A forest

Philip, fettling.

Here we were today at Royd House Wood. We were thinning out some trees planted around 20 years ago. Kirklees land, and Kirklees forestry officers had marked up the trees for removal by us.

We were: Ben (solo, without Solo), Philip and chainsaw, Stephen K. and chainsaw, Stephen O., Steve, Hap, Tanya, Jess, Dianne and Johnathan, John, Guy, Peter, Dave , Adrian, and myself.

We filled over 3 bays of our drying sheds with the fruits of our labour.

Cake was pineapple upside down cake, followed later by Guy and Mandy's winter feast at the Sair (curry, sausages, many side-dishes). Geoff (poorly) joined us at the Sair.

https://youtu.be/dzFmlRCyVUs

Lonely boy

Back up to Huck Hill this morning to plant the last dozen trees on my own. We did seem to have dug slightly too many holes when we were preparing the other week though. There are 11 empty screefs, 12 guards, and 14 stakes left over. Maybe if there is something suitable left over at the end of the season I will pop back and fill these in...

https://youtu.be/a_426RiwST8

Rocks

A Hogarthian scene.

We were back at Butterley Clough finishing off. Or was it finishing us off? (Thanks Guy). Not only is it a pig to get to, it is also, in places, very rocky. I could have built Stonehenge with the stuff I dug up.

Anyway, we were: Steve, Lee, Jess, Cath, Dianne and Lizzie the Dog,  Duncan and Harvey the Dog, Andrew, Hap, Dave, Ben and Solo the dog, Lesley, Robert, Geoff, myself, Philip, Adrian, Susan and Stephen.

The 200+ trees got planted, and fruit cake got eaten. Onwards!

https://youtu.be/Z3ZCZjhjguA

The Climb

Hap in attention seeking beatific pose.

Today we were at Butterley, deep in the clough, which made it steep, to say the least. We were: myself, Steve, Philip, Adrian (half session), Geoff, Dave, Jess, Dianne and Lizzie the dog, Hap, Stephen, and Andrew. We planted 105 Sessile Oak, and I think, 105 Scots Pine.

Cake was chocolate.

Pictures by Jess this week, with her Motorola G4 (sponsorship opportunity?).

Surrender yourself to this epic power ballad, which, lyrically, pretty much sums up this morning.

https://youtu.be/NG2zyeVRcbs

Deep in the clough.