Relaxation, contemplation and work.

Back to my proper job, so the land and wildlife get a break for a couple of weeks.
The previous couple of weeks on the one hand passed quite quickly, but also day by day at a sedate sort of pace steadily getting through some jobs at the field and also looking around the surrounding countryside and chatting to locals and neighbours and visitors.
Still a lot of local history to patch together, from modern websites and back to formal archives at Kew back to the year 1200 odd.
The enclosures map at Chester Records Office sheds a bit more light on old field boundaries and trackways - including the 'lost' track to the south of the field.

Before winter comes, I'd like to sort part of the planting scheme for a small copse at the field widths at either end, planted up from nursery stocks of native local broadleaf trees back at home.
At the same time, I need to get the south boundary secure against small livestock (last year saw a few occasions of sheep interloping from a couple of fields away).
Being as it's September and traditionally a good time to do so, some reseeding of the grassland - although the grass in the minority and an intended proliferation of appropriate meadow flower seed to go in. (I've left a couple of areas of meadowsweet standing so that it goes fully to seed and spreads a bit more).

Looking ahead and further afield, there is Cranford Chase Woodfair (coincidentally near where I landed in a hot air balloon from Salisbury last year) and a Quince Day at Norton Priory nearer to home soon in October.

Back at the field I'm going to experiment with rose-hip syrup and / or jam from the profusion of dog-roses in the hedgerows.

With a couple of things at home and work rescheduled - I decided to take the tent down to the field at the same time as the machines and tools. (Rather than drive home and back the next day several times).
I got the post and four rail fencing at the bypass underpass finished (replacing flimsy sparse posts and strands of barbed-wire), this has got some mixed hedgerow plants to go in either side of the fencing.

From Meadowcopse 2011

I took a tub of masonry paint and a long scrubbing brush to the footpath underpass to obliterate the grafiti.

From Meadowcopse 2011

(No 'Banksy' like works of art were cancelled out in this process).

Back to the grass, after another mow - a 2 metre rake behind the tractor, a combined weighted chain Harrow and a large sprung tine hay / lanscping rake by hand and a pitch-fork to de-thatch things, the residue becoming ash to blend with soil and compost.
A constant battle seems to be a few docks and dandelions in great profusion.

From Meadowcopse 2011