September 2015

A productive final weekend to September...

A fine sunny day at the Autumn Malvern Show and some good conversations with fruit growers, interest groups and equipment suppliers, as well as some fine produce on display.

Onwards to Marlborough for an overnight stop and relaxed start to Monday, then cross-country past Stonehenge and to Dulford Nursery to pick up replacements for the parent variety apples that got stolen at my field (Malus sieversii and Malus baccata).
A couple of relaxed stop-offs on the journey northwards and home.

College at Reaseheath has started for year 2 of the conservation and countryside course I'm doing.
A contact from college put BBC Radio 4 on to me for a couple of minutes on Farming Today, promptly followed by a quick TV feature on BBC Northwest Tonight.

Out and about, I had the chance of a guided tour around The Old Medicine House, hosted by The Blackden Trust at the home of author Alan Garner.
A fascinating insight into his and Griselda Grimes work on things landscape and history related since the 1960s.
The tasteful translocation of an old timber frame house and a further insight into reading historical clues in landscapes and the characters associated with them.

My orchard has had a profoundly productive year (I should have been more aggressive with pruning, as smaller trees and branches have a bit of weight damage).
Tydeman's Early Worcester has been my favourite apple so far, although plenty more varieties on their way for cooking, juice and cider...