Once again, the hedges are trimmed for the year. The landscaping crew came on Monday morning and did their magic. They have the right tools for the job and the expertise, both of which I lacked during those years when I trimmed the hedge myself.
Back then, it was an adventure to tackle these things myself. We also were living off savings (before our retirement pensions started up) and the value of the dollar was sinking like a rock, so spending money on hedge trimming was not a priority. And I was younger.
These days, the guys take less than a day to do the job that took me two to three weeks to complete. And the French government recently began to subsidize the cost because we are employing people for regular routine maintenance (new construction is not subsidized). I'm thankful for all of that because I came not to like teetering on my ladder and injuring my back while reaching to trim thick hedges.
That's a smart thing that the government does, to subsidize routine maintenance!
ReplyDeleteOh, and happy blogiversary!
ReplyDeleteYour guys do an excellent job! How does the subsidy work? Do you pay only part of the cost and the government pays the rest or do you get a partial refund of what you paid? Knowing the French penchant for bureaucracy, I imagine this process involves a lot of paperwork.
ReplyDeleteYes, I remember being in France when the Euro was $1.65 US. Ugh!
ReplyDeleteSounds like the French government might give a thought or two to the problems of ordinary people. What a good idea.
ReplyDeleteAnd what a perfect job they do! So glad you're not doing this yourself anymore. So dangerous and an enormous amount of work for one person.
ReplyDeleteI have to agree that your hedge does look nice. Previously, I really preferred the randomness of the shrubbery, but I spend so much time, nowdays, looking at french chateaus, maisons, and the french way really has persuaded me how much it sets off the rest of the landscape as you mention, Walt! And, since I have noticed how much longer I take doing jobs around my property that before went quickly, now I know I can't do that anymore. Now I plan on 2 or sometimes 3 days as I get tired too quickly. Those back aches aren't any fun. Good decision on letting the pros do it!
ReplyDeleteMary in Oregon
Is the government subsidy something for always, or is it Covid related? Smart thinking, either way.
ReplyDeleteThe hedge looks very nice, and you can clearly see the real fake well.
judy, thanks!
ReplyDeletebettyann, you declare your expenses on your tax returns and you either get a credit or a refund of a percentage of the amount. The contractor reports what you paid to the tax folks, too.
chris, amazing, eh?
mitch, they're really good and I'm really happy not to be doing it.
mary, I like a little of both styles.
emm, it started a few years ago, so it's not covid related.
I too would gladly pay someone to do this sort of task. It's worth it.
ReplyDeleteThey did a fine job.