An unguarded moment

 A couple of weeks ago I was at the golf club talking to groundskeeper Roy about some more planting. He asked if I could pop up there sometime and straighten some guards that had fallen over since we did our planting last season.

So today I popped up, thinking it would take me half an hour to straighten "some".

It was carnage up there, like a forest of drunken men. Some of them were where stakes had broken off at the base in high winds. But lots had manifestly not been hammered in enough. See photos.

There should be no more than a couple of inches of stake above the top tie on a tree guard, in a lot  of cases there were a couple of inches of stake in the ground, and 8 or 9 inches of wasted stake above the top tie.

Here's one I found lying on the ground.

Around 30 trees had already failed because the guards were basically lying on the ground next to the tree rather than being on it. And sheep had got at them.

Hammering in stakes is hard work, and perhaps we should invest in some weightier lump hammers, but people who do find this task a bit challenging could focus on other tasks such as planting or distributing materials.

https://youtu.be/qQvr2eF5zMM

Mansion on the hill

Before, see white house up on hill behind.

After, see same house.

I was away in Scotland, but the indomitable few were; Geoff, Dave, Remy, Ben, John, Hap and newcomer Rob.

They were at Parkwood, finishing off the back field?

Actually have a proper before and after pic of the planting, thanks to Geoff and the Facebook page.

https://youtu.be/WYj7P9I15lU

(Don't) Walk away Renee (Remy)

Back to Parkwood for yet more plastics retrieval. We were: Jess, Lee, Hap, Dave, Geoff, Steve, Remy and myself.

https://youtu.be/hWUJGPBmiLE

Pale shelter

A Thursday morning at Parkwood, removing more tree stakes and guards. Myself, Dave, Hap and Stephen.

Not my favourite tree, the birch, but these ones had beautiful, young, pale (steady...) bark when you took the tree shelters off. We spent the morning crawling around in damp shrubbery (steady again...) and it was still better than working for a living.

https://youtu.be/l_kN_DJQJ3U