Sir, – I agree with Dr. John Doherty on The Meaning of Mowing(9thMay 9th). I cut my hedge with an age-old pair of shears and always enjoy the experience. I'm surrounded by noisy motorised trimmers which leave an unnatural straight edge to their hedges. My clipping is good exercise for my hands and arms and is caring of the environment, involving no use of fossil fuels. Clipping is a soothing sound and gives the hedge an attractive, rounded look.
We are getting lazier in our approach to all sorts of jobs in our lives, and we will end up doing very little manual work, with consequences for our health, our mental wellbeing and the sustainability of the planet. – Yours, etc,
ERIC CONROY,
Kimmage, Dublin 12.