Day Ash Farm: 03-06-2023

 How many ways can you ....

...cook an egg?

...skin a cat?

No!

How many ways can you work on a tree tube!! 

Yes - after some respite it was back to tree tube maintenance for the NCVs. This time at Day Ash Farm. But it wasn't a day of splitting tubes. Nor was it a day of unwrapping spirals. It wasn't even a day of weeding tubes (well, there was a bit of that). 

"But what else can you possibly do to a tree tube?" I hear you ask. 

You can EXTEND them! Read how below....

  

The problem to be solved - trees being chomped

 by deer as they grow above the rim of their half size tubes.

 

The solutions to the problem?

 Either exchange the tube for a loooonger one or....

 ..squish an extension into the existing tube.

 Ingenious or what?

 

Once the longer sticks ran out, two 

short ones were joined together. 

Et voila!!

There were NCVs working in pairs or

individually.

The area had to be combed carefully

to find the trees hidden amongst the 

tall grasses, brambles and thistles.

 

Often extreme measures had to

 be taken to reveal the trees. 

The plantation stretched a long way to 

woodland at the top of the hill, so there was 

a good deal of combing done.

Osian decided to enter the 'How many 

resources can you carry in one trip' competition.

 

This NCV searched for the holes 

she had just cut into the tree tube 

and took a while to find them.

 

 

Ah. Now this tree did need a bit of weeding 

before it  was put back in a tube.

Cakes were provided by Liz and Tony's 

wife, Alwin. Thanks for that!!

To ensure that said cakes remained dry in the 

morning rain, this classy buffet tent was erected .

(Perhaps it could be hired out for weddings?)

By 3pm the exhausted NCVs swept back

 down the hillside, collecting up unused mini-tubes...

....leaving behind a plantation of extended

tubes, as far as the eye could see.

That should keep the deer at bay for a couple of years.

Mayfield Farm: 13-06-2023

 National 'Weed your garden day'

Apparently June 13th is National 'Weed your garden day' over in the USA, so the NCVs decided to match their task to that theme this week. Instead of weeding their gardens, they set off to weed the tree tubes at Mayfield Farm - a plantation that was created in February 2019.

Now, a call to work at this venue usually includes more than one kind of task and today was no exception. There was another job to be done involving weeding and - most importantly - a lovely lunch to be eaten!!

Shall we see what the gang got up to?....

 

Some NCVs worked as pairs.

 

Others worked alone. 

 

 New recruit Mick took to the

 job like a duck to water.

 

Both Rachel...

 

....and Phil decided their knees 

needed to feel the breeze 

in this hot weather.

It was clear that the trees were growing superbly well

 to have reached this state in just 4 and a half years.

 

Some had reached the point where their tubes

 needed to be removed - not just weeded. 

The vast majority were in fine fettle,

but a couple were infested with 

Ermine moth webs and eggs....

 

...and the odd tube had been home

 to woolly apple aphids which left a 

white powdery substance inside the tube.

 

The discarded tubes were collected up....

...and whisked off in a dumpy bag.

 

Everyone was extremely glad of the shade 

from these two veteran oaks

 when it came to coffee time. 

After coffe the remaining tubes were finished off 

and then the second weeding job of the day 

commenced - that of pulling up thistles.

Some simply did NOT want to be pulled 

and needed coaxing with a spade.

Sarah gingerly collected up the

 thistles that had been uprooted....

 

...and these, too, were bagged up...

 

... and dragged away. 

Luckily Tony's garden tractor and trailer

was able to take the worst of the strain.

Everyone else had to walk up to the house 

at lunchtime.

And what a lunch it was!!

Domestic Goddess Alwin excelled 

herself (as usual).

THANK YOU SO MUCH ALWIN

YOU ARE THE BEST!!!!!

Even the paper napkins were top quality.

So much so that they just couldn't be used 

and thrown away.

Liz made hers into a summery headscarf.

Alistair preferred the schoolboy tie look.

Brenda needed a sweatband in the heat.

Anita fashioned a mop cap to protect her head.

 

Dave went for the French Foreign 

Legion type hat flap.

Not to be outdone, Ruth decided on an eye shade 

to deal with the high UV levels. 

Andy chose to protect his nose.

Phil went for a bandana... 

 

...before changing his mind

and opting for a knee brace.

Others, unaffected by the heat and 

high food intake, sat sedately 

on the terrace unaware of the

 giddiness around them.

Then it was back off down to the tree 

plantation and the neighbouring wildflower

 meadow to continue pulling up thistles.

 

By 2:30pm everyone was frazzled by the heat

 and needed to head off home for a shower. 

The majority of thistles had been pulled 

in both fields, despite the soaring temperature.

Andy C. loaded his car up with

 many of the used tree tubes.

Watch this space to see what 

they will be used for.