Arrived home in the dark. Went out to put the ducks and geese to bed. Normally it's a hitch-free business, I shout 'ducks, ducks, ducks, geese, geese, geese' and they get out of the beck and go into their respective houses.
Something odd tonight - I find out as I am walking towards them, looking at them and not where I'm going, by falling into the 3ft deep trench
It seems the man has come to dig the land drain, two days early. Which is good
But there is now a 3ft deep trench, and the accompanying mound of soil, between the ducks and their houses.
I find some planks and build a bridge. And cut them a pass through the soil mountain. Some ducks are smart, see the pass, cross the bridge and go to bed. Other ducks climb the mountain, fall into the trench, flap about and shout and have to be caught and posted through the duckhouse door. The call ducks fly away and refuse to come to bed at all. The geese have to be herded out of the beck, which turns out to be deeper than my wellies but do finally go into their house, muttering quietly to each other.
Now I need a cuppa. Well actually I need a stiff gin, but there is still work to do