Do you suffer from excessive wind?

Geoff's group portrait. Stephen possessed by the spirit of Jack Hargreaves. How!

...we certainly did this morning. While not receiving the promised rain we were victim to this gulf stream related vigorous Westward wind. But we soldiered on.

We went back to Copley Bank to finish planting there. We took 15 Common Oak, 30 Hazel, and 30 Rowan - but supplemented these with some small self grown stock of more Oak and Rowan. We planted all this at intervals along the whole length of the bank, amongst the Hawthorn already planted. Hopefully this will result, one day, in a decent hedge with feature trees.

We were: myself, Hap, Steve, Stephen, Peter W., Geoff, Philip, Tanya, Jess, John and Dave.

Cake was coffee walnut.

Guy was at Throstle Green Farm preparing for our traditional Christmas wood fuel session.

There may have been some Senior Section activity elsewhere this morning, but that remains unconfirmed at present.

Bobby the barman had a mysterious rash, so if we all come down with Chickenpox/Shingles we know who to blame.

A Jolly morning

Myself, cake, Ben.

This morning we were in Jolly's field in Marsden. The forecast was for not so jolly weather, but the worst held off until the end. We were: our host Jolly and his friend Max, myself, Geoff, Ben, Ben the younger, Hap, Stephen, Steve, Tanya, Cath, and Jess. We planted 285 trees in all, we do owe the field some Whitebeam though, so will pop back when they are in stock. Cake was brought to the site by Ann, who was very popular.

There was a second section at work at Copley Bank. Brian, Dianne and Chris took another 75 Hawthorn. And Brian also took his 60 Scots Pine for James Howards farm.

Scout Top II - the return

New trees to left of wall, older trees to the right.

This morning we were back at Scout Top, above the Tunnel End, Marsden. We were: myself, Philip, Geoff, Guy, Mandy, Cath, Amanda, Stephen, Steve, Ben, Jess, Dan, Hap, Peter, Ramsay and Vashti. We planted 150 Scots Pine and 30 Holly. Cake was very sweet, but necessary in the wind, sun and snow.

Add to those 16, Brian, Dianne and Chris who went to Copley bank to plant more there.

So a bumper day.

Scout top, our vertical limit

Philip in his Love Trees hat.

This morning we were at Scout Top, high above the Tunnel End Marsden. We first planted at this site in 2006/7, and growth has been slow and patchy. This Winter we are trying to remedy that. Today we planted 30 Hazel, 30 Hornbeam, 30 Bird Cherry, 45 Common Oak, and 45 Sessile Oak. First we had to get all the stuff up there, and even with help from a nice man with quad bike and trailer, it was still a heart-bursting carry up a near vertical hillside. Nice once were there though. We comprised: myself, Ramsay, Ros, Geoff, Steve, Stephen, Peter W., Philip, Cath, Dave, and Hap. The weather threatened, but in the end we stayed mostly dry.

Geoff took some good pictures with his new camera.

We left 29 deer guards and 32 stakes on site. Jess met us in the pub afterwards, and we discussed her holiday to Cape Verde, and Geoff's career as an indie popster.