in the ground.  Meanwhile the others snipped the wires, carefully keeping the staples aside for future use.  Success at last, and Bill lifted that pesky pole right out of the ground.

Bill removing the pole

The next step was to replace the pole the correct distance along the existing fence line.  Meaning – fill up the first hole, dig a second hole to put said pole in, and pack it tight.  Easy, you would think.  But no, their measurements were slightly out and the pole wasn’t quite in the right place.  I decided to take my camera and disappear at this stage, before things got too heated.  Hopefully the problem would be sorted out  before my next walk down the drive to take progress photos. 

The  repositioned pole

It didn’t take too long before the second gate was hung.  Having this wider opening onto the driveway will make all the difference.

Job well done

Today was a special day for the lady of the house – it was Eileen’s birthday.  Luckily I remembered to bring our special birthday hat for her to wear, (whether she wanted to or not) while we all sung “Happy Birthday”. 

Happy Birthday Eileen

Eileen was busy in the kitchen later in the day and whipped up a batch of cup cakes for us to have at supper time.  They came complete with jelly babies on top.  Now that’s different!

Cup cakes for supper

We spent the evening in our usual Friday evening fashion, relating jokes, and telling tall tales.  With everyone on site for our Christmas Rally, it looks like being a great weekend.  More fun is planned for tomorrow.