Beginning Butterley

Apols for slight blurriness, twas raining.

Our first Saturday at Butterley for this year, and we planted 45 Scots Pine and 105 Sessile Oak, in the pouring rain. We were: myself, Philip, Dave, Jess, Dan, Dianne and Lizzie the Dog, Duncan and Harvey the Dog, Hap, Stephen K., Ros, Adrian, Lesley and Robert, Ben, and special guests Diane G., Jenny and Makun (all the way from Japan). Cake was pineapple and cherry sponge. Nice. We all had a pretty good time considering the weather, but we were fairly damp by the end.

Back at the Nursery, Geoff, John and Guy were busy producing saleable logs.

There was a third party planting on the other side of the reservoir: Brian, Chris and Ramsay.

All today's trees stakes and guards were acquired through our affiliation with the White Rose Forest and the Woodland Trust.

Duncan happily hammering.

Delight Farm may have been misnamed.

Andrew and Peter W. struggle on.

We returned to Delight Farm, to finish off planting there. A further 180 trees went in, to very stony, rubbishy ground. Birch and Willow were in the mix though so it should be fine. We were: myself, Andrew, Philip, Geoff, Lesley, Robert, Dave, Cath, Brian, Peter W., Adrian, Hap, Ros, and Stephen. Cake was Bakewell tart, with the jam missing, but still lovely. Weather was wild and mixed, with episodes of driving hail sweeping through. Some nesh sorts insisted on sheltering behind the farmhouse for tea break. Toughen up.

There were some sunny spells, honest.

Wham, bam, thank you mam. (a tribute to Dave. Bowie, not Carter)

Mr Moriarty, enjoying fine Whiskey and fine women.

Today we were at Wham, up behind Cop Hill. We we planted 330 trees, as shelter belt and hedging. We were: myself, Geoff, Dave, Tanya, Steve, Stephen K., John, Julie, Seth, Jake, Ben the elder, Ben the younger, Chris, Brian, Dianne and Lizzie the Dog, Jess, Hap, Philip and Cath.

Cake was chocolate. Weather was mild. Job got done. Photos by Geoff.

It was a Delight... for it not to rain.

Philip's scheme of work, Chris in the background.

This morning we were rejuvenating a small patch of ground above Scammonden Reservoir, near to Delight Farm. It was a glorious sunny cold morning, such a contrast to last week. We were: myself, Tanya, Philip, Stephen, John, Steve, Ben, Cath, Hap, Jess, Dianne, Brian, Chris, Dave, Geoff, Peter, and special Duke of Edinburgh guests, Joanne, Seth and Jake.

We planted 195 trees. And ate home made flapjack.

Geoff frames a photo nicely again.