The leanover

Happy reclining volunteers

This week we were at Parkwood in Golcar, formatively pruning trees, and reclaiming stakes and guards. It was a lovely morning, blessed further by eccles cakes!

We were: myself, Guy, Adrian, Stephen, John, Harriet and Floyd the dog, Duncan and Harvey the dog, Jess, Lee, Steve, Philip, Susan, Sarah, Dave, Tanya, Dianne, Adam, Ben and Geoff.

We removed several hundred stakes and guards, and will be back for more.

This was followed by a very productive mid-season meeting.

https://youtu.be/0SL4_DsUlH8 (cult 90's Scottish post punk spoken word)

Numbers

The trees behind were us too, but over 15 years ago.

Back up Mount Road, Marsden today. We planted 28 Scots Pine, 102 Oak, 43 Birch, 74 Rowan, 30 Willow and 15 Alder - 292 total. How's that for precise.

This leaves 2 Pine, 3 Oak, 2 Birch and 1 Rowan for me to plant on Monday.

We were: Adrian, Hap, Stephen, Philip, Dave, Ben, Jess, Tanya, Geoff, Simon, Jon, Peter, and myself.


https://youtu.be/4YPiCeLwh5o

Hey

Geoff defrosting  trees - or a garden water feature with gnome?

In attendance: Adam, Adrian, Ben, David, Diane, Geoff, Harriet, John, Jon, Philip, Simon, Stephen, Steve, Tanya.

Adrian arrived with pastries to celebrate his 60th. As Simon was away, anarchy ruled with an early break to let the trees defrost. 

Photo of Geoff de-frosting trees in a small brook, taking care not to let all the soil wash downstream.

The shelter belt was finished by planting the Hazel and Wild Service Trees in the dryer areas. Guelder Rose were planted as a woodland edge back from the fence-line as requested. The few remaining trees were used to fill up two of the field corners planted the previous week.

Cake was curranty sponge.

I was away this Saturday, so music is Philip's choice...

https://youtu.be/eNu0EKnrv8U

Pocket knife

Jess politely offers the knife to Geoff.

Today we were at Hey, looking down on Slaithwaite. We were planting some shelter corners and shelter belt on farmland. There were furry cattle, pet sheep, a really big horse, and a dog that loved to walk on walls.

We were: Geoff, Jess, Dianne, Tanya, Cristina, Dave, Philip, Ben, Sue, Stephen, Steve, Jon, Peter and Hap.

240 plants went in. With potentially another 225 to go in? If there is space.

Nice PJ Harvey tune this week.

https://youtu.be/OSOkO3Vg8Ns

Something on the side

This week were on Marsden recreation trust land, creating a shelter belt, of sorts. In this case it won't be livestock that will be getting relief, but golfers?

We were: myself, Stephen, Adrian, John, Jon, Lee, Philip, Geoff, Peter, Dianne, Adam, Tanya, Dave, Steve and Hap.

We planted 285 trees, with a similar number still to do.

Cake was Nutella sponge.

Not an entirely appropriate song, but funny. Well it was either this or Toby Keith's "Shitty golfer".

https://youtu.be/_J1jIZD4vCk

Click clack - I like trains

"Toot toot" went Granville the TransPennine engine.

Today there was cake, sweets, biscuits and we all waved at a train and it tooted at us.

No, it wasn't a trip out for the local infants school, we were planting trees at Standedge.

We were: myself, Philip, Steve, Stephen, Peter, Jon, Janette, Simon, Ben, Sue, Cristina, Dianne, Tanya, John, Hap, Adrian, Dave, Cath and Geoff.

We planted 105 Oak, 45 Aspen, 45 Rowan, 30 Guelder Rose, 30 Dogwood and 30 Crab apple.

Cake was Pineapple upside down cake, plus Hap had brought a selection of Indian sweets, which were hugely popular, and Dianne brought Jaffa cakes. I am not sure we earned all those calories.

Lots of train songs so two today, one from me and one from Steve, can you guess...

https://youtu.be/7QBkD1Xub3k

https://youtu.be/l-7WkdAdMgU

Paisley Park

Larks in the park (not a park, or Paisley)

On a relatively warm day we finished off planting at Ainsley/Paisley Barn.

We inter-planted the Oak and Scots Pine we planted last week with Aspen, Hornbeam and Rowan and also used them to make a woodland edge to those Oak areas. A three-tree-deep hedge of Blackthorn, Guelder Rose and Holly ensured that the fantastic view of Marsden was maintained. Nearer the house a banking adjacent to the A62 was planted with Guelder Rose, Dogwood and few Holly.

We numbered 16 volunteers today. We were: Adrian, Dave, Steve, Geoff, John, Ben, Hap, Jess, Harriet, Stephen, Lee, Chris, Simon, Jonathan, Peter and Philip.

A total of 255 trees were planted.

Cake was chocolate-y.

https://youtu.be/1mhL5ynXzB0

The Ladykillers

With the railway tracks behind and below, Cath considers throwing Philip over.

This week we were above the Tunnel ends in Marsden, literally. Planting in a field and garden.

We were: myself, Ben, Philip, Dave, Steve, Stephen O., Hap, John, Peter, Cath and Geoff.

Cake was a light jam sponge, a relief after Christmas richness.

Being above the railway tunnel entrances made me think of the film the Ladykillers, and with the look Cath appears to be giving Philip it should probably read Lady killer.

https://youtu.be/vzGpUdKB3gQ

Christmas must be something more

A volunteer getting beamed up to the Enterprise?

A number of selfless and intrepid souls braved the rain today for the last planting session before Christmas.

They were: Mel, Philip, Jess, Lee, Ben, Sue, Dave, Geoff, Adrian, Stephen, Simon, John, Cath, Hap and Peter. John had been and collected the Sticky cranberry gingerbread from Ann's, and Dianne provided food back at the Sair.

These people earned their Christmas. Lighweights like myself and Tanya just turned up at the pub.

As I understand it they planted the 22 scraps from the last session plus 90 more oak, 30 Scots pine and 30 Holly. Finishing Wholestone for this season.

https://youtu.be/iXrRaw4md-E

Double trouble

Trees as far as the eye can see, along the track.

This week we were back at Wessenden attempting to finish the 500 trees for United Bank of Carbon/Safestyle.

We were: Susan and her twin Jenny(!), Philip, Dave, Geoff, Hap, John, Simon, other Simon (me), Steve, Stephen, Jess, Harriet, Ben and Adrian.

We planted 126 Oak, 45 Scots Pine, 30 Holly and 30 Aspen. Which by my calculations leaves 30 Scots pine and 15 Aspen still to do. A Thursday group project?

Weather was cold and dry, cake was Bakewell.

https://youtu.be/h3biycmcex4

Does It Rain

So in view of the weather we decided to go to the highest most exposed site we know of, and face the music. Or in this case the wind and rain. It didn't rain all morning, just enough.

We were: myself, Dave, Simon, Geoff, Philip, Tanya, John, Adrian, Hap, Steve, Stephen O., Ben, and Lee.
We were joined by a number of Friends of the Earth people, who seemed to enjoy themselves despite the weather.

We planted 233 trees - 30 Holly, 30 Scots Pine, and 173 Oak.

A point of information, we do not usually plant into Heather, but this is a Forestry Commission Woodland Grant Scheme site, and this is what they instructed us to do.

We were spoilt for cake with Hap contributing a very nice bakewell tart that he had made.

Song courtesy of Tanya's mum this week.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sI3QpAkxVrI

Rain

A brief respite from the rain. Look at that sky.

First day of planting of the season, and it rained. As it tends to. Still, we were: myself, Simon B., Jess, Tanya, Dianne, John, Stephen, Steve, Hap, Adrian, Geoff, Dave, Philip, Ben, Susan and Peter.

We planted 190 trees, Aspen, Holly, Oak and Scots Pine - not sure of the quantities as some of what we brought got taken back to base.

We were trialling our new mesh guards for Scots Pine, see below.

https://youtu.be/gzdASn-R8aw

Everything must go

Dave and Adrian

Back to Scammonden for more guard removal, everything must go, as the title says.  Misty at the start but sun came out later. All the guards were coming off, though the ones that had been on Ash trees were left on site because we weren't sure whether it was appropriate to move them elsewhere because of the dread Ash dieback.

We were: myself, Philip, Dave, Tanya, Geoff, Steve, Stephen, Ben, Adam, Dianne plus 2 dogs, Harriet and Floyd the dog, Jess, Lee, Mel, John and Adrian. Cake was apple flapjack.

https://youtu.be/uU5trjpFus0

You don't miss your water

Today we were up at Scammonden reservoir, which was empty! We were collecting stakes and guards for re-use, again. We were: myself, Dave, Philip, John, Steve, Stephen, Hap, Geoff, Ben, Dianne and Lizzie the dog, and Adam and sons and dog. Cake was ginger.

After, myself, Ben and Dave delivered 240 deer stakes and guards to the Standedge site.

On Friday the weekday crew delivered 440 deer stakes and guards to the Mount road site.

Wholestone already has its deer stakes and guards.

We are quite well set up for the Season ahead.

The weight

Floyd and Harriet

Back to Wholestone Moor to do more reclaiming and prep for planting.

We were: Dave, Geoff, Hap, Steve, Stephen, Jess, Lee, Ben, myself, Paul, Harriet and Floyd the dog, Cristina and Cath.

Big deal of the morning was carrying stuff on and off site. It was a long walk back to the cars, and Ben set an impossible standard by carrying two bundles of stakes at a time.

Planting will be in three compartments. Furthest compartment has 112 stakes and deer guards. Centre one has 215 deer guards and 246 stakes. Nearest compartment has 90 guards and 100 stakes.


https://youtu.be/FFqb1I-hiHE

Concrete dub

Geoff fresh from being dub dj, and Jess.

Today we were at Wholestone Moor, looking down on the M62, and wishing the wind would die down a bit. We were removing guards from previous planting, to re-use at this site.

We were: Geoff, Ben, Dave, Sue, Jess, Dianne and Lizzie the dog, Cath, Jason, Mel, myself, Hap and Adrian.

2 cakes, jam sponge from the President, and luxurious fruit cake from Jason, plus emergency jaffa cakes from Dianne, and grapes from Hap.

We left approx 300 guards and 200 stakes at the first collection point. And roughly half that number a tthe second, furthest, point. With a bit more scrounging around we will have enough to do this season's planting up there with reclaims. We will need to take 60 shrub guards up for the holly, and 60 of the new mesh pine guards.

Me pointing at pointy sticks.

https://youtu.be/M3lYlTeJC34

Forever young

Here we were back at Pasture Wood above Marsden. Collecting more plastic and sticks. Special day today it was Jess's birthday, with birthday cake both on site and back at the pub. We were: Dave, myself, Jess, Lee, Harriet, Cristina, Dianne, Adam, Steve, Hap, Tanya and Geoff.


https://youtu.be/Frj2CLGldC4

A forest

Hap on the throne

Site meeting of the woodland management group today at Hemplow. This comprised: Hap, Stephen, Ben, Sue, Philip and Duncan (I believe). A cunning (woodland management) plan will result.

https://youtu.be/xik-y0xlpZ0

Your sweetness is my weakness

Biscuit and Colne Valley.

Today we were at Pasture Wood, high above Marsden. Discussing capitalisation and what constitutes legitimate artistic endeavour. While removing stakes and plastic tubes. We were: Geoff, Dave, Hap, Steve, Jess, Dianne and Lizzie the dog, Ben, Tanya and myself.

Cake was homemade ginger biscuits. And they were very nice.

Geoff, Dave, and Steve

https://youtu.be/nlSGAPyrrGw

End game

Today David, Hap and Cath removed another 3 bags worth of guards from Butterley. The end of the older smaller guards?

https://youtu.be/dfnCAmr569k