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Remember the Breathing Places initiative back on December 6th last year? The 'Tree o'clock' agenda where we could plant a wild species of tree and the whole nation had to do it within a certain hour? (11a.m-12p.m. I think it was). Well, I did it and chose a Wild Cherry tree, whereupon my son and I found a suitable spot by a pond and dug it in. We both went back to check it a month ago after the first heavy snowfall, pleased that it was unravaged and safe. Today, I was on the way back home, after spending the day doing some conservation work on the Wye Valley Walk. I thought I'd drop in and check how 'Charlie' was doing. Not my idea - my son felt the need to name the tree, so Charlie it became.
Well, Charlie has been assaulted. At least a third of the tree's height has been decapitated and was lying neatly alongside the rest of it and it was half dug out, with roots exposed to the world. What the hell is that all about?? I quickly covered the roots again and firmed it in place. The severed bit I could do nothing with, so why I brought it back home with me I don't know. Call it shock. The remaining whip looks healthy, with buds just visible, although it only stands about 7 inches tall now. What, pray, could be responsible for the destruction of Charlie? A Rabbit? A Rat? A Spiteful Farmer?
On earth there is no heaven, but there are pieces of it - Jules Renard
What a shame. Poor Charlie. Perhaps you could add "child" to your list of suspects. Well done you and junior though for planting it.
Cheers, Linda.
See my photos on Flickr
Hi, Sparrow. Thankyou - yes, we're glad we did plant Charlie and I have a hope that he'll survive and prosper. I'll just call it a jolly good pruning and be done with it. It could be a local child, although the location is very quiet and rural. Spiteful Farmer's Child, perhaps. If I catch said cherub, I'll mete out some likewise justice and lop his head off.
Oh dear whatever is this all about why ever would a farmer want to damage your tree can think of lots of more likely candidates,as a retired farmer feel insulted and I must know hundreds of farmers lots of them who plant lots of trees and get them vandalised but would not blame you who my guess is would be as likely a candidate to vandalise a tree as a farmer.Farmers may be responsible for some things but this is ridiculous.
If you set it on private land you did of course ask permission.
Can promise you if farmer had vandalised it as you suggest you would not have found it.
You make it worse by saying spiteful farmers child for goodness sake grow up.
Your silly quote of spiteful farmer will now have readers thinking farmers go around vandalising trees.
Hi Corriepaw
i think that Charlie was a victim of a child vandal - done as a dare in front of his/her ever charming little friends.
Anyway try to wrap a protective shield around your tree so he is invisible from maruading eyes.
Regards
Kathy and Dave
Sooty.
Wo, wo, wo! Reign it in there, champ!!
For the record - I, of course, DO NOT think that a 'spiteful farmer' came along and purposefully started a vendetta against the tree. There is no farm, there is no farmer. It was a flippant comment, an attempt at humour (apparently a bad one, I'll sack my ghost-writer). I seriously doubt that readers will now view farmers with a dark eye and a muttered curse on the basis of that comment. The fact that you think this is the case, probably says more about you than I ever could.
For the sake of all readers who may be parents of a really, really touchy nature - I also DID NOT mean any serious intent behind suggesting that I would lop off a child's head, so please don't call the NSPCC.
Oh and Sooty - before you suggest that somebody should grow up, you may want to pick your own dummy up off the floor where you spat it.
Hi Corriepaw,
Sorry to hear about the tree It Is a shame,I hope something might grow from the little piece you took home.Also good luck with the mud situation I read on other post .By the way I enjoy reading your posts.
Littleowl
Good evening, Littleowl.
Nice to hear from you again. Yes, perhaps I should name him 'Hard Luck Charlie', as it wasn't a very good start to a career centred around, well, er - growing.
To be honest, I'm hoping that something will grow from the little piece I left in the ground. I'll do regular updates throughout the year especially for you! As for the mud - ah mud , shplud! Great advice will transform my efforts and I'll have a fertile land in no time. Adam & Eve will be green with envy. Thankyou for the nice comment, I'll try and keep you up to date with all things natural in my world.
Corriepaw
I look forward to your updates.By the way how did your voluntary conservation work go today?
Love to hear yur updates on Charlie's head, and the rest of him. I love your sense of humour and glad to have you on board the forum.
Hello Littleowl and also Sparrow.
Ah, the conservation work! Yes - it went splendidly, thanks. I have a few reminders today, the most prominent of which are aching arms and pungent outdoor gear in the wash basket. Must wash them today, indoor composting isn't really my bag.
I met up at 10a.m. with eight other eager souls at a place called Lower Wynd Cliff, at the car park. We were to work at a site called Piercefield, which forms part of the Wye Valley walk. Introductions were made and the outline of the day was explained to us. Basically, Piercefield has a section of walk creeping along the base of a line of low cliffs. The path itself has become overgrown at the cliff base, forcing walkers to walk on the outside of the path. This, in turn, has become eroded as a result and it now presents a danger to walkers, because the path drops off on it's outer edge quite steeply down to the river Wye far below. If this erosion continues, there will inevitably end up being no walkable path at all, so our task was to clear the cliff base of soil and vegetation and level the path off once more, so that there is no outer edge erosion and, therefore, no risk of a fatal plummet to a messy end for some startled walker.
We all trooped off to Piercefield carrying spades, cutters, hammers, forks and mattocks. There were quite steep climbs at times and, as I was carrying a long handled pitch fork, I was concentrating desperately on not prodding our teamleader Sarah up her rear end as she ascended the lightly wooded slopes. I wasn't sure if this would go down well at a first meeting. Perhaps next month.
We got to our site of work by going through the tunnel of Giant's Cave, named because of a rock formation shaped (apparently) like a giant holding a boulder above his head, as if to throw it at anyone beneath his cave entrance. The giant himself has eroded away, apparently. Must have been made out of chalk, the great softy.
I positioned myself with three others at the top end of the path. I had with me long-handled secateurs and a spade and began by cutting back the Ivy which had crawled down the cliff face and had become too unruly. This didn't take long and I then started in with the spade. It is amazing how a group of only 9 people can accomplish such a lot of work. When I had first seen the section we had to tackle, I had thought that we wouldn't finish it today. However, by lunchtime we had almost completed the lot. Sarah had taken photoes before we started the conservation work and the difference was amazing. Instead of an overgrown path with an erosion camber down onto steep hillside, we had a clear route with no vegetation and a level path with the outer side built up and firmed down, using the soil and some loose rocks we dug out of the path near the cliffside. The digging wasn't too bad, although we frequently had to cut through thick roots of a Yew tree and I was often bringing my spade down onto small rocks in the ground. This sent vibrations through me like you would see on a cartoon character. We had stopped for a small break and then lunch and I sat on a low wall in front of the cave and munched sandwiches, whilst taking in the great view over the Wye Valley with the river meandering through it. I watched Gulls wheeling around and also a Grey Heron, which was stalking around moodily in the shallows of some mud flats. Of course, before long I had got to know people and we all chatted merrily away. It was great fun and we were lucky with the sunny and cool spring weather whilst we worked. It was almost a shame to be finished by 2p.m. but we were and were soon making our way back to the car park. We startled a Brown Rat as we walked through the woods and sent it skittering away through the leaf litter. At least, I think it was a Rat - either that or a VERY deformed Squirrel.
Next month, we are back at Piercefield and I am really looking forward to it. I'll keep you informed about my new conservation work as I do it, if you like?
P.S. thanks for the nice comment Sparrow!
Corriepaw (Colin)