A busy couple of weeks, but mainly at home with a new shed put up for the tractor...
Also at home, the pot grown fruit trees and a few specialist varieties grouped together in the yard so as to help devise a planting scheme - particularly for a heritage varieties orchard.
This weekend just gone, I called in again at Bernwode Plants near Bicester and picked up a couple of young apple trees likely to give a pink juice (Beckley Red & Sops in Wine).
I took a long walk from Lower Heyford to Oxford along the canal tow-path (in fine sunny weather on the Saturday). Part of the purpose of which was to look over various bits of meadow and the general habitat and conservation issues along the Cherwell Valley.
Also a visit on Sunday to Wychwood Forest Fair - a good day out (once the rain stopped) and a lot of conservation habitat information available from various projects and groups. Another heritage apple variety purchased (Châtaignier).
Down at the field the grass has really come on, but still a fair amount of buttercup foliage coming through and patches of nettles at the north and east boundary.
Late one evening the wind was getting up a bit and a noticeable amount of leaves are starting to turn or come off now.
The damaged gatepost at the bottom of the access track was replaced and I re-hung the gate so it can be left closed - just as well as about 20 tyres had been fly-tipped into the brook at the side of the public footpath.
I used the Cheshire West & Chester website 'fly-tipping' on-line report form last Friday and by Monday evening the tyres had been removed.
I gave the south hedgerow mature ash trees a bit of a closer looking over, I'd noticed one was partly hollow about half way up (40 feet?) - most have been pollarded at some time in the past, but the hollow one is one of the tallest in it's natural form and from across the field daylight is visible all the way through.
Hallo, I found you through your post on TreeTribe. I haven't posted much as I haven't really known what to post about but I do read everything and definitely respect and cherish trees!
ReplyDeleteIt looks like a good space you have. I used to be guardian of a wood but it was taken by creditors when I became bankrupt earlier in the year - terrible time. The last tree I planted there was a pocket handkerchief (Dove) tree which needed a home. My hope is that nothing untoward will happen to the wood as it is relatively inaccessible, on a steep slope and carpeted with bramble.
However, I look forward to seeing how you develop alongside your land. Best wishes, Rosie