Maxfield Plain: 28-01-2025

PATELEY PIGEON POST

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Place your bets!!

A Tuesday without hedge planting? Well, as far as the NCVs were concerned,  that wasn't going to happen was it?  Not at this time of the year anyway. No - it was back to Maxfield Plain to continue the job started last week.  685 trees were queuing up, waiting to be inserted into the ground, so the gang had their work cut out to get the job done. However, when they arrived on site the gang discovered that they had been entered into the first round of the National Hedge Planting Championship.

Liz announced that "... because you were able to plant trees at an amazing rate of 5 trees per minute last week, you met the criteria for entry into this new sport. I have, therefore, invited Sir Reginald Montague Smythe (one of the competition's adjudicators) to join us in order to verify that you can, indeed, maintain this planting speed."

At this point Sir Reginald ("Just call me Reggie") stepped forward and laid out a few ground rules. The NCVs were told that they would need to match or improve on last week's rate in order to qualify for the next round of the competition. He then blew his whistle and started his timer. 

The NCVs sprang into action - 

eager to prove their incredible 

planting abilities.

Over the fence ...

...where a line of canes lay waiting.

Trees were doled out...

...and NCVs got down to business

whilst Will kept up a steady stream 

of trees and spirals.

The spirals just wouldn't fit 

around the dogwood saplings.

At coffee time there was an 

'us and them' situation.

The second class NCVs sat 

on the concrete floor...

whilst three NCVs sat on their 

first class stools.

Andrew plied everyone with

Lorraine's delicious cakes...

...and the tub of Heroes from the 
Christmas walk was passed around.

After coffee the hedge planting was

 finished off and a start was made on

 the planting of some field trees.

At noon Reggie blew his whistle and announced the result. Not only had 540 hedge trees been planted, so too had the first batch of 25 field trees. i.e. 565 trees inserted in 2 hours giving a planting rate of 4.7 trees per min. 

"Impressive or what 

Reggie?" shouted Julia.

Everyone cheered and turned to Reggie awaiting acclaim. However, smiles turned to frowns as Sir Reginald declared the round null and void due to the fact that there was one extra person out working this week. Needless to say 'Just call me Reggie' was booed off the farm as the NVCs continued with their day.

60 more trees were planted in a gully.

These required sturdy posts to 

withstand the attentions of 

the grazing sheep.

Superman Tim worked single 

handedly with his post knocker.

Gully complete, another 20 trees 

were planted in each of three more field corners.

The final corner was on the far

side of this VERY wet bog.

Oh Joy!!

In other news:

NCV Paul was grieving the loss of his allotment shed - a victim of Storm Eowyn. No tree planting for him this week; only clearing up the mess.

Maxfield Plain: 21-01-2025

It's 2025 and at last 

it's back to business! 

After five consecutive weeks off duty, due to the festive season and then extreme weather conditions, this Tuesday the NCVs were back in harness. And guess what? It was back to hedge planting; this time up at Maxfield Plain farm, adding to the hedging project that was started way back at the start of 2024.

Landowner Andrew is one of our very own, so it was nice to be able to lend him a hand to improve the environment high up above Pateley Bridge. At least the weather had warmed up a bit, so we weren't planting into hard, frozen ground.

Let's have a look and see what went on shall we? 

Andrew, being Andrew, had made sure 

that everything we needed was ready 

and waiting in the right place.

He had even inserted the 

first row of canes to make the 

positioning of the second row easy.

As usual, everyone had first to climb

 into the double fenced enclosure.

Ride 'em cowgirl!

Within a short space of time everyone was 

busy carrying out their chosen task.

Gradually the planting got further

and further down the first side of the field.

The dog wood roots were in a right tangle.

Even when one was untangled it was

clear they would need holes digging,

rather than just slots.

Dave was unimpressed.

By lunchtime we had reached the 

end of the field. Dave inserted the final 

2 trees for this side.

Behind him stretched 110m of 

hedge; that's 660 trees.

Everyone toddled off for 

their lunchbreak....

...in the palatial dining room.

Additional sustenance was kindly 

provided by Andrew's wife.

Thanks Lorraine - very tasty

and much appreciated.

Work continued after lunch

down the next side of the field.

Another 70m of hedge; 

another 420 trees....

...all overseen by Louie...

...and 'Grumpy Ken'.

Then, all that was left to do was lend a hand

to push the trailer up the hill from

where it had got bogged down in the mud.

By the close of play everyone 

was filthy. 

Think you may need to put 

those trousers in the wash Paul!

Breaking News!

While all the other NCvs were taking it easy during the cancelled task days, NCV Andy C. ventured forth on a week long chain saw course. He passed the course with flying colours and was informed by the tutor that he would have given him a gold star if there had been one. 

Now Liz will have a very competent assistant to help out when we hedge lay or need to clear holly or fallen trees.

Well done Andy. What a champion! 

Look at that - a perfectly felled tree

(apparently using a 'Danish Pie' cut.

Myself - I prefer an apple pie....).