We have a mole. Not a mole that steals your secrets and sells them on to foreign intelligence services (I can’t imagine MI5 needing to send a spook to our croft but you never know). But the true, furry types that make mole hills. And no, I’m not making mountains out of mole hills, I was out trying to flatten mole hills so we don’t end up with bumpy ground later on.
Yes, the snow has mostly gone, the landscape looking very different to most of January. Very much greener, but now with mole hills, everywhere! The sun shines, well, on the first day home for the Crofter. No gale force winds, no snow, no blizzards. So, as the ground was bare, out came the tractor for a bit of therapy (for me, not the Dexter). Usually anything involving grass/fields on a tractor is highly satisfactory (well, until you realise you’re driving close to the neighbour’s house with one of them on night shift; oops, head to far side of field away from their house). As the rain comes across the field in sheets and hits your checks with a sting, you have the satisfaction of your job. The field may not be looking aesthetically pleasing but the hills have been flattened so we can start new with dealing with the problem. Because yes, as much as they look ‘cute’, some of our land has the issue of mounds that were not dealt with in the past and so are now much harder to deal with and cause issues when flail mowing, hay making, or really anything you try and do to improve the ground.
And no, to catch moles you do not need full waterproofs that match he colour of your tractor. I just had them for what is a ‘little’ rain to put you off going out. Dress for the weather and you can enjoy yourself regardless. Shame I didn’t have longer to work on it, I could have done nice neat rows. But hey, the reeds will need topped soon.
Birchwood Croft, Inverness-shire 