Wood

June 2014, the day the sale came through, a month after the auction,  I bought a bottle of champagne and drank it all in the wood watching the sun through the hornbeams, with Kali playing with the cork. I made a video which I sent to Tim.

I did nothing in the wood for the first months, except walk the dog of course.

Then in November, the work started. Led by Paul Jackson, our  first work was to clear the southern boundary to let in more light.
In December the second work was to dredge the ponds. A large cost, but once in a life time, and never regretted. Amazingly the ponds filled up in a week – we were lucky, dry for the working and rain came in buckets the week after we finished. A video is here

The third stage was to get some practical shelter on the site, while I applied for Prior Notice to build a cabin on the land. A stripped out and painted ivy green caravan from Arthur became the tool shed. A 1970’s wooden static van from Holton Hall Park, neatly towed on to the site by Chris, was stripped and painted, and has hosted many a magical candlelight evening.

In December of that first year, Paul Jackson and Ben felled 8 dead oaks, Jim Dye bought his bansaw in to the wood and the work to create the cabin out of the dead oak on the land began.

In 2015, while the cabin wood rested, we started the wood working by securing the boundaries, and I learned the gentle art of hedge laying. First the northern boundary then the western boundary.

Sid Cooper and David Mitchell visited and generously shared their years of wood wisdom. I joined the East Anglian Coppice Network another useful exchange mechanism.

There were gatherings, the wood began to be shared, by fungi groups, writers, friends.

With Paul we began the coppice cycle for the first acre of land near the northern boundary.

In 2016 the boundary work continued. I was occupied with the renovations of East Lodge a home i’d secured up the road. Nevertheless, the building of the cabin began in October.

Throughout 2017 the cabin was built, led by Graham with Paul as the ‘boy’ and various others, including Paul the unexpected Wood Warden, Jo, and Tino. It was complete by my 60th birthday, a memorable occasion, when we blessed the wooden structure with  fire and song. A video made by Nat Bocking.