The Hay-Rake in the Hedge

 We have discovered in the hedge on our western boundary, just to the left of the new gate through to the field where we dogs go to shout at Mike-the-Cows's Charolais beasts, what looks like an old horse drawn hay rake, all rusted up and looking very antique-ish. Its left wheel is almost clear of the soil and weeds, all be it almost hidden under the elder branches and surrounded by nettles. The rake at the back though, and the right hand wheel are almost buried under a pile of banked-up soil and much of the structure has ivy, elder and hawthorn growing up, round and through it

 The booms which ran out either side of the horse are in a sorry state, one rusted away completely and the other almost rusted through. John Deere Bob (our source of advice on such things) thinks it has been there about 30 years and had soil piled up against it which TK Min may have been 'saving' because top soil is expensive. Also, if the black plastic sheeting is anything to go by, it may have had big-bale silage or hay/straw stacked against it.

Mum and Dad think, and JDB agrees that if we can get it out it might look nice painted up and standing on the front lawn or somewhere as an antique but JD cautions pulling it out gently lest it just fall apart. So Dad is going to dig away and expose as much of it as possible to see if he can free it up. At the same time he will be persuading WD40 and other oils into the wheel bearings to see if they can be freed up. Watch this space for progress.

Deefs