Sounds like a title for a film but it’s what I was doing yesterday plus a bit more bramble clearing. I was given three potted young birch trees by one of my brother-in-laws. He wanted a place for them as a tribute to his mother, father and brother who have passed on. So I found a suitable spot in my wood. It was heavily invested with bramble so I started out by clearing it with my brush cutter. The used a Canterbury hoe to rag out the remaining bramble roots before planting them. As I have deer visiting my woods it is necessary to protect them with plastic tree guards. So for now all you can see is the brown tubes. In a couple of years the young birch should have emerged from the tops and they can then have the guards removed.

I’ve been collecting wooden pallets and now have enough to build some sort of log store. The idea being, to season newly felled timber for a year before taking it home for burning in my woodstove. I was given two old sheets of corrugated roofing to help keep it dry. I got the body of the store built but needed some more spars to support the roof. Now don’t laugh when you see the ramshackle result of my hard labour. After all it just needs to be functional. I’m not competing for George Clarke’s “Shed of the Year”. Once completed I can disguise it’s obvious pallet components by propping up deadwood around the sides. The weather will soon subdue it’s newness too.

Finally I spotted this magnificent specimen and couldn’t resist showing you. Bet you wish you had one like this.