rain stops play

Recovering from 2 weeks of night-shifts facilitated an early start back at home.
Wide awake for 5am - too dark to do much outside, but catching day-break down at the field and moving some of the floated hedgerow wood debris from when the River Dee last came over its banks.

A couple of frosts, but not persistent enough to dry things up and sporadic rain has made the ground greasy underfoot.
Some of the nursery stock of young trees shuffled about at home and a little bit of levelling at the field of a low spot between the cider apple trees.

Another spell looking over the 1735 map and overlapping modern features in the landscape.
A couple of enigmas to resolve - a LIDAR aerial view and depressions in the ground match a 90 degree boundary marked 100+ meters further south than expected. The map also pre-dates alterations to 'Appleby's Drain' the ditch from Crewe-by-Farndon that drops into the River Dee.

From History

A pair of herons again in the maize field behind.
Not much pencilled in for the weekend, other than organisational things...

and a parcel of meadow in Farnedon, pledged to him by Thomas Dicon and Wenthliana his wife

Somewhere in these old Deeds there might be reference to my field...
I have patchy access to nearly 400 years of documents with modern, tithe or old estate maps with direct plot detail.
Prior to 1735 it becomes difficult, although some of those linked in the National Archives are intriguing for their Farndon detail and descriptions.
I've managed to approximate a modern aerial overlay with the copy of the estate map from 1735 and 2 boundaries appear to be well established. The 'lost' track to the south hedgerow is marked as a narrow strip and part of the Leche of Carden estate.
The local long-standing family names of Barnston and Leche appear in strips within the existing boundaries...

The month of January of a new year has almost expired and most of my 2012 to-do list is still in my head - weather, seasons, time and ground conditions permitting for a range of jobs ahead.
The reintroduction of local native plant species at the field margins is a priority for spring, as well as eradication of Himalayan Balsam and a serious reduction in dandelions. Hopefully the existing Cuckoo Flowers will proliferate.

Fences, hedges, tree-planting and grassland management to get on with, as well as servicing some of the machinery used to manage it all.
Still a number of specialist fruit trees to go in... (1 acre of the 2 as traditional orchard at 6m grid spacing has rapidly filled).

Some days and nights ahead camping during longer work-scopes, as well as a few shared and social activities from a local history and wildlife and home-grown aspect and generally enjoying it as a big green open space.

In the nearer future, just a couple of night-shifts left before 2 weeks off work and a pleasant walk along the River Dee and coffee & breakfast at Deli-Fine now they are open again after their New-Year break.

An Englishman's home is his castle...

The land lies briefly fallow whilst I get on with my proper job for a short spell.
I'm surrounded by water for 150 miles in any direction at present, but fortunately back home the River Dee has dropped by a few metres.
The field was accessible last week, with a few inches of water in low spots and Monday saw just a large puddle. I'll carefully level and re-seed the grass where it is low around the orchard trees.
Noticeably, each time the river floods, ladybirds cluster at the top of fenceposts...
I was a little surprised to see the bees high up the hollow ash tree particularly active.
A couple of herons on the lower wet fields, geese and ducks noisy in the evenings and still the ocasional large bird of prey in the hedgeline that seems larger than the buzzards.
I'm now thinking the large paw print is not a badger, but a mystery - probably a large dog, as the only similar large cat would alarmingly be a puma!

An email from the County Records Office - 3 digital images now on CD of a large 1700s estate map showing good detail of various land holdings east of the River.
In my spare time, a little more local history and landscape research, although I'm particularly keen to liaise with the local history society regarding field walks and features in the landscape. Some intriguing hedgerow and track alignments spanning both sides of the river, particularly near the remains of the castle.
The Castle has a mixed history, such things tend mainly to be symbols of Welsh suppression, but the English haven't always had things their own way and some cross-border aliances and liaisons crop up in old deeds - although the drowning of two young members of historic Welsh aristocracy whilst under the guardianship of John de Warren in the 1300s leaves a folk tale of wailing voices beneath the Holt-Farndon Bridge on certain nights of the year...

While the river was up, I took some time at home to organise the remaining specialist orchard trees ready for the next planting session and considering the options for local variety wild-flower trial beds.
Then it was briefly off to Wiltshire, a stock up of some tools and consumables from Scats farm supplies at Salisbury, a few small items from a garden centre and a meander around a few riverside winter landscapes.

Some calendar filling for the year ahead - a few music festivities booked further afield, but some interesting local events on the horizon,
Whittington Castle (about 20 miles away) has a Green Fair, a Plant Hunter Fair and some interesting historical re-enactment days (as well as being an interesting place to visit near Oswestry). All the events I'm interested in are during spells when I'm away from my shift-work.

Not directly linked to my interests, but something in the news that wound me up, was the extradition hearing for Richard O'Dwyer where the US of A weren't happy (despite no UK crime) about his website hosting links to media downloads - he made a comparison to how Google works...
This reminded me that a Google Street-View vehicle had used and filmed along the gated private access track for which I have a legal right of use. I'll see how handy they are at acting upon a take-down request for privacy reasons...

A start to 2012...

I saw new year in at the field and stopped overnight.
Rather than the tent, I'd been given a 6ft x 4ft garden shed that was surplus and with a bit of reconditioning, adjusted it to fit across the width of the plant-trailer on skids.
Together with the large picnic bench, base-camp was set up and a grey-squirrel stew on the go over a camp fire.

From Meadowcopse 2012

A couple of visitors saw a mild and relaxed start to the New Year, the spring oak-leaf wine ensured a very relaxed and comfortable retirement to a fishing bed-chair and thermal sleeping bag.

Morning came and just enough time to re-light the fire for tea and biscuits and a short walk along the River Dee until torrents of rain curtailed much for the morning. Giving up it was back to the sleeping bag with a book and nodding off.

A knock at the door (a novelty for a field in the middle of nowhere) - an old friend from school bearing mince pies just as the rain ebbed away...
A fire going again once the rain held back, then warm mince pies and hot drinks and a walk around the river and fields looking at landscape features and some interesting ideas regarding its history and approaches to the castle and river crossings.

Another night camping - a touch of frost but followed by rain, so a good cooked breakfast for Monday mid-morning. Another riverside walk, with the river level having come up a bit higher but the ground not too wet underfoot.
Some minor hedgerow tidying and a small oak seedling discovered in full leaf.
A little bit of soil levelling and then the trailer loaded up for home.

From Meadowcopse 2012

Tuesday came with automated messages from the Environment Agency regarding rising River Dee flood levels, during the day things remained dry on the ground, but a grey damp and cold day for getting anything done.
For the evening I took the chance to attend the public Parish Council meeting - efficiently and sensibly conducted...

Wednesday saw about half of the field with water up to about 8 inches deep, not much to do with it until the river levels subside.

From Meadowcopse 2012