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Wildlife Diary and News Blog 2009 - notes from a small wood Observations from Groves Bank, Groves Dyke and Groves Coppice, Whitby, England. (Always click 'Refresh' for the most recent version, then scroll down): Problems? Try www.GrovesDyke.com (but not yet...) Everything else that happened over the past week or more is a bit of a blur, what with continuing computer problems (both in editing this site and with my emails), which might have been sorted sooner if I hadn't then been struck down by a nasty 'flu or something similar. Anyway, now that I am feeling better, there is a faint chance that I may catch up with myself and possibly even begin to solve some of the computer problems. Over the past several days we have sawn some logs, cleared the brambles from Dyke Orchard (even as the Snowdrops were in full flower and the first Daffs are quite tall if not yet budding) and probably done some other things, too. I wonder what they were?
Heavy and continuous rain for the last 24 hours, falling on already saturated ground, has caused a few local problems. After our swim, BC racked the 3rd Lot of cider (the 5 gallon plastic barrel) and all seems well. I, meanwhile, was out in the pouring rain checking that all the drains were running freely. In fact, many were open but just overwhelmed by the sheer flow of surface runoff. The ditch lined with half-pipes at the back of Dyke orchard was only just within the capacity of the pipe under Woodlands Drive. The beck in Groves Bank garden was flowing strongly around the stone seat (I'm glad I've given up trying to make it go under ground for this short section) and disappearing nicely into its culvert, but I raked the debris off the screen just in case. The main drive was a shallow river, so I walked up towards the big house clearing the drains as I went. Some were just plain blocked by debris, some were choked with silt, some were unable to take the flow as it passed over, such was the rate! Once I had dried out a bit, I rang the maintenance agency now responsible for the main drive and the big house to say that something needs to be done. This morning there was still ice and some snow in the garden but by afternoon it had all gone. Although still a bit overcast, the sun is strong enough today to produce some hot water from my solar panels. 20 Feb 2010 Yesterday's snow still covered the ground, but there must be enough warmth in the sun now to warm up the tarmac and keep even the minor roads clear. First a good walk over Lealholm Rigg, tracking Hare and Grouse in the snow (couldn't tell what colour of Grouse from the tracks, but almost certainly Red). Then down to The Board in Lealholm for some nice hot soup in front of their nice hot woodburner, before tracking down the nice man who sells firewood in the village. At least we now have a name and a phone number for him. 19 Feb 2010 Snowing this morning, but we made it to Pickering without any problems and enjoyed a nice free swim in the pool. Lunch at Russells and then off to the Moors and Steam garden centre to look at yet more woodburning stoves, before heading for Thornton-le-Dale and afternoonsies in the bakery cafe, then even more woodburners at Town and Country Stoves in the mini industrial estate nearby. 17 Feb 2010 A nice run to Pickering for a free swim (that will teach Scarborough Borough Council to change our regular and expensive Over 50s swimming sessions for the Half Term holidays!) and a nice lunch at the White Swan inn. Then a potter around Coopers lovely old fashioned ironmongers (reminds me of my father's hardware shop in Ballymoney) and the discovery that they, too, sell woodburning stoves. On the way back we popped into the Duncombe Estates sawmill and ordered a couple of dumpy bags of 16 inch long, well seasoned hardwood at £25 per bag (one third the price of the supplier near Guisborough)! 16 Feb 2010 SA and MD cut up the untidy stack of bits and bobs alongside the pole barn with their chainsaws, stacking and splitting the resulting firelogs. The whole place looks much tidier now, so I will have to sort out the overturned bins of plastics for recycling, my old shower door / new cloche for the veg patch (still to be laid out properly and dug over). 12 Feb 2010 SA finished off the Blackthorn clearing between the top bridge and Flag's Folly. After lunch he joined BC and I in sawing up more of the East Cord (now just under half a cord of 1 year seasoned wood remaining). In the middle of our 3 o'clocks a delivery of logs arrived from near Guisborough. The super-dumpy bag was hoisted off the wagon mechanically and tipped out onto the grass near the Pole Barn. Yes, it was beautifully seasoned for 2 years and very light weight, but sadly it was all in silly little 6 inch blocks instead of 16 inch firelogs and, even more sadly, what was advertised as 'hardwood seemed to include an awful lot of what was very clearly softwood (ie conifers). Having reduced the price from £95 to £80, we paid up and moved it all under the cover of the Pole Barn. 10 Feb 2010 BC and I carried on sawing firelogs from the East Cord and stacking them inside the Pole Barn. 08 Feb 2010 SA and I removed yet more Blackthorn, with SA seeing 4 Roe Deer on the way up. After lunch SA carried on up there, while BC and I planted the last of 3 Blackcurrant and 2 Redcurrant bushes in the new fruit patch, as well as laying out the four new 8 x 4 foot vegetable beds at the back of what used to be the Dog Lawn. 05 Feb 2010 SA and MD as before, while BC and I sawed yet more firelogs. 03 Feb 2010 SA, MD and I spent the morning removing the encroaching Blackthorn from south of the old fence line, near Flag's Folly. Most of it is too young and thin to be useful firewood, but there are a few potential walking sticks to be put aside. After lunch they carried on while BC and I sawed more of the East Cord. 01 Feb 2010 Only me here today, so I enjoyed a lovely cold, calm, sunny walk around the wood and then sawed enough of the East Cord to provide firewood for a couple of days. In theory, one should saw just more than enough firelogs every day, so that a surplus is built up for the occasional day off. What actually happens is that there is no sawing at all during the summer months, and then lots of catching up to do once winter arrives and the fires are lit.
31 Jan 2010 Drove to Goldsborough, but the side road was still white-over and rather too treacherous, so we just turned around and came straight back to the main road while the sun had some warmth in it. Drove to Runswick Bay and walked down the old road (now just a footpath) to the old village, so icy that we had to hang onto the handrail all the way down! The tide was very high, with a bay full of white breakers, surrounded by snow-covered cliffs and capped with snow-covered fields. Very pretty! Time for a drink in the Royal, before exploring the village and making our way back up the path. I think I can just remember driving my car down here, before the new road was made, and clearly it wasn't the unforgettable experience I would have expected it to be! RSPB's Big Garden Bird Count this weekend. In my garden an hour's birding from my conservatory revealed: Long Tailed Tit 6, Blue Tit 4, Blackbird 3, Great Tit 3, Pheasant 2, Robin 2, Coal Tit 1, Dunnock 1, Wood Pigeon 1. 11.15 - 12.15, dry, calm, sunny with snow cover. 30 Jan 2010 Woke up to 3 inches of snow this morning! A stroll through Mulgrave Woods at Sandsend gave us a tour of the sawmill, with lots of tree trunks stacked in windrows to season. Lunch at the Sandside Cafe, overlooking the beach, was very welcome, as was a drink in the Hart Inn. 29 Jan 2010 SA and MD carried down quite a bit of recently cut wood and stacked it by the West Cord (for next winter's firewood), as well as sawing more of the East Cord (for this winter's firewood). 27 Jan 2010 SA and MD carried on splitting Ash logs for next winter's (2010/11) fuel, assisted by the welcome return of ID. After lunch BC and I were ably assisted by ID as we toured the wood, admired the deer slots in the mud just above the top bridge and then we sawed more of the East Cord into firelogs for immediate burning or for stacking in the woodshed for later this winter (2009/10). While the woodshed remains stubbornly just half full (ie we are now burning logs as fast as we are sawing them) there is still a full cord (8 feet x 4 feet x 4 feet = 128 nominal cubic foot) to be sawn, not to mention a few more already seasoned firelogs ready in the pole barn. 25 Jan 2010 SA and MD started to split the recently felled young Ash which used to overhang the phone line. After lunch BC and I joined in and, with just a little friendly rivalry, the two teams soon had most of it split and restacked, ready to carry down to the woodyard when the path is less muddy and slippery. 23 Jan 2010 My pond is finally ice-free for the first time since before Christmas. At its maximum, the ice there was 4 inches thick. 22 Jan 2010 SA and MD completed clearing the Oak Cant and then moved on to removing one limb from the Cherry which overhangs the young Oak in the West Laund. BC sawed cordwood in the pole barn while I toured Groves Dyke with the Group 4 Securitas inspector. Very thorough, but its 3 Star rating is confirmed for another year. 20 Jan 2010 Wet. Everyone elsewhere doing important things, so I spent the day preparing for Group 4 Securitas Ltd to come and inspect Groves Dyke Holiday Cottage to see if it is still up to 3 Star standards. Why not the Tourist Board, you ask? I have no idea what they do now (so I have left them), but their inspection arm became an 'arm's length' agency, which then got so remote that it was bought up by G4S. Confused? You will be... 18 Jan 2010 I managed to join SA and MD as we all spent the morning removing the last of the unwanted species from Oak Cant. Now there is an area some 25 yards by 25 yards with just young Oaks (some planted c25 years ago, all the others self-sown), a few slimmed-down Hawthorns (left to shelter the now more exposed young Oaks until they put down a few more roots) and an occasional Silver Birch ('cos they look nice). After lunch we were joined by BC and we trimmed-up a bit more and sawed more firelogs (I think). 16 Jan 2010 Walked around Church Street in Whitby, something which so many residents forget to do. Lots of new shops to be explored, and old favourites to be revisited. Lunch in The Shambles was good, with lovely views across the harbour. 15 Jan 2010 No, it's no good. I give up. I have no idea what we did that day... Probably involved several people clearing Brambles and Hawthorn from Oak Cant, while others sawed wood, but that is only a guess. 13 Jan 2010 BC and I sawed and stacked, as as well as having a nice walk around the part grass - part snow covered wood. We cleared the drain just above the East Hazel Cant, as it was blocked with leaves, twigs and slush, and overflowing all its water straight into the cord of Cherry logs. Sorted. The raw, cold, grey weather continues, so we sorted out all the new bedding for Groves Dyke Holiday Cottage and rearranged its cupboard. 11 Jan 2010 A Ford Transit van had got itself stuck broadside on the ice on Woodlands Drive when it tried to turn around and retreat. The young driver revved it up faster and faster until the ice below his wheels was perfectly polished and the smoke was rising. First he tried to get his mate to tow him out sideways, only to break the tow rope. Then I suggested adding some of my bag of road salt just behind his wheels, but he spun the wheels so fast that it was all flung far away. Finally, I put my grip mats behind his wheels and, after revving too hard again and flinging them far away again, I finally persuaded him to keep the revs low and slip the clutch very, very, very gently - and the van reversed nicely and he got out of my way. Ha! Young folk today don't remember when we had proper winters... BC and I sawed and carried, sawed and carried and sawed and carried, until we had a goodly stack of firelogs for the next few days. We did note that any Cherry and any Silver Birch from the East Cord, now over a year old, was partly rotten, partly soggy and probably mouldy. Perhaps in future these 2 species should either be covered by a roof tarp in the cord, or else sawn directly into firelogs and stacked under cover for burning after one summer? The sun has gone, the grey clouds hung around all day, with occasional light rain showers rather than snow. We tracked one Roe Deer around the wood in the melting snow and cleared the drain just above the East Cant to keep it from flooding the temporary cord of Cherry logs. 08 Jan 2010 BC and I sawed more of the East Cord into firelogs and stacked them in the pole barn ready for burning. 07 Jan 2010 The South of England got more snow yesterday than we have, with 6,000 schools around the UK closed, motorways and airports closed, etc. Drove into Whitby for some shopping. All main roads and many minor ones are open, snowploughed and gritted and life seems to be continuing as normal. My infestation of 7 Pheasants devours any seed that falls on the ground, so rather than fatten them up any more, I have added extra hanging feeders for the small birds to use exclusively. Since the car is still at the bottom of the drive, there are a couple of extra hanging feeders under the pole barn (which should keep the Pheasants and the snow off). 06 Jan 2010 Sunny and showers, except the showers are of more snow or soft hail. BC and I spent the morning sawing most of the cordwood we had carried to the pole barn into firelogs. An after lunch stroll into the wood, still inches deep in snow, brought more of the split Sycamore down from the Corner Cant and the rest of the afternoon was spent in carrying yet more cordwood from the East Cord into the pole barn for sawing. We did try rolling a giant snowball to clear the drive, but it's still the wrong kind of snow. Anything that thawed slightly yesterday only froze into a crusty top last night. 04 Jan 2010 SA walked here in time for a coffee, before setting off again. BC arrived later and we had a bright and sunny stroll up Woodlands Drive in a few inches of snow and lots of ice. The view up the dale from the end of the Monks' Trod is quite breathtakingly beautiful, with snow everywhere as far as the eye can see. Lots of animal tracks in the snow, which we tried to decipher. Home again, we collected more wood from the woodshed and carried it to the house. Off to Scarborough after lunch, only to find that the main roads are black over and traffic is travelling at 50+ mph - unlike Woodlands Drive (which is a layer or ice) and my drive (still c4 inches deep in snow), with my car parked by the gateposts at the bottom. 02 Jan 2010 More snow last night and a hard frost. This morning we scraped a path across the yard and found that the car could not get back up the drive, so it is now parked at the bottom. Even though there's only a couple of inches of snow and the main roads are all kept cleared and salted, on the steepest private drives even 4 x 4 vehicles have also been unable to get back up to their houses. The snow began again this afternoon so BC and I sawed some of the Hazel cord lengths we had carried to the pole barn for just this kind of weather. 01 Jan 2009 We had a lovely dry, bright and sunny morning with a walk around the icy and snow-covered wood, admiring the frosted heads of Cow Parsley and the graceful Silver Birches. A couple of Rabbits scampered off and we flushed a Woodcock from the Oak Laund on the far side of the wood. Carried down some of the split Sycamore from the SW corner to warm up and dry out by the stove.
Click for 2009 Wildlife Diary and News Blog... Click here for 2008 Wildlife Diary and News Blog... Click here for 2007 (late) Wildlife Diary & News Blog... Click here for 2007 (early) Wildlife Diary, January to June inclusive... |
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