At the weekend, only Chris and I were game to work on the trees, mulching about 150 hazel. He was back again today with Anjum and friend. The four of us planted some spare ash to make an avenue along the back track.
Treesponsibility have finished planting for this season and are now desperately trying to finish the mulching (four newspapers and a sack). They’re back next Wednesday, hoping to finish off a thousand trees.
I’m awaiting a bunch of greenwood tools—barking knife, carving axe, adze etc—so that I can get on with processing a bit of timber I cut in February. Some cypress poles that I want to turn into a yurt or tipi; and some beech logs I’d like to turn into a shaving bench, mallets etc. I’m sure Vikki’s Sam would know how to do this but I’m still on training wheels.
I’ve booked onto a forest gardening course in July and an oak framing course later in the year. All new skills that I’ve been waiting to explore for ages. Monica is also on a learning curve: bee-keeping. She was late to the movies with Chris and Rushna yesterday because a swarm became available; now she’s fretting over its fate in her new hive.
We’re also looking at expanding the farm back to its original size by buying forty acres up the lane, including a caravan site, stables, a quarry (for Chirs to climb in!) and a mill race. Lots of new projects there, too.