Gloomy is the keyword right now. We’ve had more rain and dark depressing weather than I can remember, so visits to the woods have been less than I would have liked. To add to my personal gloom, this week we discovered our lovely little touring caravan has been flooded out whilst in storage. It’s contaminated with sewer water too so it’s looking like a possible write-off. So a visit to the woods to restore my peace of mind was what was needed yesterday even though the weather was looking “iffy”. An early start to try to avoid rush hour traffic got me there for 8.30am. It was drizzling and misty when I arrived and only just daylight. I took a walk around some of the rides to see what my neighbours’ plots were looking like. It was very atmospheric, almost silent and I’m sure I had the whole woods to myself (human-wise at least). I could see some folks have been busy building sheds or structures of some kind and one neighbour has done a sterling job replanting an area he clear felled earlier this year. His plot contains a lot of mature larch and other non-native coniferous species and he’s keen to introduce some diversity with a mixture of broadleaf varieties. I know he reads this blog so well done mate – it’s looking great, wish I could fast forward a decade or so to see what it will look like then.

I travelled light this time, just hand tools and food and drink. I started out finishing the tidy up task of my little logshed-cum-junk shed. The birch logs I cut last time needed splitting and stacking for drying so I needed some space. I find sorting and reorganising things quite therapeutic. By this time I was ready for a brew.

I wanted to make a start on coppicing some more hazel. Last year’s experiment of cutting a few old stools seems to have been a moderate success so I shall expand that area with a few more. The mild weather so far has encouraged the hazel trees to produce small catkins already so even though the new growth won’t start till around May time, sap must be rising already. I cut back two gnarly old hazel stools which need a bit more tidying up when I take the chainsaw and cleared away some of the smaller growth to be used to build a small wattle fence around my composting toilet. The gloom continued and it started to rain lightly. Time to try out my new ex-army goretex jacket that I bought just for such occasions. A fraction of the cost of fancy designer label jackets, it’s lightweight and storm proof and roomy enough to work comfortably in. I decided to take a lunch break and tried to find some shelter inside my crowded logshed. Just enough room for my plastic garden chair to sit sideways. It worked and it was quite a pleasant half hour watching and hearing the gentle rain around me while munching on my cheese and pickle sarnies. I think it’s good to experience the wood in all it’s variations, always something new to see. I do think I need a bigger shed though!

The rain lifted for a while, I finished my work for the day early and headed home before dark.