Termites had attacked the pole and even climbed up to the board already weather beaten for 100 years. I had wanted to move it since long, but where? Now I found a necessity and a new place for it.
The base of the pole had been chewed by termites and it was standing precariously. I thought I was in time to save it. When I examined it while removing, the back of it had been hollowed in many places. It has some more life left.
See the black line across and above the compound? That is the new telephone cable pipe I put up with the help of cousin Subbu. The old cable runs across the yarden you see here. Just out of picture on top. I wanted to have it in proper condition. So I requested our old neighbour Upendra who is in the telephone dept. to get some cable which he did a month ago. He will be requested to connect the ends now that the cable is in place. Why that old cable was across the yarden is another story I will not touch.
Now that cable had to cross the yarden passage. My plan to have something like an arch near the gate and bird bath was long standing. So this need gave me the shot in the arm to also display the weather beaten board differently. There were two important needs. 1. To support the telephone cable [instead of it loosely hanging] that had to cross the passage and 2. To display the 'Dinu's Eden' board there.
I got two termite eaten wood pieces salvaged from the other half of the property while the building was being torn down. The pole wood was made to fit into the GI pipe supporting the gate and another piece across on top connecting the wall.
View from the other side - see the cable pipe - rather crude looking at this time. I ruled out the underground method, but in the end chose the overhead one. Ah, here in these two pictures you can see the old cable across, running haphazardly. That will be removed once Upendra connects the new cable.
Due to winter, yarden is dry-looking.