A betting term as you may know. One of my first jobs in Customs and Excise was test betting which involved not shaving and looking less than respectable and placing two shilling bets to win in a variety of Black Country betting shops, which were made legal in about 1966. Prior to that “bookies runners” literally did that between the bookmaker and the customers. The method of control was decided on and a test bet could be traced by the local Officer through the books of the bookmaker. Why would he (universally male on those days – Ed) suppress bets from strangers walking into the shop when the locals who he trusted could perform the same role. In short a waste of time, especially as I had no interest in horse racing!

If we can trim the hedges in July, we can lighten the veg patch and tidy up some very enthusiastic growth that has taken place so far this year. There’s about a hundred metres of hedging, but it is not to be done at once and the veg place is the obvious place to start as it maximises the light available into the Autumn. The Cockerel which overseas the chicken area has now been released from the intertwining branches – he can now breath.

I do love hedging, it is satisfying surveying the resultant neat hedge, which makes the place looked after. The bit I dislike is the clearing up and rubbish (brash – Ed).

And there is a Royal visit to prepare for now we have a date, so high on the lists of jobs to be completed is the hedging.