Tree Fellers and a Girl.

Well it has been a tough couple of days as Gerry and I signed up to learn how to use a chain saw. It is really hard work, especially as the trees that we cut down were pine with lots of side branches to cut once felled. This is called "brashing". Our first tree fell into the surrounding forest of trees and was "hung-up" calling for winches and levers to manipulate the tree off its stump.

Rather than write I'll just post these photos. Even my fingers ache this morning with the physical excercise.

All my own work....cut an "envelope" on one side using a 60 deg angle cut with a level cut underneath, marked the line around the tree and then cut through at the back to create a "hinge" for the tree to fall against. Easy!

Gerry was much better than me at the maintenance bit. Its a mans world.....

The team - tree fellers and a girl!

So what else is new in woodland world? well it takes time but finally we have created some wood piled edges to form planting areas in the woodchipped area to the West of the house. More are planned hence the chainsaw course. It still looks a little bare but with all gardening activities; its year one to settle, year two for roots and year three for shoots. Things to point out are;

1. The stag horn fern or Sumach, now on year 2, is doing really well against the glass balcony.

2. New planting of a row of grasses plus a row of hydrangea paniculata with a tree stump in front looks OK but will improve with time. The tree stump was dragged from the woodland beyond and was full of nice holes ripe for planting woodland primrose.

May as well go the whole hog this morning and upload a couple of the water tower, currently in the throws of internal renovation. A complete re plumb meaning that an access panel had to be opened into the stair well. Good opportunity to get rid of the dated rough plaster on the walls! Every cloud has a silver lining.

Currently we have plumbers, electricians, joiners and plasterers at the tower. Plus the carpet people to measure up, plus the kitchen company for same. Add in the guy that does IT stuff plus telephones and TV's and you can imagine the extent of the chaos in our life at present.

I came acrooss this ariel view of the tower - before the new house was built but after the gazebo was removed. Its interesting I think.