Into the woods

Here’s a picture of what I thought I would be doing today:  cutting back the perennials in all the flower beds.  But instead it was a busy and industrious morning cleaning the guest house in preparation for the Nephew Visit, and then the rest of the day was spent in the forest.

We need to build up a good amount of wood for the lads to remove. And in this crowded and unmanaged forest, there was plenty of wood to cut.

The problem is that a chain saw has not visited this forest for about 50 years. So there are dead trees, saplings, crowded chestnuts, strangled oaks, mighty pines. All crammed in.

So in an effort to cut down the dead ones, you tend to have to spend more time pulling the tree free from the neighbouring chestnuts. With ropes.

Hot and thirsty work.

And here is the before shot of the dreadful job ahead.  I have hauled out plenty of logs and sticks from this forest. But there is a day of work to go.

Rather them than me.

But reports from parents state they are keen to get stuck into some good physical labour. Hah! We have plenty of that for them.  And it will be fun to see what a transformation they can make of this forest.

And here is the pile of sticks I have already sorted. I need some for chipping, some for building walls with the straight long poles, and some to build the sides of my new raised beds.

It’s all looking promising. But more promising is the ice cold beer I’m about to guzzle. Cheers.