Thought I'd show ye this. It's the new Portal I've made, to my ditch. I've been needing this for fucking years now. But, I need to do a shit load of stuff around here, pretty much all the time. It can take years for any given thing to bubble to the surface.

Here then is a little potted history of the ditch I'm named after. These are 'library' pictures, from my files. But. nothing much has changed out there, till recently. This then, is what my 'ditch has always looked like:

 Yes. The hedge, to either side, has grown up to pretty much completely obscure the physical structure of the Thunder Box type affair in there, astride the actual ditch. Push through that foliage and you'd find .....

 Now, when I first got here ~ once I actually discovered this thing even existed! It was like this!

 In fact, truth to tell? It wasn't even That good! By the time this shot was taken, I'd safety fenced the pit of hell, hard to ye right as you go in there. And I'd also creosoted and rehung the door.  But, yes; It was still a 'Stand and Deliver!' situation in there.

 Then, I finally got my own SDS drill. A beautiful Hitachi thing. Now, I had the power! Shit was swiftly taken care of!

 Former glory returned to this traditional glory hole. A throne fit for a king. I really couldn't ask for more.

 Well, actually? I guess I could. See; Nice and charming as it is, in summer, to sit there with the door open and watch the birds and wood mice creep along the hedge outside? Once the rains set in, it became a fucking nightmare!

 Imagine it. First thing in ye day. Ye slip out and walk across the rain soaked grass.  Ducking low, ye push through the little, narrow hole in the hedge. And get a cold and heavy fucking shower, right down ye collar, from the saturated foliage above! Great!

 Fucking Years I put up with that. And le Dingo Dog using it, as a free and handy escape route into greater Leitrim. Through that gap. Over the ditch and he was free! Cattle here we come! It was only my sharp eyes and sharper commands fetching him back out again.

 So, having scored such a pleasing victory with my little gate and fencing project there? I set to on my Portal / Dog Stopper. Idea being to save myself having to stoop down ~ Very fucking dodgy when my back's acting up!

 I also wanted to stop getting a cold shower down the back of my neck, from the over hanging branches. And, if I stuck a gate on it? le Ding couldn't escape That way either! One less route to bringing me hell.

 So; It had to be tall enough that I didn't have to stoop. Have a water resistant roof. Be Dog proof. And, naturally; Unobtrusive in my environment.  When I showed Pat', he was fucking impressed! And Pat's a perfectionist. Doesn't impress easily.

 It's actually far less visible than it appears in that shot too. I took that from a side angle, else I'd basically be showing ye a fucking hedge!

 But, yeah. Works an absolute treat. It's discreet. I can slip through there, ram rod straight. Staying dry and comfortable. Dogs don't even bother to look there any more. They accept that I've fucked them for Another escape route. My net is closing.

 Now, I just need to finish and fine tune the Horse Stalls I'm creating, in the cow shed. Get my poor horses out of that rank pen for the winter. And the fencing. Yards and yards of time, effort and cash swallowing fencing!

 My god; The fencing ....!