The Annual General Meeting

As usual this took place at the Sair. 2 hours of heated debate about health and safety and working with children and young people policies. Had to be done. I recorded the whole thing on my MP3 player, so if anyone would like a podcast of it I could oblige. The recording made writing the minutes a lot easier, and more accurate, than usual.

Holme Bank Wood

Guy and Philip search the jungle, lots of small birch that the Society  planted can

be seen on the other side of the clough behind Guy.

Holme Bank Wood this morning, for more bracken bashing and stake and guard retrieval. Very warm and midgy up there, lovely views of the reservoirs though. This site is an ongoing attempt to add to semi-ancient woodland on the edge of the Reservoirs. There is some seriously deep bracken up there though, so we need to keep going back to get light to the smaller trees. Some of the birch look like they have some kind of blight, but others look ok so far. Some birch are self seeding on the rockier parts of the hillside. Rowan is also self seeding, and a few small oak.

Guy thinks there is lots of scope for further planting here and the other side of the reservoirs.

                                   That's Duncan wrestling with a stake under a bush                      

 

And that's me with my midge net on, demonstrating how not to remove a guard.

Marsden Green fair - publicity and recruitment

Philip considers adopting a minimum height requirement for Society volunteers.

Today we were at the annual Marsden green fair at the Mechanics Institute. Philip and I set up our stall at 10.00, and then we took turns to host the stall and hand out leaflets to visitors. We had several useful conversations with prospective volunteers, and also with people who may have sites for us to plant on. My mum helped out as well and had a fine old time. I got to talk to one of the Society's founder members Dr. Dransfield, who must in his late eighties now.

Tilly got her face painted, we won wine in the raffle, and my mum talked to anyone and everyone. 

Hemplow, Butterly and Rams Clough - a bit of everything

One of our valiant little trees struggling against the evil bracken at Hemplow Wood. Nice view of the reservoir though.

A typical summer mornings work. We took walk round Butterly reservoir, checking on the progress of some of last seasons planting, and trees from two or three years ago. We collected some old stakes and guards for recycling, we knocked back a bit of bracken to allow smaller trees to get some light, we cleared the footpath of fallen trees in the pine plantation, and we ended the morning by going up Rams Clough to persuade some sheep to leave one of our planting sites. A pleasant mornings work, good breeze so no midges. My feet were a bit sore from all the walking though. The damp weather has made it incredibly lush up there.

Guy and Philip do their best catalogue poses, modelling society t-shirts.