It really did feel like we had crossed the Rubicon today. From a few months back, it seemed like ripping out and joining up the Picnic Clearing and the Bird-Box Clearing was an impossible dream. Even this morning, with all the piles of brash that needed to be raked up just seemed an endless, and very prickly, task. But towards the end of the session today, we stood up straight and looked around and saw that we have finally broken the back of our work on this section.

A very smoky fire that was burning well. The smoke was making the sunlight go a funny colour.

We discovered log piles that we had laid down years ago, a proper dead-hedge on the east side of the cutting and Mick’s live hedge on the west side.

We have a bit of brash to burn off next week, a little bit left to cut, probably give the ground a good old rake over, and then we are finished.

The next job will be working in the section by Berrybanks. We need to rake of the ground ready for Kidney Vetch seeding. This will attract the endangered Small Blue butterfly. We will need to keep down any nettles and other things that try and compete, so that will be interesting to see how this section develops. I am also looking forward to seeing the bluebell bulbs that we planted start to come up.

Great work today.

Paul