Roll on spring!

January 2026. Some wintry scenes taken on the 6th! 

It was so cold, even the pond froze (including the usual flotsam 😠)....

There's nothing like a good work-out to keep you warm. Clearing planted beds on the edge of the west woods was just what we needed.....

.....you should have seen it before we started! It was covered with bramble, dead goosegrass, etc, etc.

To ease my aching back, Tabby and I followed up with a litter pick, but at just 3°C we were glad to be heading back to the lodge as soon as the sacks had been filled (shame that it's so unsurprising to find all that rubbish every time).

The middle of January was slightly milder but quite damp when we tackled our next assignment. 

The woodland where it meets the fence-line (towards the bottom of St Faiths Road) banks steeply in places. This was becoming overgrown, mainly by young elm, and needed coppicing. 

This was to be the start of a major task as it covers a fairly large expanse. Tabby, Chris and I picked a section and got to work.

The steep terrain coupled with the usual bramble made it difficult to keep a good footing. However, we were pleased with our mornings achievement.

For a change of pace, there was an additional apple tree that needed planting at the back of the orchard by Victoria pond, following a recent donation.

As expected, we continued coppicing elm (managing similar sized section each time), plus a bit more clearing of the planted beds that we started a couple of weeks previously. 

It was certainly a month for cutting back and clearing.

I shall end this post on another 'snow' covered scene....

This time it's a covering of snowdrops, which we came across (whilst tackling some more bramble) amongst our hazel beds on Oak Lane.

That's it for now, hope to be back in a few weeks with further updates.