Category: 2015

A natural festival for me, celebrating all that comes from wood. Firewood cutters, bansaws, wood carvers, spoon carvers, bowl turners. A gentler happier festival I cannot remember ever before. My first encounter was with a blacksmith, an oder man, working with a young woman, the daughter of the foundry it transpires. I asked the man:… Continue reading May Wierd and Wonderful

Born in 2009, Kali is now 6. A scatter of emails sent out late on Friday, bought 6 good souls to celebrate, Sal, Nicky, Linda, sheila, and all the way from Debenham, Pam and Steven. Lit the bonfire, scented by dry  laylandii. It's taken three months, but a little bit each week, i've done the… Continue reading 2015 May – Kali’s birthday, finished clear up after winter coppice, and feelers out

Still clearing up from the northern boundary coppice. Stacking the cords and jagging the brush wood into the dead hedge along the boundary. Now not only preventative of munjac and deer, but I found a local man merrily helping himself to the cords. 'I thought no one owned this wood', he said, and I could… Continue reading May Spring Clearing

Primroses, the first spring flower of the wood, Daphne spurge-laurel (neither a spurge nor a laurel), the ever green forest plant began to flower. Nat Bocking came and buried treasure in the wood. He made a geocache. It was found the very next day by eager Geo-cachers keen to find a virgin cache. It lies… Continue reading April Geocache, first spring, first orchid

Gills beloved cat, Dayna, aged 15 years, from London to Model Farm, died. A beautiful Persian who'd become less aloof, and managed to pur in the last few days of her life Gill, 80, and I 58, struggled to dig into the root bound earth. Gill resorting to her bare hands. We called in the… Continue reading Feb First Woodland Burial, Dayna

'He does like to talk', I was forewarned by Tim, who provided the introduction. 'But he does know how to lay a hedge'.  His left hand, I noticed was kept in his pocket until he forgot to hide it, and the shake was noticable. Challenging with a chain saw. As we walked down: 'Ah an… Continue reading Feb Learning hedge laying with Alan and spring bulbs

Redlingfield wood, 25 acres and owned these 25 years. David is ex Forestry. We are the same age, born in 1957. His  wood was felled that year, so except for the oak standards, ash and hornbeam, it is all planted since then. 'The best part is sharing', he said. Around are lads messing about, coppicing,… Continue reading Feb Visiting David Mitchell at Redingfield Wood

27th January 2015 Visit of Sid Cooper to the wood. Sycamore - The marmite tree - potentially will replace Ash if die back gets hold, as it seems to be dong. All over England now.  Sycamore never regenerate under their own canopy (sycamore don’t regenerate freely under their own canopy) Ash die back Lesions - when… Continue reading January Sid Cooper visit