Wow it seems its been a few months since my last Blog so I have plenty of news to share. I was out of action for a few weeks in September/October following some planned surgery on my hip. Part of my rehabilitation involved walking our new chocolate Labrador puppy, Bramble. We collected her in October and she has settled into family life and likes spending time in the woods, although has a knack of standing in the way! She also likes sitting in front of the fire so has landed on all-fours really. Plus my hip has recovered so that’s all good news.
In November we were invited to go to a neighbour’s woodland for a party which was brilliant and a great chance to meet many of the other woodland owners and conservationists, a diverse group of people with the common interest in preserving this precious woodland. From this get-together I have arranged to meet up with a highly regarded ex-forester local to Binsted who will give me some advice on how best to conserve our 12 acres and encourage biodiversity.
December was pretty exciting (apart from the festivities!) as I took delivery of my new forestry-spec petrol powered ATV. This is going to be a big help so I can sustain the woodland in line with my Woodland Management Plan with a much lower impact than large-scale machinery which causes damage to the woodland under-storey. The evidence of the damage which took place in our woodland almost 10-years ago under the previous owner is still visible today. I also have a road trailer so I can use the ATV for local log deliveries, again with a much-reduced environmental impact which is all part of my vision.
As well as clearing storm damage, in December we installed some new gates to provide some added security for us and our neighbour’s woodland. This is also another service I can offer to customers. I was also pleased to pass my Air Rifle Shooting Instructor training and deliver my first course to a local Scout group which I am hoping is something that I will do more of this year.
Coming up….
I have some exciting plans coming together for this year which I am really looking forward to sharing, so I will try and keep the Blog updated. One thing I can confirm is that I have booked onto a Windsor Chair making course in a woodland in West Sussex and I intend to start producing locally grown, sustainable furniture. Let me know if this may be of interest to you!