Thursday 31st October 2024 - Halloween event

Halloween 2024

This year we invited Helmingham primary school to carve some pumpkins for our trail. They had a great time last week with a whole school pumpkin carving session and tonight we benefitted from their efforts. Here they are before and after dark.

We managed a little bit of setting up in the afternoon then put the lights on once it got dark. 

 

After dark, more pumpkins arrived.

The firepit eventually got hot enough to toast the marshmallows.

Thank-you everyone who came and who helped. 

Sunday October 27th 2024- mini work party

 A really stunning morning and loads of people turned up to prepare for the Halloween event. Stakes for the lanterns were put out, the firepit and firewood got ready and the new bench admired. The honeysuckle in the glade was trimmed back amd everyone enjoyed meeting up for a chat.

Leaf hanging by a cobweb thread. It only has an ai tag because I had to use my hand to get the lens to focus and I didn't quite get it out of the shot. 

Admiring the new bench

Lovely autumn sunshine, the leaves are really changing colour now.

A couple of volunteers put the bench in place during the week. Perfect spot to soak up the sun and enjoy the view.

Gourds for decoration. 

Sunday 6th October 2024 - work party

 It was a lovely autumnal, despite this photo looking like spring,  morning, there weren't many of us but it made for a peaceful couple of hours and we got all the necessary work done.

New wheelbarrow wheel put on now I have finally remembered to order it. It needed a bit of  engineering wizardry to get the spacing right but it has a solid trye so no more punctures.

A space was made in the top hedge line in preparati9on for a new bench. Before and..

After!

This is after I cleared several dogwoods which had bent over and blocked the path.

The hazel around the picnic table has grown really well and we spent some time weaving in this years growth.

A robin serenaded us while we worked

Looking nice and thick now

We found a newt under a log

And a peanut in an old nest in the hazel!

Weaving the top bits in.

Tiny toadstools on the Baldwin apple tree.

Sunday 8th September 2024 - work party

 There was a heavy shower in the early hours of the morning and we were all in wellies but generally it has been dry and the grass hasn't grown at all. I did get the mower out to cut the right hand side of the main path as the red campion has all seeded now and there are a few spring flowers in there which needs some light.

Mere de menage cooking apple. Widely grown in the 19th century especially in East Anglia.

Members of the group catching up with the latest on the sycamore sooty bark situation.

Lots of snails making use of the damper mornings to climb trees!

Millipede

The apple trees that were planted when we took on the woodland are producing more fruit now. This is a Suffolk Pink.

We completely missed picking the plums this year, they were ready in between work parties and there weren't very many anyway. The path up to the Baldwin apple tree was mown and trimmed back but it is still a bit nettly.

Aside from the regular maintenance tasks there is also the social aspect to the group and some of us stayed to have coffee and homemade muffins and a chat. Thank-you Flossie for the banana muffins!

Sunday 4th August 2024 - Work party

 First, an update on the sooty bark disease situation. There has been a lot going on behind the scenes with some very thorough research by Alex contacting the relevant industry experts for advice though still nothing official from the government. In brief, it seems that the main danger is to those processing the wood and in a quick WhatsApp meeting we took the decision to remove 2 more affected trees close to the entrance and all the cut wood. A local tree surgeon chose a damp morning to carry out the work wearing appropriate protective equipment. The hazard tape has now been removed and although there are more trees with the disease in the woodland, they are not in public areas or in danger of fallen on the road.

There were not many of us but we were able to complete the tasks that needed doing. The vegetation along the road was cleared back to rescue what hedge plants remain and improve the access. This was achieved manually with what I call slashers, not sure of the proper name, and hand pulling.

Painted Lady in the neighbouring churchyard

The footpath between Church Row and The Street, along the churchyard boundary was given a trim to keep it open as it's very popular for walkers in the village.

The main paths and glades in the woodland were mowed as the grass had got quite long.

Main path showing that the grass is drying up now.

Cutting back the path to the Baldwin apple tree

Despite all the bramble cutting we still leave areas untamed and there are plenty of blackberries in the wood.