19. Developing the orchard...and The Man from the Pru...
Celebrated my birthday in style - champagne, a club, a little charlie and some floozies?
Actually, no. Tree planting, winter walking and a surprise visit from the Man at the Pru.
Mum's 40th birthday (OK, I was 40 last year) present to us arrived during the week:- trees. Including an apple, two sweet chestnut, a cobnut, a filbert (these last two often known as hazel), a cherry and 20 hazel hedging plants.
The idea is for a mixed fruit and nut orchard, and I have planned it so the various fruit trees bear fruit in different months, and store for different periods. The aim is of course, self-sufficiency in fruit (and nuts - admittedly (i) our walnuts are still probably 12-15 years away, and (ii) I do have a particular penchant for brazil nuts). So, pseudo self-sufficiency.
The hazel hedging is for coppicing - we are replacing the trees we had down (the 13 dying sycamores) with these.
Then a glorious Winter walk:-
To round off a great day, out of the blue the Man from the Pru arrived!
Actually, not the Man from the Pru, but a man from Peak District Raptor Monitoring Group. He came to check on our owl barrel - he cleaned it out (see photo), and told us that we may well get tawny owls sitting on their eggs in the next month or so.
Actually, no. Tree planting, winter walking and a surprise visit from the Man at the Pru.
Mum's 40th birthday (OK, I was 40 last year) present to us arrived during the week:- trees. Including an apple, two sweet chestnut, a cobnut, a filbert (these last two often known as hazel), a cherry and 20 hazel hedging plants.
The idea is for a mixed fruit and nut orchard, and I have planned it so the various fruit trees bear fruit in different months, and store for different periods. The aim is of course, self-sufficiency in fruit (and nuts - admittedly (i) our walnuts are still probably 12-15 years away, and (ii) I do have a particular penchant for brazil nuts). So, pseudo self-sufficiency.
The hazel hedging is for coppicing - we are replacing the trees we had down (the 13 dying sycamores) with these.
Then a glorious Winter walk:-
To round off a great day, out of the blue the Man from the Pru arrived!
Actually, not the Man from the Pru, but a man from Peak District Raptor Monitoring Group. He came to check on our owl barrel - he cleaned it out (see photo), and told us that we may well get tawny owls sitting on their eggs in the next month or so.
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