Wednesday, July 8, 2009

Ha Ha

I've learned a new word today. While walking back from taking photos of the sheep on the hillside, I met up with one of my fellow scientists. He mentioned that they were restoring the "ha ha." I, being a very puzzled American said "huh?" or something to that effect. It turns out a ha ha is a reverse fence. A picture of which you see to the left. Instead of putting a fence around a terrace or garden which might spoil the view, the English put in a ditch to keep the sheep or cattle from messing up the pretty garden area. The one here at Launde has a herringbone brick pattern up the wall. It's quite pretty, but looks like it would be costly to put in.

2 comments:

June Butler said...

All I really need to know I learned from Jane Austen. Yes, it was from her books I learned the meaning of a "ha-ha".

motheramelia said...

My education was very slim on English Lit. Chemists, even those of us getting a BA instead of a BS, really concentrated on getting our major courses in. My son keeps telling me I need to read Jane Austen and some day I shall.