Arch supported once again.

I spent the entire day on Saturday in the vegetable garden.  There was lots to do.  Always the changing of the seasons seems to bring extra chores.  First thing to go was the support that I had added to  the back fence so that the passionfruit vine which went wild had somewhere to go.   That died off due to the woody passionfruit virus but has started up again travelling in the other direction.  I have decided I dont want it going along the back of the vegetable garden again as next season I want to plant tomatoes along that back fence and need to prepare the soil there.  At the moment there are small stones there, so it will be a big job, but I have time. 
The arch had sagged down so much that there really was no arch left.... I had purchased a cheap arch and it had rusted away. Not a good look at all.

I removed that bit of wire and with hubbys help we inserted it into the old arch.  We put the wire under the mass of passionfruit and mandevilla vines and pushed, nothing moved.........then we pushed again - nothing.  The mandevilla vine is the one with the most weight and I think was originally the demise of the cheap arch, but now it was so intertwined with the passionfruit vine that I was not sure what to do.   I got out the loppers and cut off the main branch leading that direction, and slowly with brute force the arch began to take shape again.  The mandevilla branches will have to die off in situ as there is no way I can remove them without damaging the passionfruit which continues on along the other side of the arch for about 10 feet.  the back fench which is strong and secure is now the main support for the arch, and it should last many years.
Doest it look better?

The birds think so - the male honeyeaters came by for their daily swim in the birdbath.  Funny only the male birds seem to take a bath!  Maybe the girls are shy and only go when I am not looking, but the males dont worry about me at all.  

His friend came to join him and then they dried off on the fence.  That fence will soon be covered again with passionfruit vine.  The little bits of red you see are birds eye chilli which volunteered in that area.  I still havnt gathered up the courage to harvest them for cooking. 

So glad that arch is back up again  - that is a job I have been putting off for too long, and really it wasnt so hard!.