I hate having to do things that I hate doing.

If you know what I mean?

There was a Quince tree that had been trained up a wall outside the kitchen window.  It has been there for about forty years or so and was prolific to say the least.  Every summer I would have to attack it voraciously to stop it spreading across the window.

Over the years, and because of the constant pruning, the trunk had become quite thick and gnarly while the foliage was dense and fresh.  As a result, the birds loved it for nesting and most years we had a family of robins or blackbirds living in it.  It also had a rather attractive pink blossom and each year produced a lot of fruit.

I hate cutting down stuff in the garden.  I don't mind pruning and can be quite vicious when the need arises, but I usually draw the line at total destruction.

But the Quince had to go.

We are having a bit of work done to the Manor, and the wall where the Quince grew had to be free of growth.

I have just finished hacking it down.

It was a messy job as the trunks were think and tangled.  To make things worse it had originally been trained up on wire netting which had become twisted, rusty and embedded in the plant itself.

There was a lot of blood.

Penny and Herself go into overdrive at the sight of blood.  Penny wants to lick any wounds and herself starts hovering near the phone to call an ambulance.  Of course I washed my hands and it's difficult to see where the scratches are.  Accident & Emergency Departments can stand down for another while.

Maybe the Quince will start to grow again?  I left a foot or two at the base and it might spring back to life and make another attempt to take over the kitchen window.

The birds will have to wait for a year or two though…….