The Saga
tune – The Laird of Cockpen

The site now closed off with a double leaf gate
The hedging now planted perhaps a bit late
The digger and dumper on site beforehand
A hug landscape project for this part of the land.

Many months in advance the hawthorn did source
Ordered in time to let nature take course
Through Winter and Spring the ground not prepared
Like ‘Brexit’ discussions it must be compared.

The Boss Man himself under constant duress
A conflict of interests he had to address
Customers phoning their work to complete
With his landscape project they had to compete.

With Summer approaching he started to dig
But with no one to guide him the machine was too big
He intended to finish the job in a week
When checked by an ‘expert’ the trench was too deep.

A meeting was held for now it was clear
The digger too clumsy at first we did fear
He took the decision to dig holes by hand
‘Six hundred apart’ – that would be just grand,

He ‘press-ganged’ a local – a wee man from Poolewe
Freely admitted not knowing what to do
But could dig the holes with a rounded nose spade
The new planting schedule must not be delayed.

But what could be done with a trench deep and wide
We ‘back-filled’ the bottom with stuff from each side
Levelled it off with manure from the Glen
The front bucket loaded again and again.

The wee man kept digging the holes to prepare
Perfectly spaced with precision and care
With spots of red paint for a straight line to keep
No need for ‘back filling’ the holes not too deep.

We started the planting the job to complete
Dismissing his target of only one week
Conditions not good the ground much too dry
Against high stake odds we could only but try.

The Boss Man at times the site had to leave
From day work commitments there was no reprieve
The local grown shrubs planted all as per plan
We ‘chanced’ they’d not be a strict hose pipe ban.

As I finish my story the hawthorn looks good
New shoots breaking through the dry spell withstood
And in years to come when established they’ll be
A new tourist attraction by Loch Ewe for to see.