Going back to my roots?

The hedge between the front of my property and the road suffered very badly during the severe winter last year. Most of the hedge died, so we decided to replace it. I removed and shredded most the dead stems during the autumn, leaving the stumps in the ground. The advice we have from the garden centre is that we should remove the dead stumps and prepare the soil before planting the replacement hedge plants. So, the task falls to me.

This week I started removing the old stumps. There is no particular hurry, so long as the job gets done before spring. I don't know if you have ever tried removing a small stump, but it is hard work. Even with digging it out and then levering at it with a pick-axe it still takes a while. I have other things to do (and I don't want this to be my only occupation), so I have set myself an informal target of 3 or 4 stumps a day. So far, I seem to be running slightly ahead of my self-imposed schedule. With any luck I will have finished removing the stumps before it is time for me to depart for England.