I was walking home from the shop the other evening and noticed that someone had cut the grass along the side of the road. You may not think that's unusual but this is in the middle of  the country and there is grass everywhere, thinking it was very public spirited I carried on. About a km further on a came across the person responsible, local farmer Leif Jarle so I stopped him for a chat and he explained what he was doing.  Running alongside the road is an electric fence. I had also noticed this as it was blocking the path to one of my favourite climbing spots. I was looking for possible places to cross it but couldn't find one. Anyway, the reason for the mowing. If the grass grows high enough so that it touches the fence it causes a path to Earth and the potential of the wire drops significantly. The sheep soon realise this and get out. Problem solved then, all I have to do is find a long blade of grass to connect the wire to the ground and I can cross the fence safely, hoping of course that no sheep see me do it.