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.
