Sweet and dandy

Geoff, Richard, Dave and Tanya

After a season of Saturdays have that tested our endurance and forbearance, we finally got a vaguely sunny day.

We were: myself, Geoff, Dave, Hap, Tanya, Kayleigh, Richard, and Stephen.

With this hand picked team we planted 89 sessile oak, 39 rowan, and 47 downy birch. An admirable total of 175 trees,

And it has to be a joyful tune to reflect the day, so...

https://youtu.be/ErQ2UB44k-o

(clip from the Harder they come, recorded in Leslie Kong's studio, I presume that's him on the desk)

Our sense of fun was a bit undermined by world events, but hey.

Ice age

Philip still forswears hi-vis.

File this one under, should have known better.

Fag end of storm Eunice brought us snow. Which is always vile for working outdoors. But we soldiered on and I think we are all heroes - apart from me who was more of a donkey leading lions.

We were: Stephen, Sophie, Richard, Matthew, Harry, Peter, Hap, Dave, Philip, Cath, Geoff, Jess, Tanya, Kayleigh, and Kai. 

Gave up and ran away, so ended up taking an unknown number of trees away unplanted. Some are in a bag in my backyard. Tools could be anywhere, I have half a dozen. Started with a dozen. Dave took some tools and trees.

Everyone got home alive, which is something.

This song is properly what it felt like.

If there is even a wisp of a cloud in the sky next week I'm staying in bed.

https://youtu.be/cDrBTr5HOrI

After consulting recovering participants, and counting what I'd got in the bag, it was apparent that we planted 157 trees. 27 Scots Pine, 36 Sessile Oak, 58 Downy Birch, and 36 Rowan.

All tools also now accounted for.

This is how it looked 4 days later. 

YOLO

 

After this years serious problems with supply of trees and approvals to plant we are staggering towards the end of the season and using the trees we have to improve a previously planted eWGS site at Scammonden.

We were: Cath, Gillie and Ruth, Jess and Lee, Jon and Tessie, Ben, Dave, Geoff, Hap, Richard, Philip, and myself.

We planted 100 sessile oak, 25 aspen, 15 downy birch, 15 hazel 15 hawthorn, and 15 rowan.

Weather was terrible. But we got it done.

There's something relevant in this song, obliquely.

https://youtu.be/z5Otla5157c