 |
Snowdrops in the woodland.
|
There wasn't a work party in January as the weather was particularly cold on the Sunday that we were due to meet and there was no urgent work that needed doing. We are all volunteers and there is no need to work in uncomfortable conditions.
The woodland is still very wet but we managed to have a dry morning and enough volunteers to start on building a shelter, a project that we have been discussing for a very long time. First, the site meeting for Glenn to explain the plan and to allow everyone to have an input.
The timber was reclaimed from a barn that was taken down nearby. The building stood for about 60 years so it is pretty old and the planks are huge so goodness knows how old the tree was that they came from. The planks, which are still in good condition, were bolted to existing ash trees so the shape is somewhat rustic, in keeping with the woodland environment.
The following photos show the progress of construction, and that we did use a level just in case there is any doubt! One more tree was removed as it was in the way and the others were left to grow. They are all ash trees and have a short lifespan due to ash dieback so it was not thought to be detrimental.
 |
| The window going in |
 |
| Refreshments on the new bench |
 |
| Makeshift coffee table |
The end result of the mornings work. There are some ends to be trimmed and next month we hope to get the roof on and maybe another bench made.
There isn't much that can be done with this boggy bit of the path at the lower end of the woodland without digging it right out but it's a woodland in the countryside in the winter so we will have to live with it. I did dig the ditch out to help the water flow away much as possible.
The snowdrops are looking good and I am particularly pleased with the ones that we moved last spring to extend the display further into the woodland. The grasses and brambles were cleared so that they can be seen at their very best.
 |
| Before... |
 |
| After clearing. |
Update- on Wednesday, Richard and Neil returned to tidy up the ends of the timber and now it is ready for the roof to go on, on 1st March (weather permitting!)
Photo credits this month to Flossie, Richard, Charlotte
