Thursday 20th July 2023

Sign of the Times

Today was a day for little jobs. We split up and tackled our tasks. Ram and Keith toured the arboretum. All the signs were given a good wipe down with a damp cloth.

Bird muck, tree sap, squished insects, algae soon build up on the signs and make them illegible. Nothing a little bit of elbow grease can't fix.

Keith followed up with a pilot hole and a clout nail, to make sure that naughty fingers can't twist or pull off the sign. A little problem we have from time to time.

More Odd Jobs

Jenny spent some more time writing up and producing laminated sheets from the dried samples previously taken. We often spend tea break admiring her morning's work. Very informative and educational.

Our planter display of spring bulbs is well and truly over. We emptied the bed and harvested a good crop of grasses and nettles. The original bulbs have been left in place for next year's display. Problem is what do we do with the bed. Any suggestions on a postcard !

Finally, with the drainage works finished, we now have access to the top end of the pond. A lot of overgrowth had come and we spent an hour cutting back brambles. Also thinned the crop of apples on one of our specimen apple trees to see what effect this has on the quality of the fruit. Currently there is a lot of fruit, but all small. Thinning should bring a better crop. We shall see.

Underneath the spreading Hornbeam tree ? Part II

The area under the hornbeam has been cleared sufficiently for us to start doing something with it.

There are a multiplicity of cut log seats at the 'Story Telling Circle'. It was a simple matter to load a few onto the trailer and drive them up to our new cleared area.

There we go! Now the 'Secret Seven' have a cool place to meet. Plus one seat spare for a guest.

A gentle but satisfying day