Get orf my (neighbour's) laand !

Thursday last week started busy - taking the sides of overhanging willow along the north boundary vertical - this is to allow access for fencing and ditch maintenance.
Hopefully when finished I'll be over-seeding disturbed ground with a hedgerow grass and wild-flower mix soon.

I took the opportunity of a fine day and favourable ground conditions to run a cambridge roll over the grass (the individual rings make turning on the plot geometry a lot less messy).
During this, a car came and lurked along the track a few times (Google still haven't taken the StreetView footage down) - It wanted to speed off when I came to the bottom of the field, but 5 people in a small hot-hatch with low ground clearance wasn't a match for the Landrover, even in low-ratio with 1 tonne of roller behind.
They said they were waiting for a mate with a quad-bike, "We've got permission."
"Who off?" "The farmer" "Which one?" (as I scribbled down their reg number) "The one from Farndon..." "Well you won't mind me phoning him to check will you..." "Erm, we were just going anyway."

Saturday was busy again, some ground clearance around the gateway for more hedging plants.
Another car in the evening tucked under the underpass, as I was up the other end of the field - they seemed a bit surprised as I drove down to sort the gates - they seemed quite eager to leave when they realised people were about...
(One of the neighbours has since mentioned suspicious activity and a recent break-in in the area, as well as teenagers larking about late at night at the castle).

The buds are breaking through on the almond and on the quince

From Meadowcopse 2012

From Meadowcopse 2012

First strim & trim of 2012 around the base of the orchard tree mulch, the grass noticeably coming up now.
A couple of pleasant riverside walks to Holt, thanks again to Deli-Fine and Hildegard's for keeping me going when I've not got the camping stove simmering away.

Working late last night with some ground levelling I saw something small move, a newt...

From Meadowcopse 2012

Some fascinating chat over the last few days with some of the regular walkers and people I haven't met before. Some one-off walkers from further away and a few people out of the village who have started to see the changes down at the field and were curious as to what it was about.

Wild birds are really noticeable now, the woodpecker can be heard, but 2 fields away this year, rather than returning of one of the ash trees in the hedge. The owls at night are calling at each other and the buzzards swooping high above and lots of diverse smaller bird life in the hedges.

Another chat with members from the local history society and maybe a bit of a project on the ground this year too...

Fallow fields

My 'proper job' puts a pause on progress at the meadow - despite grey and frosty weather over the last couple of weeks, the grass is noticeably green and wildlife seems sufficiently lively.
A few small bird species noticeable in the hedgerows and the woodpecker is back chiselling away high in an ash tree again. Two herons are regularly in the maize field behind and the buzzards calling from above.

An interesting programme on BBC 2 tonight, Bees, Butterflies and Blooms - mainly about the decline and reintroduction of perennial wild flowers.

A short while ago, a search on geo-tags brought up a link to some stunning local dragon-fly photos. One picture from around 2009 appears to have been taken on some meadowsweet in the field.

A couple of books on the go, I've just about finished Gardening: Philosophy for Everyone: Cultivating Wisdom - a series of essays that are wide ranging, from the Ancient Greeks, Versailles, The English Landscape Garden, Central Park and modern gardens from a philosophical standpoint.
The next book is The Making of the English Gardener: Plants, Books and Inspiration, 1560-1660

Locally, a Landrover and trailer have been stolen from near Malpas.

Sex and drugs and rock & roll

The downside of a remote rural plot down a quiet lane is occasional anti-social and illegal activity in the area.

Not much done this week, at least it was dry for a while with the frost and I was able to level some low spots on the field between the orchard trees.
Too frosty to transplant anything and the weekend started with rain turning to sleet.

A random white Transit flat back truck caught my eye on Friday. I was parked near the edge of the field and near the gate when I saw it drive down the track before it saw me - when it did, it rapidly reversed back and away up the by-pass. Maybe fly-tippers or someone up to no good (didn't get chance to get the reg number).

Saturday was spent at Erddig Hall with the Head Gardener running an orchard and pruning workshop organised through Cheshire Landscape Trust. Rather informative, although the weather was against us for practical sessions outside.

Back to the field late afternoon, but continuous rain prevented anything but a quick wander around. The track by the underpass had a bit of rubbish dropped from car windows (probably enough DNA sexual activity debris for half a TV crime series) and small empty bags of drug related substances - the Police pay a bit of attention to this area, so it's only a matter of time before they intercept someone again.

Back at home I've been going through a load of wild flower seeds in the fridge, but still too early to sow any (although compost and seed trays are stacked up in the workshop ready to go).

I'd hoped the last week would have been a bit more productive for stuff on the 'to do' list, but the weather and ground conditions put a stop to much.
A couple of days out: Oswestry and Sheffield via scenic routes, always inspirational for things in the landscape.