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HomeLifestyleMending fences

Mending fences

Times Team
By Times Team
December 10, 2025
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A broken fence is always a disaster waiting to happen. Photo supplied
  • By Natalie Pitfield

Our naughty cows had managed to pull the wire and batten fence off its posts. I went out to fix it and realised I didn’t have the correct size fence staples. I used smaller ones and put plenty on in the hope it would be enough to keep the unruly cows out.

Since the fence line bordered our goat paddock I had plenty of help from our goat, Fudge.

He tried to eat the staples, the hammer, my clothes and generally wanted me to cuddle him
instead of work. Now I’m all for cuddles. But there are just some days when you need to get a job done. I finally finished and felt happy the fence was fixed.

A few weeks later the cows were back in the paddock beside the goats, and I look out and see one cow in the goat paddock. Sure enough they’d pulled the fence off again and it was loose enough for this particular cow to step over.

It was going to be a mission to get her back to the other paddock. There was a gate, but I knew the other cows would try and get through the gate rather than let her back in as the grass was definitely greener on the other side.

I opted to move her through a lower gate to a different paddock and finally get her from that paddock to the one the cows were already in. Then I moved the lot of them out of that
paddock so I could properly fix the fence.

I knew it would be absolutely useless to try using the smaller fence staples again. So, I got
some that were the right size and I’m confident they won’t get through again. Well, mostly
confident. Maybe I’d better just go check my fence.

Recipe: Breakfast frittata

Ingredients
2 medium potatoes, peeled & diced
1 tsp olive oil
4 rashers streaky bacon, cut into thirds
2 large field mushrooms, diced
4 eggs
1 cup cream
Salt & pepper
½ cup grated Havarti cheese
1 Cabanossi sausage or similar, sliced
4 cherry tomatoes, halved
Fresh rocket leaves to serve

Method

  1. Preheat oven to 180C. Simmer the potatoes for 10 minutes until tender. Drain and set
    aside.
  2. Heat the oil in a frypan and cook the bacon until just golden. Remove and set aside. Add the mushrooms to the pan and cook until soft. Set aside.
  3. Whisk the eggs, cream and seasoning together in a bowl. Stir in the cheese.
  4. Lightly grease or spray an ovenproof serving dish. Layer the potatoes, bacon, mushrooms, sliced sausage and cherry tomatoes in the dish.
  5. Pour over the egg mixture and bake for 30-35 minutes until golden and set. Cover the
    frittata with foil if it’s colouring too quickly.
  6. Slice the frittata and serve it warm with a spoonful of sour cream and sweet chilli
    sauce. Top with fresh rocket leaves.

Serves 4-6

  • Tags
  • Natalie Pitfield
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