Well, that was another twenty or so minutes of my life that I will never get back as, once again, I tried and failed to put up our basecamp tarp.
At one point, a passer-by enquired, “What’s it going to be?” I really couldn’t answer because I had become a wrapped-up mess of tent-poles, guy-ropes and a blooming tarpaulin that thought it was a spinnaker in the 2019 Around The World Yachting Final!!
So I packed up the basecamp kit, cracked open the coffee and comfort-ate all the biscuits, as I stood there in the drizzle, before stomping off northwards with my shears.
I managed to snip back loads of bramble runners, eagerly reaching out onto the path, for about half a mile.
It also gave me a chance to think about where we are heading with the wildflower meadowy bits.
The annuals will only come up next year if we cultivate the ground. I would rather do that just on the edges and let the grass and perennials develop into a decent wildlife-rich meadow that flip-flops either side of the path. That way we get to keep the scrub and bramble that already plays host to many insects and small mammals, and add-to rather than replace what is already there.
I stopped off at the bird-feeder clearing and watched for activity. Plenty of which there was, but it was people rather than wildlife.
Lovely to see families walking and enjoying the path though, even in the rain!!
Wildflowers Spotted:
All-in-all, a decent morning despite the early frustrations.
Paul