Produce

April 2015 - lots of planting and more Green Gym days

Ongoing work to flatten the Meadow. 

2nd April

Forget-me-not, Wood Anemone and Primrose planted in the Top Strip. 

6th April

(Easter Monday). Wood Cranesbill planted in Top Strip. 

7th April

White Violets planted in Top Strip. Ponies collected and taken to Geltsdale. Campion planted on grassy bank in SW corner, Alchemilla and Wild Strawberry planted on Crag. Bendy Larch in NE Strip felled; stile built at western end of Top Strip. 

8th April

Purple Violets planted in top strip; Larch felled in NE plantation. Pied wagtails on top grazing.

10th April

Green Gym: Pat freed more trees in Pit Wood; Tim planted Teazel and Honesty on spoil heaps west of Meadow; Sally planted Leopard's Bane, Monkshood and Dame's Violet in Pit Wood near the spring; John made a stile into the Pit Wood; Clare did more Meadow flattening!

11th April

Green Gym: Mel and John felled the second bendy Larch in the NE plantation; Sally planted Bladder Campion, Solidago and Yellow Loosestrife on spoil heaps in the Top Strip; Clare and Sally started the Ramsons Ramble at the far end of the Top Strip path; Clare continued to hone her mattock management skills on the Meadow. Mel and John planted one Rowan and one Birch from Sally. Stoat hunting at east end of the Crag base.

13th April

John rotovated the eastern quarter of the Wildflower Meadow and 2 paths from the gate to the stiles in the north fence. More work on these paths and banking up the edges of the wet areas in the Meadow. More mattocking.

Seed mix (Sweet Cicely, Garlic Mustard, Wild Carrot, Wild Parsnip and Weld) scattered in Scrub, on Top Grazing and along eastern edge of Meadow. 

17th April

We decided to distribute the plug plants around the Meadow by delineating several circles laid out with string and apportioning the plants between them.; Foxglove and Hedge Woundwort planted under Hawthorn stands on Meadow; Wood Sorrel planted in Top Strip and more Geranium Sylvaticum. Brash on paths. 

18th April

More path brash in Meadow; 3 circles planted, one by entrance; Plantains to ward off serpents and serpent-like thoughts planted in quincunx and triangle either site of gate; tray of Sweet Cicely seedlings planted on north edge of Scrub; discovered bank of Cowslips on spoil heap west of Meadow. 

19th April

Trip to Egglestone Hall Gardens to buy 3 Spindle Trees, 1 Wild Cherry, 1 Damson and 1 Rowan. 

20th April

1 more circle planted; Wild Cherry, Damson, Rowan planted. (NB we were to discover later that planting specimen trees on a meadow is Not a Good Thing, so we had to move them!)

22nd April

Bird box survey.

23rd April

Eastern quarter of Meadow seeded. 

24th April

2 more circles and 3 Spindle Trees planted.

25th April

Spoilheap planting.

27th and 28th April

Digger for roadway from lower entrance and ponds on Meadow.

29th April

Bonfire prep.

John helping to flatten the meadow

Pat - Tree-Freer in Chief

Result of rotovating

Bramble helping Tim plant on the spoil heaps

Sally planting in the Pit Wood

Ganymede and Anonymous awaiting departure

Specimen trees on the meadow

Meadow path

More meadow trees

Plug plants waiting to go in

Spindle Trees west of the Meadow

September 2014 - first stoat sighting!

6th September

Open Day for friends' work - Neil did more damming and sourced spring below Crag; Jane E and Sally did more brashing in Top Strip; John and Robbie put in 4 fence posts for Meadow; Clare worked on cleaning ivy off top wall and opening space in Top Strip; Pat freed more trees in the Pit Wood.

Week beginning 8th September

4 panels and trough painted for rain water collection on Top Grazing; all bags of chip now in Top Strip; John saw a stoat (Top Grazing) and deer coming from Pit Wood into Scrub; the blackberries are in abundance and excellent; more ivy cleared off top wall; more Black Medic seeds sown and Wild Carrot and Wild Parsnip. 

14th September

Last 2 posts in for Meadow fencing; more clearing in Top Strip, painting completed for rainwater collection. 

16th September

We met Ian Everard (Forestry Commission) - advised on thinning. 

Results of brashing

Opening the Top Strip

A gateway waiting for a gate

Fly Agaric in the Scrub

May 2014 - the bird boxes prove popular; more planting and surveying

2nd May

Pair of willow warblers in larger of two large willows in Scrub. Herb Robert near neighbour's piglets; Daisies in Wildflower Meadow; Violets, Cowslips and Wood Sorrel in Pit Wood; transplanted Wild Garlic in Pit Wood now in bud; Cuckoo Flower (Lady's Smock) in verge west of Pit Wood; Self Heal, Water Avens, Violets and Sweet Woodruff in NW corner of Pit Wood; small pond found behind Oak adjacent to west wall in verge. 

14 nest boxes mapped:

  • Box 2 - 2 eggs
  • Box 12 - moss/hair
  • Box 8 - moss/feathers
  • Box 11 - 4 eggs
  • Box 9 - 3 eggs

All others empty. 

Blackcap heard in Pit Wood. Unidentified fungus on fallen branch in Pit Wood east of Nest Box 7 (photographed however photograph very poor; let's hope we can find it again). 

4th May

Remaining 6 bird boxes mapped - no activity; work started on high seat west of North-east Strip; Cowslips by spoil heap; peacock butterflies and small tortoiseshell, 2 unidentified whites; more work to clear SW boundary fence. 

5th May

More work on high seat and W boundary fence; Primroses on N facing slope of Pit Wood near spring; Stitchwort in Pit Wood; Marsh Marigold planted on S facing edge of spring run off pipe. 

15th May

Mel's wildflower survey - over 30 species recorded. 

16th May

We arrived early to meet Keith for a bird survey, and found mist sitting in the valley over the Pit Wood. We recorded 20 bird species seen and/or heard; highlights were garden warblers and tawny owl roosting on a Sycamoor in Pit Wood. Nest building in Box 12; blue tit sitting on 9 eggs in Box 8. 20 Setanta seed potatoes planted in Top Strip. We found our first Bluebells coming up in the Top Strip.

20th May

Second bumblebee survey. Hare on top grazing - it ran from its form as we approached down the verge. 

23rd May

Eggs hatched in Box 8; blue tit chicks in Box 11; tawny owl flew out of hawthorn at east-most point of orchard (7.45am). 

Herb Robert

Wild Garlic

Sweet Woodruff

Bugle

Violets

Cuckoo Flower (Lady's Smock)

Stitchwort

Clearing on the SW boundary

Marsh Marigold planting

Water Avens

Bluebells

Mist in the valley

September 2013 - Party preparations

3rd September

We planted two clumps of Meadow Cranesbill and a Pink Campion. 

4th September

Clare saw the hare. We took still and moving pictures of the land. 

10th September

Beech branches overhanging the road had been cut and had to be moved. 

15th September

We built the bonfire for the party. Kate and Andy came for blackberries. There was a spectacular rainbow to the north, over Heavenfield. 

14th September

Clare collected fruits and made hedgerow jelly. This is the recipe I use.

17th and 15th September

John, Neil and Andy build the shelter for the party. See Celebrations for photos.

21st September

We made a path down to the tree planting site (the Bird Cherry tree Mathilda bought us as a wedding gift)

28th September

We saw a kestrel

29th September

We saw a large dragonfly

August 2013 - Becoming landowners

7th August

16.50: We are landowners! I walked to the land and John drove and we sat and raised a glass to investing in life. 

13th August

Party-planning! We've identified a site for the bonfire and for the shelter. We've also considered the possibility of applying to turn the hunt jump into a gateway. Great raspberries!

15th August

John went up with Mel and they saw a roe doe at the spring end of the Pit Wood and a sparrowhawk. 

2 sightings of a hare on the meadow. 

26th August

A new gatepost installed and the gate rehung. 

What a prospect...