Digging up the dahlia beds at Biddulph Grange Garden on Sunday 30th October 2022

Eight volunteers met with Leslie and Holly, a recent apprentice recruit, for the task of cutting down and taking up the dahlia tubers plus taking out the stakes we had put in earlier in the year [29th May].

I admit I thought it was just a case of digging them up and putting them in a pile.  WRONG!  As the tubers are to be used next year we had to cut them down, gently fork them out, dust off as much soil as possible and tie the label that was with each plant around the tubers.  This is so they can be sorted by species to ensure they have a uniform display ready for planting next year.  It's a lot more detailed than that but that's the abridged version!

It was a lovely morning with lots of visitors due to the Halloween trail they were doing.  We had a lot of people interested in what we were doing and why we were doing it as there were still a lot of lovely dahlias on show.  Then, unfortunately, the heavens opened so obviously after getting quite wet we had an early lunch after which the sunshine came out and the gardens got even busier.

Thanks to Leslie and Holly for their hospitality and to my colleagues for their hard work and good company.

Christine

Clearing Trees of Heaven at Dunham Massey on Sunday 23rd October 2022

Talk about dedication!  Nine MNTV volunteers turned out at Dunham Massey today in pouring rain to do a bit of Tree of Heaven removal.  Yes I had to google it as well.  It is a plant that was brought to Europe from China in 1740, so we can't blame the Victorians for this one.

We had a quick catch up with Colin, Lead Ranger, on what is happening at Dunham.  Previously, the rangers were responsible for just the immediate estate but now all 16 farms that make up the full Dunham estate are coming back "in house" so in the next couple of years a major restructuring will take place, including planting approx 750,000 trees, miles of hedgerows as well as making wild meadows and farming the land.

Anyway, back to today.  Tree of Heaven is an invasive species that unfortunately self seeds hence it spreads very quickly.  Our job was to cut back all except the trees that needed chainsawing and then take the cuttings to the yard to be burnt at a later date.  This looked a big job, especially in the rain which was persistent all morning.

We were fortunate to be able to use the benches in the gardeners' compound, which was undercover, for our breaks so at least our cake stayed dry.  It did stop just before lunch and someone even thought they saw the sun!

Once we had removed all the trees and small saplings we then cleared the path of overhanging branches and brash and just to finish off we raked up and removed all our droppings plus the sweet chestnut shells that were a slip hazard.

Before clearing saplings under a huge Tree of Heaven ...

... and after

Colin was made up with what we had achieved in the day and we look forward to being back soon.

Thanks to my intrepid colleagues for turning out on such a rotten morning.

Christine

Drinks with ex-chairman Tim Jarvis on Monday 17th October 2022

Tonight, for the first time this year we had a social!  Tim Jarvis, ex-chairman, was visiting Macclesfield from his home in Essex for a few days and four of us met up with him and his host Martin Swithinbank (also ex-MNTV) at the Waters Green Tavern in Macclesfield for an evening of reminiscences.  Many a photo was shared (some old, some recent), tales told and memories revisited.

(L to R): Daniel, Hazel, Martin, Tim, Sue & Andy

We last met Tim in this very same pub/table six years ago.  Hopefully we'll see him again long before 2028!

Daniel

Rhodybash at Park Hall (Hayfield) on Sunday 16th October 2022

Today, Adrian, Daniel and Sue rhodybashed with ranger Mark and apprentice ranger Tom at Park Hall near Hayfield.  There would have been two more of us but for covid cancellations.

We worked in a wood on the hillside above the hall.  It's a conservation area and in these and SSSI areas the Trust cannot now burn "on the ground" and instead builds its bonfires on metal platforms comprising a corrugated metal sheet on stilts.  Mark and Tom quickly got the fire going and the bone dry rhody (large piles cut by previous volunteer groups) burned very easily.  They were careful not to let the blaze get too big so that leaves and branches on the overhanding trees did not catch fire.

During the day we burned through all the big piles of rhody near the fire.  Jaffa drizzle loaf at elevenses and lunch kept everyone's energy levels up.  After 5.5. hours of burning all that remained of tonnes of rhody was a small pile of ash.

When the next burn happens the rangers will simply lift the platform and walk it round the hillside to other piles of rhody!

Thanks to Adrian and Sue for their company and for Mark and Tom for providing a good day's work.

Daniel

Creating Viking runes letters in a play area at Formby on Sunday 9th October 2022

 Five of us made the journey to Formby on Sunday 9^th October to complete a task which was started on 8th May this year.  On 8^th May volunteers started to create Viking rune letters using tree branches and string for an installation in a play trail in the woods.  This workday is the completion of that task.

When we arrived at the Blundell Road Countryside Office we needed to dismantle the letters that were stored there and transport them to the worksite.  We looked at the existing letters and photographed the ones that we would re-use.  Other letters would be made to size at the worksite.  The chopped branches were transported to the worksite on the rangers land rover trailer and other letters were cut to size at the worksite. 

Once at the worksite we were given a picture of the letters which the artist wanted making, the letters would spell the words “Love and Play”.  

We assessed the area where the letters were to be placed and decided to change the wording to “Love to Play” so that we could fit all the words into the space we had.

Positioning letters in place, this is the word "Love"

Each letter needed to have four rows of branches which were secured by string.

Letter "O" being created, here a stake is being hammered into the ground

Cutting branches to size

Completed letter "O"

More letters being staked

Making "stakes" for the letters

Letter "P"

Letter "L"

Letter "A"

Letter "Y"

Letter "L"

Letter "O"

Letter "V"

Letter "E"

The finished installation of "Love to Play" is below:

LOVE

TO

PLAY

It was a lovely day and we all felt very proud of the finished work.

Denise, Worksite Leader

Rhodybash at Lyme Park on Sunday 2nd October 2022

Seven of us met Izzy in the main car park at Lyme for a day of rhody clearance in Lantern Wood.

Most of us walked up but Izzy had a couple of spaces on her little off-roader so two got a lift and took the tools with them.  It was a beautiful morning and in between panting on the way up, stopping a minute to look at the views was quite welcome.

We were also saying that there couldn't be much rhody left to clear as we were sure we had cleared most of it.  How wrong could we be, there is still loads of it!

We split into two groups.  The first was to light a fire to burn rhody that had been cut earlier in the week by a corporate group and the second was to start cutting and light another fire to burn what we cut.  Easier said than done!  Cutting not a problem, but two fires not wanting to burn was a big problem!  Anyway we just kept cutting and left it ready for when the conditions are more favourable for a fire.

We left Izzy keeping a check on the "fires" until she finished at 4pm and made our way back down to the car park passing through the herd of Highland cattle.

It was a lovely day with good company and a job we like doing.  Thank you to everyone for a good day's work and thanks to Izzy for making us welcome.

Christine