Odd jobs for odd workers.

A last day of odd jobs before the proper Winter's work begins. Remy and I counted out guards and stakes, making sure we have 4 packs of 100 hare guards, and plenty of stakes to go with them. We also checked that we have 180 deer stakes and guards in stock. Philip and Ben made further efforts to tame the brash pile, Philip with chainsaw. Cake was apple cinnamon sponge. Then we went to the Sair and finalised this year's tree order, more or less.

Co-op community fund and nursery work

Today we were visited by Mr John Drewery from the Co-op Community Fund, who presented us with a cheque for £500, to be used to purchase deer guards and stakes. Very welcome, very generous. I used our new roller banner as a photo background for the presentation. For the rest of the morning we pottered around the nursery. Myself and Ann sowed 240 Rowan seeds in root trainer trays. Dave, Ben, Guy, Mandy, Philip and Geoff worked on further reducing the brash pile using the rented wood chipper. Geoff also did some more filming. Cake was homemade "Coffee kisses" a retro 70's-ish biscuit and butter creme combination.

Pennine Prospects Annual Conference

Today I attended the 2012 Pennine Prospects annual conference, hard not to as it was being held right on my doorstep in Marsden Mechanics. Theme of the event was "Natural capital" how to increase and exploit it. I took our new CVTS roller banner, but was annoyed that the RSPB Twite banner was larger. I did manage to speak to Pam Warhurst, chair of the Forestry Commission.

Chipping Saturday

Duncan demonstrates how not to stick ones arm down inside the chipper.

We were Dave, myself, Ben, Duncan and Dan. We spent this sunny morning at the Nursery trimming hedges and trees and feeding the results in to a hired wood chipper. We did this till about 12 when Duncan and Dan went away. Myself Dave and Ben then went and had a shandy (truly, and only one) in the Sair. We went back to the Nursery to do more chipping, but found that the chipper was no longer chipper. The metal bracket holding the belt tensioner had sheared off, metal fatigue. This mean the chipper no longer had the power it had had. So we called it a day. The Nursery did look tidier for our efforts. Due to the failure of the chipper we did not get to attack the brash pile at the bottom of the Nursery.

Dave collects more scratches on his arms gathering Hawthorn.