Scythe ditch blade

I changed the blade on my scythe yesterday to the ditch blade. It makes cutting verbage on a steep slope easier having a slightly shorter blade. Also the ditch blade, designed to deal with tougher stuff than grass and meadow flowers and more awkward surfaces, has a reinforced point.

I shoved a wedge between the scythe shaft and the blade to steepen the angle of the cut too. It's a very well designed tool.

Yes, that's an H on my scythe shaft. Toad has his own. We decided to get two because, although they are eminently adjustable for different users' requirements (height, arm length, etc), we thought it would be a bit of a chore having to make adjustments all the time. Toad also tends to use a longer grass blade than I do so between us we have two scythe shafts and three blades. His has the initial A. H for Nelly and A for Toad. Simple and straightforward ;)

Unfortunately, while I was faffing around with an Allen key making blade adjustments, my sharpening stone rolled off the wheelie bin I'd plonked it on and smashed into four pieces. I thought I'd put it in a wheelie bin lid 'ditch' that would stop it rolling. It wasn't a deep enough ditch. Live and learn, eh?

I've ordered a new one but did manage to use the largest bit to do some sharpening, rather less nonchalantly than usual as I value my fingers!