meadowcopse

Fallow fields

2012-02-08T22:10:00.002Z

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

2012-02-05T04:39:00.003Z

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.

rain stops play

2012-01-28T07:50:00.002Z

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

2012-01-23T12:06:00.001Z

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...

2012-01-17T10:07:00.007Z

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...

2012-01-04T18:43:00.000Z

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

December

2011-12-15T14:43:00.001Z

Back home and a few weeks off until mid-January...
A careful watch of the River Dee flood levels, after a couple of emails and automated calls of flood warnings and then an 'all-clear' at Farndon (for now).

The river is still within its banks for now, but Appleby's Brook and the ditches are up and some minor ingress at the south hedgerow low point.
A wander around this morning with no worries for now in ordinary boots.
After some of the weather from the last couple of weeks, I was keen to check the orchard trees. Fortunately everything was as I left it from two weeks ago.
The larger, recently planted cider apple trees have two Rubberloc commercial / amenity grade ties to hold them steady.

The frosts have finally turned the trees with late leaves left on. Rumours of snow on the way for the end of the week too...
Quite a bit of work to get done, but weather dependent. The waning moon and a couple of extra storm lanterns might compensate for a lack of daylight, but I'd like the river to subside at least another metre before contemplating the tent and wood-burning stove and picnic bench.

Jobs on the horizon including young native tree-planting at the field margins.
Six more fruit trees to go in (a 'traditioinal' orchard of ninety mixed trees could probably be considered substantial) and a small mixed collective of hazels to make a margin at the east side of the orchard grid.
Continuing the long-term boundary stock-proof fencing.
Hedge-row gap filling and rujuvinational pruning.

If the weather is less than favourable, then there is quite a bit of documentation and admin stuff to wade through at home and planning for next year's planting of appropriate native stuff in the grassland and hedgerows.
Continuing with landscape history research too...

history

2011-11-30T21:08:00.002Z

For last Thursday night, a notice in a local shop mentioned Holt Local History Society putting on a talk "The making of the Maelor Saesneg"
A landscape history lecture for the area around the River Dee catchment area from South Cheshire and the border with Wales and Shropshire. A touch further south than the field, but still an insightful talk on an area with interesting landscape that I've spent a good few years exploring.

Afterwards, a good chat with some of the Society members regarding the more immediate landscape around Holt and Farndon. Modern geophysics techniques have been utilised including magnetometry and Lidar maps - as well as field walks. Access cooperation with local landowners around Holt Castle is being looked into, hopefully an area I can help with regarding the field.
Whilst planting the trees recently, the west half of the field which appears slightly higher, has around 6 to 8 inches of silt / soil deposit beneath the present turf, but above a previous grass level. There is also the lump of sandstone to drop off with the museum that was in the ground near the junction of two tracks on the field boundary.

Another couple of frosty nights, but still the leaves are on a few trees - particularly the quince.
Quite a bit of time levelling and mulching around the fruit trees and fitting commercial grade amenity tree-ties to the stakes, then some time back at home looking after the landscape machinery.
A couple of visitors, looking at the trees as well as the wider landscape.

Also noticed increased Police visibility lately, on both the English and Welsh sides of the River. Hopefully this will reduce some of the random anti-social activities in the area.

Unfortunately in one corner of the field an entire wing, of either a tawny owl or pheasant?

From Meadowcopse 2011

A bit of time back at the day job, hopefully seasonal river flooding will hold off long enough for more groundwork, fencing and hedging during my next spell off - if the river level stays consistently low I might chance another spell camping before the year ends too...

Another weekend

2011-11-26T18:04:00.001Z

Various mushrooms in the grass at the field:

From Meadowcopse 2011

A rather busy week, 15 young but rather large cider apple orchard trees transplanted...
Quite a bit of work to get them out with as much root as possible:

From Orchard 2011

Also a lot of preparation work to get them planted and secured:

From Orchard 2011

Many thanks to the donor who sadly was moving away from their location and thanks to a colleague from a few years ago that made the arrangements.

About 90 mixed orchard trees now, with only about 36 being apples.

Working into darkness to get the latest trees in, various mammals still moving about the undergrowth and an adventurous mouse looking around the mulch was briefly mesmerised by the head-torch - still about 5 owls to be heard at night too and the buzzards in the daytime.
There is also a large random domestic type cat (white & tabby mix) that is around day or night.

Driving to the field this afternoon, i noticed the River Dee noticeably higher, but still no concerns about Flood Warnings yet.
I think this time last year there was snow, bizarrely mild - although a chill stiff breeze was creeping in late afternoon.

The weekend

2011-11-23T08:52:00.001Z

Towards the end of last week I spent some spare time looking back over the various Chancery Deeds from the National Archives for Farndon and Crewe by Farndon.

A slow start to Saturday (a combination of Crohn's Disease grumblings and a Goth night in Wrexham late on Friday). First stop was a light lunch at DeliFine in Holt, then over to the field to mark out more orchard plantings.

A sudden revision to the planting plan, due to the opportunity of transplanting a young, but established cider apple orchard of up to 15 trees (the owner, a specialist micro-brewer with CaMRA recognition is moving, but had put a fair bit of thought into what he had established for a premium small scale cider production and was understandably reluctant to abandon it).
I'd been put in touch by a respected work colleague from a few years ago who, since retirement has gone on to specialise in fruit tree culture and grafting.
Some sizeable holes for the trees were dug and with a few other minor jobs around the field, it was dark by the time I'd finished...

During the day, the chance to chat to a couple of respected local folk, the nearest neighbour mentioned that suspicious vehicle activity and anti-social behaviour at the top end of the access track / minor road was still a problem, dog walkers confirmed that the sheep 2 fields away were prone to straying (glad I put the extra wire net fencing up now) and at the edge of the village, the gift of a pot of local honey.

Quite a few pheasants about, yet more mole hills, and owl hoots as darkness falls.

Saturday was a mild evening, so I carried on into darkness. Then things got interesting...
My Cousin said he might call, I left the gate to the field open whilst digging holes for the trees. A car came part way down the track, then cleared off. Another vehicle, a 4x4 was making it's way through the darkness, through the gateway and I assumed it was my Cousin. For a laugh, I put my oil lamp down a hole, turned off my head-torch and lurked in another planting hole. Only when the 4x4 slowed by my Landrover and put it's full-beam on did I notice the blue and lime-green chequers and the word 'POLICE'
Hmm, this could get interesting explaining a wheelbarrow and shovels at my side...
Turns out to be an unrelated incident involving vehicle movements along the lane at the top of the track. They saw the funny side, as if it's normal to be planting trees in near darkness in the middle of nowhere...

On Sunday I took the Landrover and trailer to the Wirral to start extracting the orchard trees.
A fascinating conversation regarding specialist brewing and the desire for something good to come of the trees. 15 in total and ranging from 10 to 15 feet tall!
Varieties: 'Kingston Black, Chisel Jersey, Harry Masters and Broxwood Foxwhelp.

Initial digging was 'challenging' - the large garden of a traditional estate cottage, one end had at sometime had a path and the ground was a bit stony as I initially dug a very generous diameter around the first tree to establish root spread.

For replanting at the field, I'll be part filling the holes around the roots with Barker & Bland's composted wool and bracken mix and with a sprinkling of mycorrhizal RootGrow granules and the fine alluvial soil from the field mixed in.
I am a touch concerned by the size of the trees compared to the root structure after digging up, particularly as they still have some leaves on. I'm hoping that some fine fibrous new root growth might start before winter dormancy completely sets in. Because of the size of the trees, staking is essential for a few years (although they all impressively stood unaided when the planting holes were filled in at their final location in the field.

By Monday afternoon, 9 from the 15 were satisfactorily transplanted.
The final holes to dig on Wednesday and hopefully transplanting completed by Thursday and looking forward to a fruitful collaboration for small scale cider production in years ahead...

By dawn's early light

2011-11-18T07:13:00.002Z

Back home in Cheshire after 2 weeks of night shifts, I haven't quite adjusted to daytime living yet.
Up at 4 am and down to the field for 6:30am before properly light.
The overhanging willows are trimmed back a touch along the bypass hedge to the north of the field. Hopefully enough room now to get in and clear a neglected drainage ditch.
Owls were hooting before daybreak and the sound of a buzzard coincided with small mammals scurrying through the undergrowth along the old trackway.
It looks like the sheep netting from last month has done its job keeping neighbouring sheep out. Traces of human activity are random small lumps of limestone hurled into the bottom quarter of the field from the track (now removed before they compromise the next time the tractor and mower come out. One random golf ball at the west of the field and minor extra graffiti on the inside of the west underpass - surprisingly the east trackway underpass remains clear since I repainted it late summertime.

The trees have lost their leaves or those remaining have autumn colours - apart from the quince, which are still quite deep green.

A fair amount of mole-hill activity while I've been away and the ground noticeably softer after a couple of weeks with rain.

Winter around the corner?

2011-11-01T20:56:00.001Z

The field now gets a short rest whilst I get on with my proper job...
I sometimes wonder what the immediate impact on wildlife is when I spend time down there? (Longer term I'm hoping it is positive, although some of the hedgerow and grassland work is bound to have caused some compromises until re-established and stabilised. I do look into and assess what is around a while, before doing work).

Anyway, almost a week in a large tent and the daytime has birds from robins to buzzards and at night time there are about 5 owls, bats, badgers and foxes.
The bees in the hollow tree are still active on warm days and something has pawed up an old honeycomb of ground nesting bees.

I still wonder about the possibility of dormice - an old birds nest was full of dry hawthorn leaves and 'ropes' of twisted hay in a ball - unfortunately full of dry silt too as it was below the winter river flood level.

A diverse range of fungi have started to appear in the grass.
I didn't manage to get the 'thatch' from the scarifier removed as quickly as I'd have liked, due to rain as I was finishing the task and for most days I was free afterwards.
The Wessex collector works fine, as long as the surface debris isn't sodden.

Somewhat hurriedly, 150 metres of wire stock fencing has gone up (with very handy help from my Uncle), due to sheep reappearing for winter 2 fields away. Last year I'd have been happy for them to have stayed and grazed when they strayed in, but not now with the orchard and young native trees in.
The wire fencing is temporary and positioned to allow enough working space for filling gaps in the hawthorn and for work with a post borer on the tractor for a long term livestock proof fence along the hedge boundary.

Some interesting and good natured talk with local folk and interesting to consider the range of views of people who live and work in the countryside as well as the various walkers along the track. (A large walking group on Saturday were doing part of the Marches Way).

My first night in the tent last week coincided with a ground frost overnight, fortunately the woodburner kept the chill off until about 4am, although a Cadbury's Wholenut bar managed to melt some distance away from the stove.

I was quite pleased during the recent tree work to get a birds-eye view from the hydraulic platform.

Maybe more than coincidently, a carved pumpkin I left on the gatepost for a couple of nights seems to have kept some of the less desirable visitors at arms length.

For the next few months I'll have to be more mindful of the risk of flooding from the River Dee (the daily height trends are on the Environment Agency website and I get alert and warning notifications).
The next areas of work are hedges and ditches and planting clusters of native trees at either end of the field.
Dandelion reduction is back on track with a replacement removal tool swiftly sent from Fiskars.

Now the darker nights and less clement weather are here, a bit of catching up of paperwork and planning ahead, as well as delving into surrounding history.

A busy weekend ahead...

2011-10-28T17:14:00.001+01:00

Last week I acquired a Wessex sweeper for cleaning the field grass up behind the tractor. (now we've finally had a dry sunny day, I can get round to using it for collecting the residue the scarifier lifted).
The hedgerow tree work is done for now, including re-pollarding. Hedges and fencing to continue with next month.
The final handful of fruit trees to go in for this year, the unusual varieties I picked up earlier this month.
I've set the tent up (with integral woodburning stove), for a weekend at the field finishing off a few tasks...

A few interesting chats with neighbours and locals over the last couple of weeks - and a couple of random encounters with couples in cars getting a bit blatant in broad daylight with activities that are best left for indoors now the weather is getting colder!
I guess anti-social and illegal activities can be as much of a problem in a rural setting as in built up areas.

One night had particularly clear skies, so a mate with an iPad assisted with some celestial navigation.
Jupiter is particularly bright and there have been a few shooting stars.
All with the background sounds of owls and other creatures.
Each morning there are the remains of chewed corn-cobs across the grass - I thought maybe from a fox, but apparently badgers really like them.

In the daytime the buzzards are quite noticeable swirling high up.

autumn...

2011-10-21T08:55:00.011+01:00

The leaves turning and colour changes and less daylight now noticeable.
I do however have a quince tree in bud and trees that have lost leaves also have advanced buds.

From Meadowcopse 2011

The dandelions have slowed down, but still prevalent on a sunny day - I bought a Fiskars removal tool - it initially seemed quite good, but broke after about 40 plants pulled up (their Customer Services sent a replacement within a week).

From Meadowcopse 2011

Whilst I was tidying up the broken bottles and thrown away beer cans and smoking debris I had found at the field, there was a hairdressers receipt amongst the rubbish that included: client name and address with 'under 15 discount 10%'
Only a couple of miles away, I dropped by and met his parents - they weren't amazingly impressed, but were quite sensible, civil and understanding about it and words will be had by them.

A bit more overhanging willow from the boundary with the bypass cut back and some odd fence rails replaced here and there, the picnic bench dropped off and locked to the fence whilst I back and to each day.

From Meadowcopse 2011

A few evenings had been pleasant enough to cook a quick meal and sit outside listening to the wildlife. Daytime and Deli-Fine near-by over the bridge at Holt remains tempting for daytime refreshments.
Some good and interesting chat with locals and walkers too and a few comments regarding police awareness of anti-social / illegal activities close-by.

A few owls about - one brushed the top of my head as I walked across the field as it went dark.
Something after dark makes a short, load metallic 'chirp' - it sounds like it is in the trees, but can't work out what it is.
Voles and moles evident and a few 'larger' small mammals rustle through the base of the hedges. A random pheasant too.
The crop of maize in the neighbouring field has been cut, still a few part chewed cobs appear in the middle of the field - I'm guessing from a fox?

Some tree-work done, accessed from a hydraulic platform.

From Meadowcopse 2011

A few low overhanging branches removed and some height reduction of a hollow tree to reduce the risk of it being blown over by the wind.

From Meadowcopse 2011

A part rotten branch from high up had large green pellet like chrysalis clusters (about 8mm dia x 20mm long each)?

From Meadowcopse 2011

Another medium sized ash tree that had struggled for leaves all year turned out to be spongy with rot when a couple of dead branches were removed.

From Meadowcopse 2011

Although not the intention to cut any down, structurally poor and lacking vigour and leaning, it was reduced to fence height.

From Meadowcopse 2011

I went to the 'Quince Day' at Norton Priory - interesting again with Fruitscape and Cheshire Wildlife Trust amongst some of the displays. I also came away with a couple of random hybrid quince seedlings.
Last Sunday evening was mild and pleasant enough to run the mower over the field again (still leaving the meadowsweet at seed).
With the tractor and machinery dropped back at home, some pondering about the general condition of the grass...

I'm convinced since the construction of the by-pass in the late 1980s, the field was at least partly re-seeded, certainly some previously disturbed / compacted ground parallel to the boundary.
Hedge and fencing gaps, the new orchard and more young trees to go in and the risk of winter river floods make sheep grazing an impossibility for a year or two yet.
There are noticeably less weeds this year but I decided to run a scarifier over the entire field. This was to lift previous years matted grass and vegetation debris.
The mower I use behind the tractor is a compromise, unless the clippings are removed - a more efficient solution has since been arrived at...

Meanwhile,

From Meadowcopse 2011

a scarifier (on hire, as they are a phenomenal price even second hand for a robust one), lifted a lot of 'thatch' and that now has to come off the surface - the temptation is to compost it long term, or to cleanly burn it with hedgerow brash and use the ash in a compost mix. (I'm tempted to hire a tractor mounted one next time though).

Unpredictable weather and a few downpours make day to day planning tricky for jobs to be getting on with - I would stick a reasonable tent up for the next week as a site hut and maybe stop over night, but a frost Tuesday morning was a touch off-putting.

Over the weekend, I have a large piece of agricultural / green-keeping equipment to pick up (Wessex SC12 powered sweeper / collector for behind the tractor to keep the grass tidy after mowing).
There is also Stourhead Farm shop Apple Day and a short spell back in Salisbury and some tree-hunting (wayside apples with potential).

back home

2011-10-10T21:18:00.000+01:00

From a weekend away.
Cranborne Chase Wood fair was OK, but was more of a country fair than trade fair atmosphere, still some excellent local produce, crafts and displays.
Blackmoor Estate open day was absolutely packed, a good guided tour of part of the commercial nursery stock with some good technical aspects discussed. From a neighbouring nursery I bought another apple 'Howgate Wonder' on m106 rootstock.
Back to Salisbury and a quick drive by the edge of Salisbury Plain to look at some hedgerow apple trees that have decent fruit, a few more noticed and the one that fell victim to highway hedge clearing has at least one viable shoot. (Somewhat patiently I'll be planting a load of it's windfall apple pips in the hope that some will fruit true to type).
Another pleasant breakfast time wander around the waterways at Salisbury trying to identify more Black Poplar trees.
(Back in 2 weeks for the 'Apple Day' at Stourhead).

Cross country through Oxfordshire and Northamptonshire today to join the M1 and to Nottinghamshire. I supplemented my existing order from Cool Temperate Nursery with an Asian Pear - Pyrus Kumoi and a sweet chestnut 'Maraval' - also a excellent chat about odd fruit trees and 'own root' apple tree projects (following on from a course at Brighton Permaculture a couple of years ago.

Back home via the field just as darkness was falling, looks like a few people have had a drinking session under the far by-pass underpass (why folks feel the need to smash glass bottles on grazing land is beyond me).
Tomorrow I'm down at the field for a few odd jobs and planting preparations.

Travels

2011-10-08T14:12:00.003+01:00

A short evening spell at the field on Thursday night after 2 weeks away with work.
Someone had dumped a load of hedge clippings in the middle of the footpath / access track, so an hour spent recovering and converting them for compost / mulch (fly-tipping really annoys me).
The overpainting of the graffiti on the bypass underpass is still refreshingly clear after a month.

Noticeable autumnal changes to most of the orchard and hedgerow trees, apart from new leaf growth still apparent on a couple of the younger mulberry trees and the heartnut.

Just about finished putting 1.5 m3 of water onto the planted trees when a monsoon fell.
Back at home a few trees arrived in the post, including a young black walnut.

A brief excursion to Sheffield for a night of live (and lively) Goth music, then an overnight cross-country drive by the light of half a moon to Salisbury - scenic still despite semi-darkness.

A day now at Cranborne Chase Wood Fair, then Sunday is an orchard open day at Blackmoor Nurseries, followed by more trees to pick up for the orchard on Monday...

more trees

2011-09-30T20:52:00.001+01:00

A few more trees ordered for the field...

From Cool Temperate Nursery:
Wellington - "a black x red hybrid mulberry, long cylindrical fruit, dark red, good flavour, long cropping season".
X Sorbopyrus auricularis Bolwyller Pear - a pear x whitebeam hybrid, (intergeneric pome fruit info...)
Walnut, Excelsior of Taynton - Rare old English variety from Somerset

From Burncoose Nurseries:
Black Walnut, Juglans nigra
Sweet Chestnut, Castanea sativa
Wild service-tree, Sorbus terminalis (the Bristol variation would be interesting)

The above are a few 'curiosities' (apart from the chestnut).
I should already have a few Black Walnut young trees, but small mammals 'liberated' the seedlings I had at home from the pots before they developed properly.

A couple of recent Twitter posts by The Grasslands Trust highlight the importance and scarcity of 'unimproved' grassland as a valuable habitat. I'm mindful that with two planned wooded field margins and the mixed orchard, that the plot has some compromises.
Hopefully the spacing of the nut and fruit trees with a 6 metre grid will allow enough light and space. (I'm leaving a reasonable sized open area of grass / meadowsweet and wild flowers).

Relaxation, contemplation and work.

2011-09-24T15:37:00.002+01:00

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

The orchard

2011-09-16T09:17:00.000+01:00

The layout of mixed fruit and nut trees so far (6 metre spacing):

September

2011-09-13T08:23:00.000+01:00

Breaking out of night-shifts seemed a struggle, so I took the tent down to the field and took advantage of waking at strange hours of the morning and plodded on with some more work.

A quick survey and measure of the orchard area. This is for some form filling for the Rural Land Register regarding the establishment of a traditional orchard.
Finished the substantial stock-proof fence near the neighbouring field - this became more pressing since more and more people started trampling over the original barbed wire to avoid the horses in the riverside field with the footpath.
An afternoon and a tub of reasonable masonry paint obliterated the graffiti on the inside face of the by-pass underpass. Not sure how long this will last, but at least a change from rather poor attempts at artistic expression and mis-spelled profanities. (Anyone good at murals in a rural setting)?

The grass has recovered and greened up after getting scorched soon after August's mowing. A bit of time spent eradicating dandelions.
An interesting proliferation of mole-hills, particularly around the newly levelled soil. (Rather than treat the moles as an enemy, I've been collecting the soil from the humps for planting jobs (a few of the old horticultural books like Louden's encyclopaedia recommend this).

The darker nights are upon us already, although the approaching full moon and mild evenings allowed for a bit more time with some de-thatching of the grassland. More than a couple of times I was cooking outside approaching midnight and retired to the tent with a warm mulled / spiced wine.

A pleasant morning break has been astroll across the River for coffee and a breakfast toast at Deli Fine in Holt.
More chat with locals and walkers along the trackway and riverside walk too.

The weekend saw a trip to Northamptonshire to collect more fruit trees from Bernwode trees:
Apples - Court Pendu Plat, Devonshire Quarenden, Roundway Magnum Bonum, Redstreak and a Black Worcester pear.
Onwards through Oxfordshire and Berkshire to Winchester for a relaxed evening meal, then across to Salisbury for the night.
A few items of tools and gear picked up from Scats Countryside Stores, then tree hunting on the edge of Salisbury Plain.

My target was the pleasant mid-winter apple I spotted some time ago.
Unfortunately, the Council / Highways had done some roadside clearing - all that was left was a substantial stump and some windfalls. Brushwood killer had been applied too, but there were two reasonable small shoots - I snipped half of one to try some chop grafts, the pips of the apples might have half of the good attributes of the parent...
Back home cross-country and a quick check of the mature hedge-row trees back at the field during the rising winds.

A novel approach...

2011-09-02T10:29:00.002+01:00

A short while ago I picked up a novel The Wilding by Maria McCann. Set shortly after the English Civil War, the title subtly refers to one of the characters as well as an apple tree that grows wild outside of normal cultivation...

An enjoyable and escapist read, within the first chapter I wasn't disappointed. The Author has the main character describing several varieties of apple as he goes about his local countryside cider pressing. 'Sops in Wine' is an unusual variety I already have, but some brief research turned up an interesting background to 'Redstreak' - a once profound cider apple mentioned in the book and enquiries with my favourite fruit tree nursery, Bernwode Fruit Trees had me ordering one on m111 root-stock. (The catalogue from Bernwode is as good a read as most novels, with fascinating insights into the history and rediscovery particularly of hundreds of less usual varieties).

Another, more modern discovery (from the HortWeek Twitter feed) is Christmas Pippin a 'wilding' discovered similar and considered superior to Cox's Orange Pippin.
Another one for the shopping list, but a reminder to get on with some planned grafting after new year with my own wayside discoveries...

Back at home and at the field there has been sufficient rain finally not to worry too much about things getting a bit dry by the end of August.
After two weeks away, it'll be interesting to see the difference, although the most noticeable thing I guess will be less light in the evenings.

The last few days I've been considering local variety and appropriate flower introductions into the grassland at the field. The existing meadowsweet and cuckoo flower / lady's smock is a good start in terms of proliferation and I'm sure the buttercups aren't going to go away.
The recently levelled and rolled area of bare earth will be a blank canvas to see how things go.

On a matter of seeds coming up, I was pleasantly surprised to find from this year, some young oaks in the grass below the height of the tractor mower blades and some dog-rose seedlings doing pretty well along the north roadside fence.

Meanwhile, the orchard planting layout so far (6 metres between trees):

From Orchard

Towards the end of summer...

2011-08-25T21:36:00.002+01:00

After planting more fruit trees at the field from the stock back at home, a steadily busy time with other tasks around the field, before returning back to my proper job for a couple of weeks and a little less intensity down at the field.

From Meadowcopse 2011

Unintentionally, the apple trees yielded quite a bit of fruit (I nipped the buds out earlier in the year as they are still relatively young trees).
Quite a range of flavours, but not greatly developed apples as such, so a bucket full was pulped and pressed to make juice, that was quite good (although the small quantity worked out at about £5000 litre, if you take in the cost of buying a field, trees, tractor, mower etc.

During a riverside walk, I spotted a rather old orchard on the Welsh side of the bank at the same level as the field, alaying any concerns about the winter flood water risks as the trees seem rather established just down from the ruined castle.

From Meadowcopse 2011

The spacing is reasonably consistant with my own planting scheme and the established orchard recently visited (during a fine lunch and weekend away) at Barley Wood Walled Garden near Bristol.

Flooding is the least concern at the moment with the dry weather and yet more extra watering carried out.

From Meadowcopse 2011

Turning up with the tanker on a warm summer evening seems to have caught a couple of amorous folk out too as it draws dark - although one couple seemed to be about to get down to things even when my Landrover was blatently parked in the middle of the field.

Rather chuffed by mid-August to now have the bulk of the orchard planted at a low density spacing and some handy help doing so and with the watering after-care too.
Into the second half of August and some slightly more mundane tasks but some far from mundane days (and nights) at the field.
The Topsoil I had for levelling a couple of low spots has been spread and levelled (the resident moles seem to like it too, the other day a new mole-hill was appearing about every 20 minutes, despite rolling it)!

From Meadowcopse 2011

I spent nearly a week with the tent - giving each day a more flexible and open timetable and relaxed working into darkness.

From Meadowcopse 2011

A couple of fine cooked breakfasts over a camping stove as well as the handy and wholesome Look What We Found brand of ready meals in the evenings washed down with locally brewed ales. An extra pleasant aspect was Deli-Fine across the River Dee at Holt - decent coffee, decent light breakfasts and handy take-away baguettes with local produce.

From Meadowcopse 2011

A short walk either along the ancient track-way or riverbank to the old Holt-Farndon Bridge, a relaxed breakfast in Holt, then back to the field.
A mix of people out on the fine days as well as the regular locals that venture as down the track as far as the field either dog-walking or circular walks back along the river. A bit more time to talk, both of local history and what is going on at the field (already a subject of light harmless speculation and gossip).
I think I surprised a few people by remembering the by-pass being built in the 1980s as well as having reasonable local knowledge and familiarity (I was born and lived only 5 miles up the road).
Some very interesting chat all the same, a couple of insights about the track-way and also historical curiosities back to Roman times for the area.

The walking back and to from the village revealed some wild hops in the hedges as well as a suspected 'chicken of the woods' fungus.

From Meadowcopse 2011

The ditch at the side of the track has hardly any flowing water, but is reasonably alive with small fish and plant life at the edges. It runs into the River Dee, a bit of research suggests Mr. Appleby lived at Crewe Hall. (The late 1700s map with land enclosures might turn up a few clues regarding drainage and field layouts - the double tree lined south boundary is on it).

From Meadowcopse 2011

By the time I'd finished camping, the planted trees had all got a bit of mulch spread about them for moisture conservation and weed suppression.
Still lots to do, but a couple of weeks of less intensity will give the wildlife chance to re-assert itself.
The bees in the hollow tree for a second year are quite happy by all acounts (spoke to a couple of bee experts at Shrewsbury Flower Show about them).
At night time there are quite a few owl hoots and warbles and fox howls and other small quadrapeds shuffling about, buzzards during the daytime ad hedgerow small birds.

A busy start to August

2011-08-12T19:17:00.004+01:00

Quite a bit done down at the field recently...
Out with the tractor and mower, but mowing around the meadowsweet which is coming to the end of it's flowering and forming seeds that I want to disperse.
A little more rain recently meant as well as quite long grass, the existing recent orchard trees haven't required so much supplementary watering. Some of the grass was layered badly from recent rain and where uninvited campers had been - The small local group I'd given permission to however, had responsibly left no trace of having been there.

From Meadowcopse 2011

I'd arranged a delivery of topsoil from Dandy's near Chester, to level some low patches and for dressing around newly planted trees (over and above the bracken / sheep wool compost from Dalefoot Composts that went in the holes around the large pot-grown fruit trees).

From Meadowcopse 2011

Another delivery down at the field, was a couple of tonnes of shredded tree waste as a mulch for around the planted trees from local tree-surgeons DKC Contracts also near Chester.
Delivered on a busy day with variable weather prospects, a handy gazebo covered the brewing and cooking gear (stew on the go over an open fire).

From Meadowcopse 2011

What looked like a casualty from amongst the earlier orchard planting of 14 mulberry, 12 walnut, 5 quince, 2 pear and a medlar and a plum tree, was a sweet chestnut. bought-in mail-order bare rooted, then potted up in April this year, it hardly had much more developed roots when transplanted in July and soon had it's leaves turning brown:

From Meadowcopse 2011

It did however recover recently with new growth and had a bit of corrective pruning.

From Meadowcopse 2011

Another job was some new fencing near the neighbouring field. Since they have been grazing horses this year, random dog-walkers seem to be taking a short-cut over my fence rather than sticking to the footpath and the wire fence was starting to suffer. The post-hole borer on the tractor also proved useful for tree-planting preparations with a larger drill-bit fitted. New posts with 4 rails have now gone up (in a "get 'orf my land" sort of way, as dog-mess and random sticks aren't fun when mowing grassland).

From Meadowcopse 2011

The next orchard planting scheme has gone in - doubling the quantity of trees with mainly apple trees:
Bramley, Tentation, Golden Delicious, Orange Pippin, Lemon Pippin, Arthur W Barnes, Elstar, Ribston Pippin, Sops in Wine, Herefordshire Russet, Beckley Red, Limelight, Jonagold, Pitmaston Pinapple, Rode Boskoop, Elison's Orange, Châtaignier, Crimson Gravenstein, Gascoyne's Scarlet, Tom Putt.
Three quince were also planted: Champion and experimentally the understocks quince A and quince C to see what they actually produce as trees.
Two recently acquired young walnuts from Oxfordshire were added to the existing lines.

From Meadowcopse 2011

I also acquired a Cambridge roller, although I had to be a bit selective with price (I guess the scrap metal market prices have pushed things up, it's fairly heavy).

From Meadowcopse 2011

Cheers to a couple of people who have helped out with materials and planting.

Wildlife down at the field has ranged from bees still in the hollow ash tree, 2 buzzards, pigeons, swallows, voles, moles and beetles and wasps chewing at willow leaves. Quite a few toads and the occasional frog.

mowing

2011-08-03T09:50:00.000+01:00

Took the tractor and mower to the field yesterday, but mowed around the patches of meadowsweet (in flower) for now.

A buzzard came down and picked up something to eat and there were also a few toads at the gate end of the field.
With the dry weather the fruit trees are going to have a couple of watering spells from the Bowser behind the Landrover...

Another couple of weeks passes

2011-07-12T21:44:00.002+01:00

Meadowcopse

A busy couple of weeks, but mainly with a small building and DIY job at home between downpours of rain.

Last month it rained conveniently and almost continuously whilst I was at work - handy for the orchard trees transplanted from their large pots to the field.
This time at home, the first few days of my time off were quite dry, so another late evening watering session with the Bowser behind the Landrover.
All the recently planted trees have new growth - including the brown and vulnerable (dead) looking sweet chestnut. In the space of 2 weeks, it has gone from the hint of half a dozen green buds to small properly formed leaves.
Almost an entire week of daily heavy rain has probably helped too (although back at home compromising progress on some unrelated tasks).

A couple of large items delivered - a few lightweight but sturdy folding directors chairs, 100kg of compress Coir cocoa fibre in 5kg blocks (expands to a fine neutral compost when wetted) and a small pallet of sheeps wool & bracken based compost from Dalefoot Composts. This is for summer moisture retention around the next orchard plantings, and to supplement the existing fruit trees too.

Not that much done with the field the last 2 weeks, a session eradicating dandelions and docks, mainly with the strimmer. Also a spell strimming down the grass around the orchard trees (I'll probably be taking the tractor out and mowing all the field in a couple of weeks time - the grass is knee high). The meadowseet is noticeably in flower and smells pleasant too.

If it's not too hot and dry, then another area of orchard trees will be transplanted from their pots too, with a couple of weeks of additional watering too.

I've let a couple of local people discretely camp overnight. I was in two minds after random interlopers the other week leaving bottles and cans and rubbish tossed around and flattened grass in the middle of the field, but respect and trust works in many ways and it's a gamble I'm prepared to take if it gives people the chance to quietly enjoy and respect their surroundings...

From a wildlife aspect, a buzzard still circles around, owls can be heard at night and a couple of colourful insects in the long grass. I spotted a damsel fly and a dragon fly too and was convinced I heard a woodpecker pecking (although no obvious activity at the hole in the ash tree from last year.
I've seen a couple of voles along the edge of the hedges and ditches and a mole-hill appeared in front of me last week when watering the orchard trees.

A new orchard

2011-06-14T22:30:00.002+01:00

Another busy couple of weeks...

The initial layout of the orchard area down at the field is done and almost half of the large fruit trees transplanted from the collection in large pots from at home.
A bit of a gamble with all the dry weather - but 2 weeks of watering almost every other day from a small tanker behind the Landrover has helped.
Up to now, only a sweet chestnut tree looks 'vulnerable' and not very green with it's leaves.

The plantings include: walnut, heartnut, sweet chestnut, 12 black mulberry trees, 1 white and 1 red mulberry, 5 quince, 1 medlar, 2 pears, 1 fig tree.
Apart from the fruit and nut trees - 7 elms (5 as part of the Great British Elm Experiment for monitoring Dutch elm resilience) have been planted along the west boundary line, as well as the second female black poplar I had in stock at about 1.5 meters tall.

With reasonable soil quality, not much digging was done, but some humus rich compost was added to the planting holes, with 'Rootgrow' mycorrhizal granules added against the roots. The soil around the plantings has been mulched with rotted horse muck and a generous spread of semi-composted woody vegetative chippings.

In the last couple of weeks there seems to have been an increasing number of folk straying across the land despite no path across it and plenty of obvious footpaths elsewhere near-by. Particularly dog-walkers and random strangers / teenagers thinking it's a handy area for a relaxed smoke.
I did however notice on the Cheshire Police rural crime page, that someone got lifted at the end of the access lane for possession of cannabis - so at least there is a police presence now and then.

I brought forward some fencing improvements, particularly along the near-by track-way and path - I think horses being in the field that has a riverside path on the other side of the road has tempted folk with dogs off the lead to use my field. (The middle aged woman kicking a football about for 2 hounds amongst the newly planted trees was a bit bizarre - the condescending "Oh, should I leave then?" didn't help her cause. A few days later a bloke managed to wobble over the barb-wire live-stock fence at the top of the field, twang a wire staple out from the post in the climbing process and seem to grumble at having to walk around the Landrover and Bowser near the gateway.
Being as any more transplanting is on hold of the large pot-grown trees until it starts to rain regularly, at least a bit of time was productively spent improving the older damaged and missing fencing around the gateway.

The grass doesn't seem to have as many weeds in it this year after last summer's mow and an early mow this year - the meadowsweet has survived well and if anything proliferated. It's flower-buds are just formed, so home-brew using a nettle ale recipe will commence in a couple of weeks.

Extra strimming of docks and a few thistles has taken place and a light selective chemical spray of Himalayan Balsam that was growing in the roadside hedge - although the aim is for that to have been a one-off.

Once it looks like rain with some regularity, then the collection of heritage apple trees can be transplanted from their pots at home.
Thanks are due to some handy assistance during the planting and watering schemes.

It seems a bit quiet on the wildlife front.
Some oddly coloured beetles in the grassland and nettles, the dog roses are almost over but some bramble flowers still out, the grass has grown quite quickly since the late April mow as well as some patches of sorrel coming into flower.
Another couple of self-set oak seedlings spotted as well as young ash trees in the roadside boundary.
A buzzard has been flying about overhead and calling - also it flew out of the hedgerow along the roadside at knee height in the area I had previously seen voles.
No sightings of any owls or evidence of the woodpecker lately, but the bees were seen in the hollow tree below where the tawny owl had been roosting.
Quite a bit of mole activity noticeable since the weekend rain (the ground had previously been rather firm and hard) - must make more of an effort to collect the mole hill soil, as it is quite a fine quality.

A busy couple of weeks - elm trees...

2011-06-05T23:45:00.000+01:00

The 5 young elm trees I have as part of The Conservation Foundation's Great British Elm Experiment, are now in their final position along the west boundary of the meadow.

A busy couple of weeks down at the meadow, marking out for orchard planting mainly, and watering periodically of transplanted pot-grown trees in the rather dry weather...

Back...

2011-05-19T19:14:00.000+01:00

An afternoon visit to the field, some noticeable grass growth after two weeks away, but only modest rain has probably checked things a little.

The dog roses in the south hedge have come into flower and the meadowsweet is quite noticeable now as well as new growth on the cut and layered hawthorn.
A few tufts of grey/White/black hair / fur in patches in the grass might suggest badgers - although no obvious signs of tracks.
Quite a few mole-hills, despite the ground being rock-hard from the lack of rain.
Something has been eating at the leaves of the young Black Poplar I planted, I suspect caterpillars.

For the weekend I'm off to Salisbury and on a guided walk of Harnham Water Meadows...

Next week, a few days marking out and taking a chance putting some of the stock of pot-grown trees in - although I'll be revisiting with the water-bowser to give a good chance of survival whilst it's so dry.

A short spell away...

2011-05-03T00:58:00.003+01:00

down south...

A foraging course near Lewes in Sussex presented by Nick Weston, author of The Tree House Diaries:

I really should have taken more photos - excellent weather and an excellent course.
Base-camp and preparation and cooking facilities were in a fine bluebell wood and after preparing some rabbits for the pot, a meander across fields, hedgerows and along a waterway collecting edible vegetation and some important pointers for poisonous plants to avoid.

Surprising how much vegetation out and about that I'd taken for granted and now pleasantly find edible and with fine flavours.
I hadn't done any preparation and butchery of rabbits etc. for about 20 years - sometimes it's important to get back to the basics and respect how food (particularly that which moves) gets to our position in the food chain...

One of the things that impressed me with this course, was how the food was presented after gathering and how it tasted.
I was put off liver at an early age by it's texture, taste and smell - but devilled rabbit livers with wild herbs and mustard were rather fine.
Nettle pesto with freshly done flat-bread, 'chicken of the woods' fungus omelette, wood pigeon breasts, carp stuffed with wild garlic, jack-by-the-hedge and baked in a burdock leaf in the fire embers, potted rabbit prepared and well received at a later picnic with friends...

Mowing - and from April into May...

2011-05-02T10:53:00.003+01:00

My proper job over ran by 3 days due to fog, an early mow of the field to reduce weeds turned into a rush, as I only had until Monday 25th. of April before heading down south and two days foraging.

The mower and land-rake dropped off at the crack of dawn down at the field.
A little surprised at how much things had grown on and greened-up in two and a half weeks away, despite an incredibly dry April.
Fortunately the short length of layered hawthorn hedge and the stretch of south low-cut hedgerow have all sprung leaves and the large clusters of dog-roses are quite advanced. There looked to be a couple of small pale violas near the hawthorn stumps, but the wood anemones of last month had all but gone.
The female black poplar tree seems to have survived it's planting out too...

The grass was a sea of dandelions - fortunately just into flower and not at seed (and the reason for an April cut). I spotted a new plant - Lady's smock / Cuckoo flower
The meadowsweet seems to be coming back as well and hopefully will survive the mower.

I also spotted that that someone has been using the cover of the north hedge for a relaxing discrete smoke away from the trackway - judging by the debris tossed over the fence, I'm guessing something more relaxing than just tobacco...

Back home and grey squirrels out of the freezer to defrost, then more groceries from
Hawarden Estate Farm Shop and the tractor loaded onto the trailer ready for morning.
The cooking gear loaded up too (Bon-Fire steel pots and tripod for open fire cooking), and then an early night...

Another earlyish start on the Sunday. Down to the field and the mower coupled up to the back of the tractor.
A small camp-fire set up, kettle on for a brew and a large pot of grey squirrel stew slowly set simmering.

Back to the tractor and by now a scorching summer morning (fortunate, as I wanted the mowings to dry and shrink and be handy to rake up).
A visit from my cousin in time for the first serving of stew and the tractor shut down during refreshments...

On with the mowing, to finish across the wider end of the field. The creamy sweet smell of patches of cut meadowsweet now and then on the air as I went back and forth (not too severe a cut, as I'm hoping to start a brew from it's leaves soon).

Another break for refreshments, Earl Grey tea and the remainder of the squirrel stew.
Back to the tractor, and the mower removed and replaced with the land-rake.
Not too sure on this yet - it was reasonably handy lifting the grass and winter river fine debris the other month, but the topper mower leaves a fine residue, so it might be more effective after a day or two drying.

Back home with the tractor before it went dark and an earlyish night to get over the previous weeks night-shifts...
Monday morning and the mower and rake packed away back at home. Another stunning day, although cooler and I'm sure I got caught with sunburn whilst mowing the previous day.
A stroll across the cut field, the more interesting plants in the grassland seem to have survived and the dandelions seriously reduced.

I'd avoided cutting too near to the hedges, preferring to leave a margin of longer grass for wildlife.
A couple of mole-hills compared to the previous day and a brown vole type creature darting out from undergrowth along the north fence line.

Back home and a final flurry to have everything for travelling south.
I still ended up travelling a bit later than intended, but at least the roads were quiet.
A quick scenic stop-off at Warwick - a caffeine fix and dropping off a pack of flour - Walk Mill, stone-ground locally and from local grain.

Onwards to Sussex, I do like the M40 for scenery, before joining the M25.
Overnight accommodation courtesy of the LandRover and up and about the the farm and woodland location for the foraging session...

early April down at the field

2011-04-06T16:15:00.001+01:00

March came and went rather quickly.
A few jobs progressed down at the field, but a brief interruption was a break-in to my workshop at home. Items recovered via the Police and 3 people arrested after a spate of burglaries in the area the same night.
Annoyingly, it happened in the early hours of the day I was due back from Shropshire after picking up 150 young trees from Heathwood Nurseries near Whitchurch. They've been left heeled in for now at home...

A noticeable progression into spring between the start of March and start of April.
Before much had come into bud, more of the south hedgerow trimmed down along about one third of it's length to encourage lower denser growth.

From Meadowcopse 2011

More hawthorn whips put into the gaps too and a clump of hazel and some alder put in where the (to be planted) wood will have a lower height profile before opening onto a small orchard.

A local agricultural contractor came and removed the mature ash tree that fell in February from the neighbouring field hedge-row, there was quite a bit of rot that had set in.

From Meadowcopse 2011

Between hedgerow trimmings, river flood vegetation debris and the upper twiggy branches of the fallen tree, five large barrows of wood-ash from burning (will end up in a compost / mulch mix).
Nearly 2 tonnes of horse-muck acquired from a local paddock too, altogether with a large quantity of dead leaves and shreddings, I should end up with a good mulch mix for around some trees.
I've since acquired a land-rake from local small machinery supplier Danelander and gave it a run through part of the grassland behind the tractor the other evening.
This was to give matted vegetation a bit of a lift and comb through from previous years and to lift things ready for an early mow in a couple of weeks time...

A few more birds noticed in the trees and hedgerows and a couple of large birds of prey over higher neighbouring fields. A random pheasant was in one corner the other evening too.
Clearing the south ditch, a random frog was lurking in the hollow of a tree.
The meadowsweet is coming into leaf, there are clusters of wood anemones along the south hedgerow and celandines here and there too. The buttercup leaves are appearing in profusion already as well as dock-leaves coming up too.
Sloes and damsons in the hedges are into blossom too, as well as the north boundary willows coming into leaf.
The grass itself has noticeably increased in height over the last couple of weeks.

From Meadowcopse 2011

Back at home, it's getting a bit late to lift and transfer bare-root nursery tree stock that I have, but quite a few large-cell pots of ash and oak and birch that will probably cope.

A few considerations for the layout of the orchard area and it's aspect and spacing - almost all the fruit trees I have are in large commercial pots, so I probably wont rush this too much, but would like to make significant progress this year.

I've also partly dug out a nursery bed with wooden edgings and will likely lay out a couple more between the orchard tree spacings for now.

March...

2011-03-10T09:34:00.000Z

Back home in Cheshire and waiting in for a parcel - a few more root-stocks (apple and quince) and some cob-nut bushes from Blackmoor Nursery.

I might try and discretely photograph the owl in the hollow tree down at the field soon too and work out what tracks are on the ground.

Spring has arrived during my two week absence from land - daffodils and primroses out in the garden at home and the tree-nursery stocks coming into bud (must get transplanting down to the field soon and also get the hedge gaps filled too).

hedging and planting

2011-02-21T01:30:00.001Z

A reasonably busy couple of days at the field.
The rest of a 120m line of young ash trees have gone in along the north boundary parallel to the roadside fence.
A few hazels planted together, some alder and a couple of willows, as well as some willow cuttings.

Part of the south hedge has had a severe cut and pruning - probably for the first time in 15 or 20 years...
The hawthorn had grown into trees with substantial lower trunks, so they have been coppiced.
There are more gaps than hawthorn, so quite a bit of replanting to do.
The bulk of the twiggy cut waste ended up being burned rather than shredded, the wood-ash will still end up going into a compost mix. Quite a few larger lumps for logs.

Quite a lot of stuff is starting to bud and vegetation is starting to green up and become noticeable.
The east hedge that I layered in November has noticeable buds on the hawthorn and dog-rose.

By the time it was dark, an owl could be heard quite close (probably the one in the hollow tree from last month), but a second hoot could be heard further away too.

private and public woodlands

2011-02-17T23:00:00.003Z

On a day that the Government U-turned on the inclusion of Forestry Commission land in The Public Bodies Bill, I've got round to the first proper planting on my own plot.
A 1.5m tall female Black Poplar from a small nursery stock of native trees I have at home...

From Meadowcopse 2011

(Probably another 1000 trees to plant yet though).
Also half of a 100m line of young ash trees have gone in along the north boundary (this may be expanded to an avenue, approximately recreating the tree-lined track on the 1800s maps).

Another bundle of 50 hawthorns to pick up tomorrow from Morrey's nursery at Kelsall for filling in hedge gaps.
Down at the field, a lot of willow along the boundary has sprouted into bud, I'm going to try some stem cuttings straight into the ground.

Watching Parliament on TV today, some of the later questions touched on grants and taxation and access regarding private woodlands.
For various reasons, I've not taken advantage of The Woodland Grant Scheme for my own plot, although reading recently - a Welsh version of the scheme (100 metres to the border) is under subscribed and suited for small patches of woodland on farm land.
Something that repeatedly annoyed me from the Conservative side of the house was reference to Forestry Commission sales under Labour (about 25,000ha) - For some years I've belonged to a small trust that bought a patch of Forestry Commission land under John Major's 1990s Conservative administration. A partial breakdown of sales is in Hansard from 1996.
I'm still curious as to what prompted an announcement from 10 Downing Street late at night ahead of the Secretary of State's formal announcement?
I'm hoping the campaigns by 38 Degrees and Save Our Woods had profound effect (together with local focus like Save Delamere Forest).
I hope the Government's change isn't a smoke-screen or a portent to complicated and convoluted changes to UK woodland and forestry policy?

tree dislodged

2011-02-15T16:13:00.003Z

Away at Oxford and alongside the River Thames at the weekend, an automated text / email to say the Lower Dee Valley from Llangollen to Chester was now off flood alert.
Now back at home in Cheshire and had a look down at the meadow today after last weeks inunndation.
There's light vegetation debris up to 2 metres above ground level in the hedges and trees (and still a bit of standing water on near-by low fields).
I've also lost a semi-mature ash tree from the west hedgerow.
One of a pair close together that made a nice silhouette at sunset against the Welsh hills. It's root cluster has completely lifted out of the ditch and bank.

From Meadowcopse 2011

a start to February and forests in the National psyche

2011-02-06T00:36:00.012Z

Away from the land until next week due to work:
I've been following with interest the publicity around the Public Bodies Bill and the proposed sale and changes to the Forestry Commission estate.
Public Bodies Bill - documents
Consultation process - DEFRA details
Forestry Commission - Public consultation
Woodland Trust - response
National Trust - canvassing opinion

Save our woods on Twitter is a good one-stop-shop.
Local to me in Cheshire Delemere Forest - documented from Norman times and on the doorstep to 5 million people in the north-west of England, is unlikely to be classified as heritage forest.
Established environmental campaigner Jonathon Porrit makes some interesting observations in his blog.

I'm struggling to see the benefit that changes will bring and also under threat of sale are National Nature Reserves (and maybe land alongside canals in British Waterways portfolio).
After the outcry and rallying of public opposition to proposed changes - particularly after the defeat of an opposition amendment Early Day Motion in The House of Commons, a concerted effort to oppose the changes is gathering support.
Opposition to the bill requires further support, as it is a piece of pernicious 'enabling legislation' that allows Government to make sweeping changes away from proper scrutiny.
Get emailing and writing to your M.P. and challenge them on their outlook and participation regarding the progress of this Bill.

http://i.telegraph.co.uk/multimedia/archive/01815/010211-MATT-web_1815661a.jpg

Regarding the overall campaign, don't just think it's about a fence and 'private' sign going on parts of the Forestry Commission estate - the balanced structure of how that organisation functions is about to be ripped apart. The Forestry Commission have since inception in 1919, gone from being just commercial forester previously planting tracts of mono-cultured softwood, to arbiter of sustainable woodland management for almost all interested parties, for about 30 pence per tax-payer per year. A coordinated economy of scale enaables research, conservation and shared knowledge for private woodland owners too.

There is a suggestion that suitable charities could run the designated 'heritage forests' with community input. I seriously doubt the gap left by expelling the Forestry Commission can be filled seamlessly by any existing groups without serious regression or even damage.

I have for several years belonged to a small educational charitable trust that initially took on 30 acres of clear-felled Forestry Commission 'surplus' land when the John Major Conservative Government tried to sell off parts of the Forestry Commission.
Trying to manage woodland by committee and consensus is not an easy task - the Forestry Commission's present activities, performance and direction and coordination would be difficult to improve on.

It is somewhat ironic that the United Nations have designated 2011 as International Year of Forests...

Back to my field and home:
An automated flood alert from the Environment Agency for the lower Dee Valley, with the level coming up at Farndon.
Hopefully it'll have settled by the time I'm home for getting ahead with the fencing and hedging.

A large bundle of apple root-stocks ordered for grafting some selected wayside apples I've spotted on my travels.
I suspect they are from discarded apple-cores, but they seem to have adapted and thrived in quite arduous countryside and give viable pleasant fruit...
(I was surprised that fruit tree root-stocks attract full VAT at 20%, even though entire fruit trees are exempt).

A small quantity of plumbing and hose fittings ironically ordered during this weeks rain and high water - ready for summer watering of the nursery stock at home and to mitigate any dry spells for this year's plantings down at the field.

January 2011

2011-01-28T16:24:00.005Z

Early January's mix of frost, rain and grey skies meant not a lot done down at the field apart from some hedgerow conservation.
A patchy overgrown hawthorn hedge to the south boundary has had some of the height removed and made accessable along it's base-line for partial replanting / gapping up.
I use a Stihl long-arm chainsaw from their KombiSystem range. I've been careful to keep long established large dog-rose clusters for re-weaving back at around chest height and into the hedge structure when layering.
Part of the thinning is to enable stock-proof fencing to go in and for the gaps to be filled with new hawthorn plants and periodic placing of Hazel and a few ash. It's a compromise between existing wildlife cover and the long-term life-cycle of the hedge.

At home I've been going over a few plans and paperwork and a bit of an inventory of the nursery stock of native broadleaf and orchard trees I have at home. (Really looking forward to a pleasant few days to get on with a planting scheme, once the perimeter is secure against straying livestock).
Looking further ahead to sunny summer days, I've taken the pre-emptive step of purchasing a second-hand water-bowser for maintaining the orchard trees for the first couple of summers. Collection was via Oxfordshire last weekend, so a fine (but chilly) relaxed afternoon in the grounds at Rousham and then around Christ Church Meadow at Oxford.

Mid-January there was an automated Lower Dee Valley flood warning (phone / email from The Environment Agency - a modest temporary inundation about half-way up the height of the field gate, although the ground never seems to get waterlogged under foot afterwards). The River Dee had been getting higher after both a thaw and rain.
I temporarily migrated south to Salisbury, ironically looking at similar terrain and habitats in river valleys (also with raised water levels).

Along a minor road between Stapleford and Winterbourne Stoke, I spotted a similar small field to my own - here there was an area of grassland, a relatively newly planted small areas of broad-leaf young trees and also a small orchard area. One corner of the grassland had a discretely placed shepherd's living van...

Also in Salisbury, a quick nosey in Scats Country Stores and four 2m lengths of picket fence acquired for a bulk compost bed for dead leaves etc. (Another job for the Stihl Kombi-Tool with a cultivator head to whizz through now and then for a few of cubic metres of humus rich mulch).

hedgerow conservation

2011-01-09T16:58:00.001Z

A couple of random days between snow, frosts and rain and sunshine tackling the overgrown south hedgerow.
No significant wildlife noticed since the tawny owl - although a mole-hill came up just in front of me with a small snout and front paws protruding, but I wasn't quick enough to get a photo.

The hawthorn is quite high in places along the south hedge line, but sporadically spaced along the 150 meter length of the boundary.
There is probably more gap than hedge, although a good few old dog-roses to conserve and bramble to take down quite a bit. A couple of young ash trees to preserve too.
The plan is to layer the entire length, trying to salvage as much of the original hawthorn as possible and to avoid too much wildlife disturbance in the process. The latter will be a compromise - I think the last time the hedge has been touched looks to have been about 10 years ago.
I'll be filling the gaps with new young hawthorn of regional provenance, as well as putting in a couple of alder and hazel and relocating a few young dog-rose plants.
A few young ash trees will be selectively placed as eventual replacements of the existing mature ash trees.
From maps going back to the late 1700s, there is continual evidence of mature hedgerow trees - but in a parallel row forming a lane in the next field. Apart from one lone oak, the hedge and trees the other side are long gone (non-existent apart from a soil-shadow on a 1970s aerial photo).
I'm quite tempted to replicate / re-establish a linear track within the boundary as green leafy access within my own field and effectively enhancing a green corridor along the field boundary.
The hedgerow rejuvenation is going to take me some time and then the installation of a stock-proof fence along the length...

Friday night on the TV, I was quite interested in Carol Klein's Life in a Cottage Garden - particularly as i got a copy of her excellent Grow your own fruit book for Xmas...

trees & wildlife

2011-01-02T19:50:00.005Z

A New Year and an afternoon at the field.
A quick check of the hedges and fences (a bit of work to do until stock-proof yet) - signs of small mammal and bird activity at ground level along the hedge and a couple of small burrows further out.
Along the track-way, a squirrel and in the field behind a heron again.
A few cobs of partly chewed maize here and there from the adjoining field. Most of the hedgerow berries have gone now though.
Walking along the south hedgerow, I'm mindful of a couple of mature hollow trees - a balance between wildlife and safety. They are far enough away from the footpath to be too much of a worry.
Today, in one of the hollow trees, something caught my eye...

From Meadowcopse 2011

An owl seemingly asleep!
Just shows the conservation value of hollow trees, something mentioned often by conservation groups and agencies.

From Meadowcopse 2011

A few items in the weekend papers about a bit of a turnaround for the fortunes of wildlife in the UK, particularly over the last 10 years - a shame that the very agencies with formal responsibility have a dark political shadow over them.

The rest of the afternoon was spent thinning a corner of the south hedge for layering and fencing preparations.
I'm hoping for a week without frost to get ahead with some tree planting from the native broad-leaf stock back at home.

conservation & compost

2010-12-21T20:09:00.000Z

A short while ago I had a chat with a respected local conservationist, he recommended that I looked into waste legislation and the Environment Agency website and exemptions, as arboricultural waste might be useful as compost, conditioning and mulch in my planting schemes...

Well worth looking into, but it won't be something I'll sort with form-filling in just an evening.
Receiving and using appropriate green waste shouldn't be a problem - and I only intend doing so on a small scale, but a transfer licence (£s) and appropriate paperwork will be required for shifting anything (like trailer fulls of dead leaves / tree clippings & shreddings).
May as well include "D3 - Deposit of waste from a portable sanitary convenience" (portaloo) if there is any camping down at the field.

Until the New Year

2010-12-16T09:45:00.002Z

Not much time at home or to spend at the meadow the last few weeks due to work and weather delays.
The lack of leaves has opened up the hedgerows a bit - a lot of the rosehips have signs of being nibbled by something - both on the stems and loose ones at ground level.
Quite a few residual maize cobs half chewed along the hedge line and in the middle of the grass - I suspect a fox or something reasonably large finding these and bringing them into the field to eat?
I've scattered a quantity of hazelnuts along the south hedge line - if any are left by the time I get home, the way in which they are gnawed into might indicate what small rodents are there (not sure if dormice completely hibernate, or have some winter activity)?
There are a couple of grey squirrels in the hollow parts of the ash trees (although one less in Bristol, as I acquired a prepared one and ate it in a casserole last week).
A heron has been particularly noticeable in the adjoining field and along the brook / trackway and a thrush and blackbird in the hedges.
Quite a few large fresh mole-hills and something else small has been burrowing a short distance out from the west hedge - too small for a rabbit - a hole nearly 2 inches diameter and soil scattered behind?
Seemingly a bit more wool strands on the fence wires - so I suspect neighbouring sheep are still straying, more fencing to do before the main push on tree planting...

Despite the cycle of thawing and freezing, the River Dee remains at almost drought low level - will be interesting what time towards spring it peaks again.
Someone has been in and partly cleared the main ditch though with a machine - I'll be spending a bit of January sorting the channel along the main road boundary as the Council / Highways haven't seemed interested for a decade or more.

In the post, there was a small selection of seeds to add to the grassland - they've gone in the fridge until the ground is more easily prepared for sowing.
A spell down south - a wander through the tree-lined waterways around Salisbury and it's meadow systems for a few 'compare & contrast' observations.
Still trying to determine if a few large poplars in one of the parks (Churchill Gardens) are specifically black poplars?
An afternoon at Thornhayes Nursery in North Devon for a handy fruit tree training and pruning course.
Also whilst down south, a cultivator head picked up for the Stihl multitool - will do for ground clearance around orchard trees and a few other preparations (Scats Countrystores had a 10% Xmas discount evening - although a bit strange talking plant and machinery to someone dressed as one of Santa's Elves...)

winter stasis

2010-12-06T13:50:00.001Z

After an absence of two and a half weeks, a light lunch on the hoof whilst walking the perimeter of the meadow.
White with frost and a hint of un-thawed snow in the shadow of the hedges, I'd hoped that if it was still snow covered that there might be some wildlife tracks to identify.
Just a few yellow brown leaves on the trees along the north boundary, everything else has dropped away and most of the rose-hips have gone.
In the south-west corner where previously there were fox hairs caught on the fence, some chewed rose-hips on the ground, but not sure what has been eating them.
Not much wildlife apart from a couple of crows leaving the top of the the tallest ash tree. In the field behind the large oak is surrounded by a frosted carpet of golden brown oak leaves.
At the end of the green lane a couple of lesser-spotted chavvy youths with extra layers of Lacoste and accompanying small ugly dogs.
Back at home a few more packs of meadow seeds have arrived, now in the fridge for false wintering until the ground is soft enough for sowing them in.
I think it'll be a few days indoors catching up with plans and paperwork rather than anything great in the great outdoors.
I've just finished reading the excellent and inspiring The Tree House Diaries by Nick Weston. Quite light and upbeat in style, it details six months living and surviving in a woodland tree-house in Sussex. It's packed with fine recipes and sensible and practical observations.

The Grasslands Trust

2010-11-28T00:30:00.000Z

Not sure how I missed this during research regarding meadows and field systems:
The Grasslands Trust
An organisation dedicated to the preservation of this disappearing landscape type...

yellow rattle and seeds

2010-11-24T22:01:00.002Z

I've just ordered some yellow rattle (Rhinanthus minor) from MAS Seeds and also from Emorsgate Seeds - together with a few other species and a hedgerow flower and grass mix to go along the ground slightly disturbed by the recent hedge-layering.

I hope to get the yellow rattle sown handy when back home and over-wintering for germination in spring.
With about 1 acre (0.4ha) to be left as grassland / conservation meadow - I've chosen this because it has a parasitic action on grass that will hopefully reduce some of the grass vigour and assist in establishing more traditional meadow-flower plants amongst the grass over a few seasons.
(The soil is reasonably good and not particularly the poor fertility type that is suggested as best for wildflower meadow establishment).
I'm still deliberating with respect to overall grassland species selection - I have a trial pack of a general northern meadow mix seeds, but the aim is to proliferate species favoured by the conditions and also locally prevalent.
The meadowsweet that already exists is something I wish to keep and encourage for brewing drinks from the flowers and leaves.
I need to come up with a scheme to reduce buttercups and docks (and dandelion) - preferably without chemicals (this year's mid-summer mow probably helped reduce the amount of seeds for next year)...

The Great British Elm Experiment

2010-11-23T08:00:00.001Z

Now signed up to The Great British Elm Experiment with:
Ulmus procera (origin: Upper Swell, Glos)
Ulmus glabra (origin: East Meon, Hants)
Ulmus x vegata (origin: Castle Acre, Norfolk)
Ulmus minor (origin: Colesdon, Beds)
Ulmus minor (origin: Boxworth, Cambs)

The 5 trees arrived promptly and sensibly packaged (pot grown) from Trees Direct. a couple of weeks ago. I intend to plant them inboard of the west hedgerow.
The Great British Elm Experiment is organised by The Conservation Foundation.
The origins of the young trees are from cuttings taken from mature parent trees found growing in the British countryside – which appear to have resisted Dutch elm disease for over 60 years and have been micro-propagated.

There is an expectation to report on progress for upwards of 15 years, with a community webpage via The Conservation Foundation...

water & wildlife

2010-11-12T23:34:00.000Z

The river water had drained away after a few days and the ground isn't too saturated underfoot.
A bit more post & rail fencing put in, but still quite a bit to do to get the boundary live-stock proof.
The over-grown willows in the culvert at the side of the main road could definitely do with some thinning to avoid an accumulation of debris and to help drainage, but the Local Authority were 'vague' about responsibility...

With the brief spell of water, a noticeable quantity of lady-birds along the tops of the fence-posts, the odd call of waterfowl from across the fields near-by that still have water on them. There was a heron this afternoon in the middle of the field to the south and the odd owl-hoot now and then as it became dark.
To the north west corner, a squirrel was ambling along the fence-line.
A few other small birds along the hedges, but difficult to tell what they were.

inundation

2010-11-10T13:28:00.001Z

Another automated call from The Environment Agency and the flood warning for the lower Dee valley has been stood down.
Still some water on the field though:

From Blogger Pictures

The west side is higher and drier, but I wont be doing any planting this week or finishing the fence line.
I'm not too bothered by the flood risks, it was why the land was cheap and the established hedgerows with their variety of trees and hedgerow plants would suggest oxygen suppression in the soil isn't a problem (it only seems to happen during the dormant winter months).

In the post today, 5x various Elm tree clones as part of The Great British Elm Experiment and quickly and reliably despatched as cell grown young trees from Trees Direct in Shropshire (worth contacting to discuss order details).

Back at home I need to sort through both young woodland trees for my planting scheme and also the mixed orchard trees to finalise a layout plan.
At least I can quickly visualise the higher ground after the River Dee coming over at the weekend. It seems to be running off quite steadily now too.

fencing and seasonal river height...

2010-11-06T20:27:00.005Z

Tuesday I tried to sort some field stuff, and then it rained :(
Consequently i still have a large amount of young trees at home rather than planted up - especially holding back on the orchard trees until the fencing is sorted to keep any straying sheep out.

Wednesday I put a new field gate in and discovered that I had to break through 2 feet of compacted limestone sub-base from when the track-way was reinstated during the by-pass construction. With over 3 feet of the 8" square gateposts in the ground, I hope I don't have to replace them any time soon.

From Blogger Pictures

I ended up down at the field until after 9pm, just the odd hoot of an owl now and then - until a couple of monster tractors and trailers tried to squeeze down the track and do a sharp turn.
They were getting round-bales out from the next field and suspected the river might be coming up after the rain. The Environment Agency's monitoring page showed a rise and a plateau of the River Dee.
No cause for concern just yet though...

Thursday and Uncle gave me a lift with some fencing and a willow tree over-hang tidied up with the chainsaw.

About, 1am on Friday I got a recorded phone message saying flooding was possible in the lower Dee valley between Llangollen and Chester - an issue I was aware of prior to purchase (hence a cheap price). I had spent a bit of time studying the trees and vegetation prior to taking it on, as the land is liable to flood (I was born relatively local a few miles north, so reasonably aware), but it isn't waterlogged or saturated ground and only happens seasonally when the leaves are off the trees.
Friday lunch-time the brook along the track way was about a foot higher than normal, but rising about an inch an hour. The sheep from the surrounding fields had been moved to higher ground.
Below Holt Castle the river was well up in it's channel, but still below the top of the banks.

From Blogger Pictures

A couple of hours later the brook had come up onto the trackway and had quite a flow

From Blogger Pictures

Still half a meter below the field and there is a fair bit of neighbouring land lying lower to fill first.

From Blogger Pictures

By 6pm it was a few inches below the low end of the field and there was some ponding. Time to give up on the fencing for now...

From Blogger Pictures

Saturday saw a trip to Carmarthenshire on an informal tour of a woodland, fine hospitality and interesting landscape and tree & undergrowth varieties and decent chat with like minded people.

Cross-country to Bristol and probably a look-in at a walled-garden at Wrington

something for the weekend...

2010-11-02T09:34:00.001Z

The last two weekends I've been away.
Firstly to Stourhead on the edge of it's fine grounds in Wiltshire - the Farm Shop had an 'Apple Day' in rather uncertain weather.
A slightly understated affair, but an excellent range of local grown historic apple varieties. I can't remember the name, but there was an excellent small apple that was crisp, yellow with some pink striping and tasted of strawberries...
Venison sausage hot-dogs with apple sauce were quite pleasant too and chunk of smoked cheddar cheese and fresh bread rolls picked up for a picnic later.
(Together with a mixed bag of heritage variety apples, from which I'll keep the pips to see what hybrids they give me and if there is any viable fruit in a few years time).

Stopping in Salisbury, I took the opportunity to wander around Harnham Meadows - a deliberate flood-meadow landscape now managed by a conservation trust.
With natural low-lying land and deliberately constructed channels for seasonal flooding, I was particularly interested in tree and hedgerow varieties to compare with the meadow here in Chester which has the risk of natural flooding occasionally.

In Salisbury, I picked up an excellent book: The Tree House Diaries - 6 months sustainable living in the woods and full of useful recipes, tips and practical advice.

On the journey home, I picked up some graft-wood from a roadside apple tree in the hedgerow south of Stonehenge. A particular tree on an exposed elevation that has reasonable fruit still on the tree in late December in all weathers.
Near Boscombe Down there was another graft-wood acquisition opportunity from a deep red apple too.

Taking the Pewsey road to Marlborough, I dropped by a small nursery and picked up an established pear tree (Beurre Hardy) in a large pot.

A week of pottering about down at the field - out with the measuring wheel for more planting scheme ideas, some pot-holes in the access track filled and the leaves on the mature ash trees turning and falling in the first frosts.
Looks like sheep have been through again, so hedges and fences are now stepping ahead of initial planting, especially holding back on the orchard layout until it's stock-proof.
A spot thinning in places of the meadowsweet now that it's come back after the summer grassland mow - a few clumps potted up for division into a nursery bed and then 'champagne' from the flowers and ale from the leaves next year...

Another weekend away, this time to Whitby, North Yorks for a Goth music weekend. With a semi-nocturnal long weekend, opportunity taken during relaxing days in Becketts Cafe on Skinner Street to try to finalise the small woodland and traditional orchard planting layouts, at the same time indulging in relaxed chat with friends and rather fine home-made cakes...

The week ahead includes a quick service of the tractor, hopefully the new gate, posts and east fencing going in and getting the plot ready for planting.

History and travel

2010-10-24T15:39:00.001+01:00

A few hours spent in the County Archives in Chester last Thursday, a couple of estate maps to look at - including a 1735 'Enclosures Map' and associated documents on parchment.
The neighbouring land to the south has a collection of documents from the late 1700s to late 1800s including descriptions and field names.
From Tithe Maps around 1835 onwards, my field was previously owned by a William Rowe, his will of 1854 leaves it to his son and a field name of Castle Meadow is possible the same field (to this day, Land Registry have it listed as 'The Meadows'.

A quick visit to the field and the layered east hedge from a couple of weeks ago still has a hint of leaves, som it's still alive.
There were also about 15 sheep in the field from a couple of fields down the trackway - just about managed to herd them out and back through a couple of patchy hedges to the larger flock.

This weekend I'm down in Wiltshire, initially for an 'Apple Day' at Stourhead Farm Shop - quite a few historic varieties to munch through and then to Salisbury for a wander around the historic conservation area of Harnham Meadows (after reading the book Water Meadows.
Ignoring the soil structure differences, I was interested to see what trees were growing in this low lying area and the hedgerow content.
I also picked up a fantastic new book from Waterstones in Salisbury... The Tree House Diaries - 1 guy living as a hunter-gatherer for 6 months in a tree-house.

Out along the roads, I picked up some graft-wood of a reasonably prolific hedgerow apple tree between Salisbury and Stonehenge.

History

2010-10-16T12:43:00.000+01:00

A couple of evenings spent going through online archives for land history.
From National Archives I found some searchable ancient deeds for the land around and presumably including my field plot at Farndon.
Some of the land rents around the 1400s include a pair of gilt spurs or a rose presented at mid-summer to the local lord.
Further delving brought up some documents held locally at Chester at the County Archives.
I've booked a map table and a folder of documents from the 1700s to view at the end of next week...

Other stuff unearthed includes the field used to launch an attack on the Holt Castle across the River Dee during the Civil War.

Hedging

2010-10-01T02:07:00.000+01:00

Just about finished the east boundary hedge between the field and trackway, layered the few existing hawthorns and tried to preserve as much of the wild roses as possible.
I've put in 25 young hawthorns, an alder and 2 hazels.
Didn't get as far as replacing the field gate and posts though.

From Blogger Pictures

Quite a few folk out and about along the footpath over the last week, including neighbouring landowners, which was handy for introductions and a chat.

In the south boundary hedge are a few mature ash trees - one has a Woodpecker hole a fair height up...

From Blogger Pictures

The weekend, trees and hedging

2010-09-28T10:34:00.004+01:00

A busy few days down at the field...
A minor trim of the overhanging willows from the north (by-pass) boundary, so as to get to the 4 rail fencing for repairs - I've left the Salix viminalis type for now, as that will be handy for cuttings later just poked in the ground.

Saturday was spent at Cannock Chase for a Forestry Fair. Apart from various chainsaw championships and demonstrations, quite a few trade stands and a return home with the Landrover a bit fuller and the wallet a touch emptier.
Mainly hand tools you won't find in B&Q and a few bits and bobs and 80 cell-grown young trees for patching the hedges and planting up.
One handy item was a post-ram for hedging / marker stakes, from a tree-guard and supplies specialist reasonably local in Shropshire.

Sunday was a stunning sunny day - breakfast and groceries from Hawarden Estate Farm Shop, then several hours work clearing the short east boundary hedge along the track-way.
Badly overgrown and thin and patchy at the base, rusty barbed wire and odd fencing removed, I've trimmed the hawthorn ready for layering and left enough room to establish the original line and to get in for new hedge planting and new post and rail fencing behind.
There were only 13 hawthorn 'trees' in all along 30 metres and a few dog-roses saved along the line too.
The wood-burning kettle on the go most of the day, in shorts and T-shirt weather and with a few stops ploughing through provisions from the farm-shop.
A reasonable sized dragon-fly whizzed by and something larger than a rabbit was moving through the long grass with a cob of maize from the field next door.

Monday wasn't so sunny, still a fair bit done and the east boundary almost ready now for the post-hole borer and a new stock-proof fence and gate...

From Blogger Pictures

planning & planting

2010-09-18T22:11:00.001+01:00

Looking ahead hopefully to some reasonable weather over the next couple of weeks:
Some of the pot-grown native trees from home will be planted in the narrow end of the field and maybe some fruit trees too.
I've ordered 200 various tree guards from both Acorn and Tubex - 100 are general spirals for rabbit / small mammal protection and 100 across both manufacturers are more robust various rounded top types to prevent bark damage from wind-sway and enclosed for a micro-climate to assist growth.
I get enough young Ash trees sprouting at home to chance a few with no protection to see how they compare to trees grown in quills.

A bit more research into planting patterns - working roughly on a 2m grid spacing with variations from straight lines and with small clumps and groupings of species and allowance for different growth rates and habits of the trees going in.
As well as considering some Elm, (hopefully with Dutch Elm Disease resistance) as part of a National experiment and specimen Black Poplars in the meadow - I've been looking into a few specimen Walnut trees for future timber use (as well as nuts at the orchard area edge).
The Walnut Tree Co. have a few specialist varieties that are tempting - although 60+ years before any realistic return.
Once the leaves drop for the dormant winter season, I'll be ordering a few species of bare rooted trees for planting, to bring the planting density up, initially over a 0.2 hectare area and rounding off 2 corners and a variation from a straight line along the road-boundary fencing...

Elm trees

2010-09-17T08:10:00.000+01:00

Looking further into tree planting schemes, I stumbled across a project to reintroduce elm trees, with hopefully some resilliance to Dutch Elm Disease.
There will be a requirement to report progress through a nationally coordinated scheme via the Conservation Foundation.

Early September

2010-09-07T22:44:00.004+01:00

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.

Brunch

2010-08-28T12:05:00.000+01:00

A brief field visit Thursday, bacon rolls from Mickey Broxton's on the A41 and a picnic in the Landrover along the hedgeline.
August's mixed weather has brought the grass on quite well, although the buttercups are recovering a bit too - at least I got them mown before they'd gone to seed.

A walk along the hedges and trackway revealed a plum or damson tree doing rather well - quite a lot of dark purple fleshy fruits, quite pleasant to eat too.
This is at the same ground level as the field and growing out of the bank of the ditch, so I'm not too cautious now about creating the informal orchard area...

A quiet week

2010-08-23T01:27:00.000+01:00

A Sunday evening call by the meadow after travelling back north from Wiltshire and Gloucestershire (A Georgian garden party at Painswick Rococo Gardens...) and the first reliably sunny day for a while too.
The missing gate from the nearby access track appears to be in the bottom of the brook, which will be a bit of a wrestle to retrieve.
Not much done at the field this week due to sorting a new shed for the tractor at home and generally tidying around.
The grass (and the neighbour's maize) have really noticeably grown and the hawthorn hedge has a noticeable amount of berries.

A couple of weeks...

2010-08-16T09:29:00.000+01:00

A quick wander around the hedgerows yesterday evening after an absence of a couple of weeks.
The grass has sprung up quite well after mowing and harrowing last month. Still a lot of buttercup plants amongst it and nettles coming back at the edges.
After last week's rain, the ground was moist underfoot - but not waterlogged.
The ash trees and field maple are noticeably in seed now.

The spare gate from the bottom of the shared track has vanished, hopefully someone had the same idea as me to replace the bashed gatepost and refit it - although somehow I think it's been borrowed long term...

RPA admin, flood warnings and meadow mixes

2010-08-07T05:34:00.000+01:00

Relayed from back at home, confirmation of a 'P I' - personal identifier for agricultural activities after sending of a Creg1 form and a follow-up phone call with the Rural Payments Agency for a County Parish holding number and a few other details.
Although the relatively small acreage means I'm unlikely to be bestowed with grants as a countryside custodian, it's an essential bit of administration if I make an application under the English Woodland Grant Scheme before the September 2010 deadline.

A phone call to the Environment Agency to set up automated flood warning messages by text and email (their website is easy for householders and business to register online, but landowners without a postal address get transferred to a regional office to clarify the details).

Meanwhile a bit of research into seed mixes for meadows - I've ordered a small pack of seed to trial of a traditional Yorkshire meadow mix, but I'm considering a larger mix from MAS Seeds or Manor Oaks

grassland ideas

2010-07-30T23:15:00.002+01:00

Thinking some more about the grass down at the meadow, I'm a little surprised that there isn't greater species diversity across the plot.
I've a feeling from memory back in the mid 1980s, when the larger landscape had a raised by-pass put through - that the construction site-huts were on the plot that I am now custodian of and that it may have been re-seeded.
Inspired somewhat by an excellent book A year in the life of an English meadow - I'm tempted to apply a specialist meadow flower seed mix (initially in small trial areas) in what will remain as traditional meadow long term.
That would also require a structured seasonal mowing / grazing routine.

A website I found interesting was Meadowmania with specialist and selectable seed mixes.
An interesting suggestion has also been traditional natural dyestuff plants, interestingly a section of Louden's Encyclopædia of Agriculture from the 1800s that I browsed through had several paragraphs on this, but I'm reluctant to set down much of an area as a crop.

A quiet week

2010-07-26T10:51:00.004+01:00

Back home in Cheshire after a long weekend at the Secret Garden Party festival in Cambridgeshire.
Dropped by the field late evening and relatively quiet - no sign of the bees, which I thought had moved into a hollow tree.
The south-west corner has some activity at a burrow - just one hole and possibly a bit big for a rabbit, but not sure what? The grass is greening up after mowing and harrowing, but a couple of clumps of dead cut grass to remove.
Looking over old maps with my brother, the track that used to be tree-lined and along the south boundary caused some interest - quite why is uncertain, but at the ash tree at the south east corner the remaining track would have split three ways...

a harrowing experience...

2010-07-20T00:57:00.002+01:00

The weekend's mowed grass was given a going over with a frame-mounted harrow to lift the places where the weather had layered it.
Probably another cut to do in a couple of weeks time on a lower setting, once a bit of fresh green growth comes through.

It looks like the bee colony has moved on, in fact a bit quiet for wildlife all-round late into the evening.

mowing

2010-07-17T23:28:00.005+01:00

A mower purchased and collected locally late on Wednesday, tractor sorted on Thursday afternoon, some preparations at home on Friday for transporting equipment with the trailer.
Saturday morning got rather wet with the rain here in Chester, putting a cloud over the plans for mowing - but it soon cleared into quite a sunny mid-day and afternoon.

Down to the field and mowing carried out, probably for the first time this year:

Along the south hedgerow I fortunately spotted a random bee colony hanging from a hawthorn branch - right in the line of the tractor exhaust (no cab)! and fortunately avoided.
Amongst the docks, thistles and buttercups taken down, the only significant other flower was meadowsweet - apparently good for the innards if infused.
A couple of random burrows along the south and west hedges, but one had a few bumble-bees buzzing around, so guess they were the only inhabitants.
Between one run along the length of the field and back, 2 mole-hills appeared in the time taken to return.
Up above a Merlin or small buzzard was circling around.
A couple of walkers along the track-way near-by, one couple lost and needing directions back to the picnic area by the mediaeval bridge at Farndon.

Tithe Map

2010-07-13T08:25:00.003+01:00

Just after purchasing the field about a month ago, I started looking up local history and found the Local Council website had an interactive archive map.
It presents two windows for comparing maps of different ages / aerial photos and information and is scaleable for direct comparison.
From a Tithe Map plot 285, my originally larger field was owned by a Mr. Rowe, a modern map shows how a by-pass has left it annexed from the river as an almost triangular plot.
What I hadn't noticed until I started to compare the amount of veteran trees in the hedges, was a lane parallel to the south boundary 'mature' hedgerow.
This lane has long gone (an outline in the ground can just about be seen on the b&w 1970s aerial photo). It explains why there is a random large oak tree outside the hedge line in the neighbour's field to the south west corner.

From just over two weeks ago, I think there might have been an otter visiting - some of the long grass had a track too narrow for someone to have walked through, the ground has been too hard for paw-prints for confirmation, but a splatter like a small cow-pat would suggest an otter with it difficult to think what else.

June 2010 photos

2010-07-11T08:37:00.002+01:00

A tour of the field perimeter and access track shortly after purchase...

more paperwork

2010-07-11T00:35:00.002+01:00

A sensible short phone conversation Friday morning with The Rural Payments Agency - not that I'm going to be bestowed by coffers of funding from the Common Agricultural Policy (the plot size mostly precludes this), but I was pointed in the direction of downloadable form CReg 01 to ensure the land remains on the Rural Land Register (over and above Land registry now it has it's own Title Number after being divested from a larger farming enterprise.
Registration is also necessary if I explore opportunities for planting under the Forestry Commission's English Woodland Grant Scheme.

A couple of 'paper exercises' for planting schemes and some notes scribbled for odd jobs over the next couple of months and deliberating over a small topper or finishing mower for behind a compact tractor.

Main focus so far for 2010/2011 with the land is to:
Make the boundaries stock-proof
Mow and maintain +50% of the area as traditional meadow with an alternating mowing / grazing strategy over future years
Recover the hedgerows by layering and maintain species diversity
Plant a few specimen black poplars in the meadow area
Finalise a planting plan for the shadier narrow side with native local provenance trees
Plan and partially plant an informal 'traditional' orchard, including a nursery stock of experimental hybrids and a few specimen mulberry trees.
Liaise with interested parties for Biodiversity Action Plan targets.

Meadow grazing ideas

2010-07-07T23:56:00.004+01:00

Although a lot of my interests revolve about trees and woodlands, not wishing to overlook the habitat conservation value of lowland meadow - I stumbled across a handy website matching land with grazing opportunities from a conservation aspect: Grazing Animals Project

In the more immediate future, I've organised a Kubota B8200 compact tractor for running a topper over the grass and for general groundwork.

Paper chase

2010-07-06T21:19:00.000+01:00

Quite a bit of exploration through Natural England and other websites and a couple of emails to see if the land qualifies for Higher Level Stewardship (HLS).
This would help with guidelines and sensitive management framework (and potential subsidy) particularly with the land use and hedge-row restoration for wildlife and biodiversity.
Apparently it won't qualify.
A couple of useful pointers here in Cheshire with non-statutory projects, 'Habitats and Hillforts' looks interesting.
Meanwhile I'll pencil in some time over winter for hedgelaying the south boundary and restoration rejuvination of the short east boundary against the Public Footpath / Marches Way.

To-do list, paperwork and barn owls

2010-07-02T23:10:00.000+01:00

A message left with a local barn owl group to see if the ash trees in the south hedgerow would be suitable for an owl-box.

An email to the Local Authority regarding the overgrown willows in the drainage channel along the road to the north and to try to find a way forward.
An email to the Woodland Trust with an outline for guidance regarding establishing a small wooded area appropriate to the rest of the land (before approaching the Forestry Commission, hopefully with grant assistance for planting.
An email to the Rural Payments Agency regarding registration now that Land Registry have issued a unique Title Number for the land.

A list of things to do, particularly stock-proof fencing repairs, the overgrown willows on the north boundary to trim back (and uses for the wood larger than shredding diameter) and the hedge that needs layering over winter and renovating on the south boundary. A replacement gate and posts to go in for access on the east side.
A potential planting plan for a small woodland on the narrowest side and planting preparations and protection from grazing for specimen black poplars to go in what remains as open meadow area, together with ideas for an informal orchard if seasonal flooding isn't too much of a compromise...

Environment Agency & flood warnings

2010-07-01T00:34:00.000+01:00

The meadow sits within the River Dee flood plain a few miles south of Chester. The Environment Agency give automated flood warnings if you sign up, although the online form expects a house or business postal address.
I've sent them an email with the Ordnance Survey grid reference and the nearest postcode at the same land level along the river.
Also in the email, I queried the general condition of the drainage ditch along the A543 and it's channel being overgrown with willow trees.
I'm not sure whose responsibility this would be (it's just outside my boundary), but it was constructed as part of the Holt-Farndon bypass which effectively split the originally larger meadow in two with a raised section to cross the River...

Land Registry

2010-06-28T17:26:00.000+01:00

Land Registry details have been updated with a new title number, but they managed to get part of my home address incorrect, so that'll need changing.

Down at the meadow, the twiggier branches of the overhanging willows went through the shredder - over a tonne done so far.
The A-road alongside has a couple of underpasses - one for an established old track-way / footpath and ditch to the east and another at the west from when the land was a much larger meadow alongside the river until the road was constructed in the 1980s. Every now and then it looks like a few kids hang about in the underpasses and yesterday sometime they've pulled a few of the neighbouring fence rails off to make a bench in the underpass. Whether it's part of the same group or not, halfway along the west boundary where I'd cut back some nettles, thistles, docks and long patchy grass - some cheeky sod had discarded a condom and it's wrapper - potentially a problem for when there may be grazing animals on the land.

I finished the evening off with a few buckets of crushed limestone put into pot-holes on the trackway.

Orchard?

2010-06-28T05:50:00.000+01:00

Back home after a relaxed weekend down south in scorching sunshine.
The main purpose was an Orchard planning course organised from the Orangepippin website. It was a course of good information and structure and some handy practical exercises too.
Although I'm going to try a small / discrete 'naturalistic' orchard with heritage varieties and experimental hybrids, the ability of apple trees to survive some standing water in the dormant winter months during river floods will be a test. (The 'bargain' fruit trees from Wilkinsons will be the first to go in to see how they cope).

Driving long distances, I can't help but cast an eye over the landscape as I go. At Ashford, one village had a community woodland of old trees and some recent plantings and information boards. Between Oxford and Banbury, the M40 had carved through a few fields leaving odd field parcels not unlike the one I'm now custodian of. Near Stafford there were interesting similarities and contrasts in the low-lying land - a smaller water-course, but looking as if the land is wetter for longer periods through the year.
The soil here at Farndon is far from waterlogged and mature trees and hedgerows would suggest the seasonal winter floods aren't too much of a detriment.

clearing

2010-06-25T17:21:00.000+01:00

Being as the purchase 'completion' had been quite prompt (13 days from the hammer falling at auction) I've made some headway at clearing around the north boundary fence that is against a main road (approx 150 metres long).
This is massively overgrown on the other side of the fence with self-set willows in a culvert and overhanging and growing through the fencing with large areas of nettles and weeds.
As the fencing needs repairing, I went into the nettles with a brush cutter and also took a few of the lower overhanging branches out the last few afternoons.

make hay while the sun shines...

2010-06-22T05:14:00.000+01:00

After a weekend away (ironically stopping at Frampton Court overlooking a vast fine meadow beneath my room window), I went down to the meadow and had missed two fields up being mown and baled over the weekend - would have been handy if they'd have been interested in some extra acreage this year (I'd let the previous owner know too that I'd be happy for someone to take the crop away).

fencing and bills

2010-06-18T22:07:00.000+01:00

I had the fencing order delivered to home, as it'll take a while to put it all in. I also gave the gate and posts an extra dose of darker wood preservative to help it 'blend in' a bit better.

The Solicitor's bill arrived in the post, so a stroll into Chester to pay that and a relaxed long light lunch looking up a bit more info on small woodland and conservation scheme planting on the WiFi in the cafe.

behind the scenes

2010-06-17T02:58:00.000+01:00

A letter from the Solicitors regarding a breakdown of their fees and charges and an email sent to The Forestry Commission regarding the English Woodland Grant Scheme (worth a try for the proposed small copse at the east boundary). I also enquired about opportunities for Black Poplar and integration with any local BAPs (biodiversity action plans).
It would be handy if I could utilise a fair amount of the young trees I have at home as a nursery stock and ultimately small scale coppicing. I also have several black poplar saplings and young trees to put as specimens in the meadow.
With the heatwave we are having at the moment, the trees in pots at home are getting some additional watering every other evening.

field visit and workscopes

2010-06-16T04:00:00.000+01:00

A check-up on measurements down at the field and a load of post and rail fencing ordered for patching up and making live-stock proof, together with a new gate and posts from Ringwood Fencing.

Natural England phoned in response to last week's email query about land designation and neighbouring an SSSI area. Although of biodiversity interest in it's present state, the relatively small size of the field would tend to exclude them from any influence on appropriate 'agricultural' activities on the land.

I made some enquiries locally about taking a hay-crop off - although a bit short notice and the number of machine operations involved would make it costly. Due to a high concentration of buttercups and docks and a few thistle patches, I'll probably end up topping it this year.

more legalities

2010-06-15T02:24:00.000+01:00

Back to the Solicitors to pay the final balance on the land and to sign the Land Registry Transfer documents.

The NFU Mutual 'land away' scheme would seem best suited for public liability cover...

Legalities

2010-06-11T22:38:00.000+01:00

After paying a 10% deposit at last night's auction, it was round to Ellis & Co. Solicitors by Chester Castle, to progress the purchase legalities, give formal I.D. and go through the sales contract.

I also looked into the important area of Public Liability Insurance. From the web, the most appropriate seems to narrow down to Rural Arbor Products or NFU Mutual and their 'land away' addition to a household policy.

Sold...

2010-06-11T07:13:00.001+01:00

Thursday evening was spent at the property auction. For nearly a week I'd been going over the sales and legal details and DEFRA and Natural England designations of a small agricultural plot and a few site visits.
By a couple of weeks time from now, contracts will have been exchanged and I'll become custodian of 0.83 ha (2 acres) of traditional lowland meadow. Cheap (relatively), because it's part of the River Dee flood plain - interesting in it's present form (a triangular slice of a previously much larger meadow, annexed by a mid 1980s road bypass scheme).

From June 2010

Of particular interest to me, is that it's potentially ideal habitat for planting up a few of the relatively rare black poplar trees, yet still remaining large enough and useful for grazing / hay and with bio-diversely rich hedgerows (mainly hawthorn, with bramble, blackthorn, dog-rose and 10 large ash trees). A shadier narrow eastern side could be ideal for a small native species copse and room for a small experimental orchard wouldn't be too much out of place.
The other side of the east boundary has the Long Distance Path The Marches Way.
Near-by there is a small ruined castle, a mediaeval bridge across the River Dee to Wales and across the fields, the site of a Roman Villa...
An hour and a half after hammer-fall, I dropped by on the way home and a middle aged couple had parked up on the access track and part way up the hedgerow had set up a picnic rug!

For Sale

2010-06-09T18:05:00.001+01:00

I've made a few diversions on my travels recently, to nosey at a small meadow that has come up for sale...

From June 2010

Part of an originally larger flood-plain carved up by a raised section of by-pass. No chance of building potential at all, but interesting from a conservation and biodiversity aspect (surrounded on 3 sides by Natural England's SSSI designation, it is part of the River Dee flood-plain and hasn't been intensively managed in living memory). A few evenings this week spent researching traditional meadow management (and black-poplar reintroduction) and the various administrative hurdles in agricultural land stewardship.