Photowall

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I take between four to five hundred photos a month. I take photos of everything, from the completely mundane to the occasional beautiful photo.

One of my favourite photo's I've ever taken

One thing I never get round to doing is changing them from digital files to something we can actually see on a daily basis! 

April Weather

April has always been one of my favourite months, the weather is always impossible to guess!

On Monday we woke up with a good covering of snow and it made me thankful that I was so behind in the garden! Whilst I'd been feeling guilty everyone else had their potatoes in for me it was great to have that job still to do! 

Planting Elm Trees

The other day I finished reading this rather excellent book called "Barn Club" about a community project building an elm framed barn using traditional methods. 

 

One thing that really struck me was how there was still lots of elm trees about if you knew where to look. Not that they get to a good size anymore, unless in a pocket that never got seriously affected by the disease, but there are still some that get to useful timber size. Also how much this timber used to be used. Many of the old carpentry books I've got talk about it's uses, from water pipes to coffins to the hubs of wheels! 

Bird Box With My Middlest

I've been building a great project with my eldest after school and a few hours on the weekend - a spoon mule (a variant of a shave horse) but was aware that my younger children were also keen to build something with me. 

With my younger daughter (my middlest) I decided that a simple bird box might make a great little project we could easily complete together. I cut all the pieces ready and then got her to drill all the pilot holes to guide the nails. 

I think we could maybe do with a lighter hammer for them, but she managed to knock most of the nails in unaided. We used the vice in the workshop to help hold bits while she lined them up as well (not in any photos).

We put the hole in the front the right size for a sparrow, but that is suitable for other types as well. Top is screwed on so we can clean it out should we need to. 

Probably a bit late to be putting it up but better late than never! Last year we did one around this time and had blue tits in it within days! We placed this down in the coppice area, be nice to make a few more and have them all around the place.

What type of bird boxes do you have at your place - does anyone find a certain style works better than any others?

Poultry Out Of Lockdown!

So this week the poultry could come back out and free range! Woop! 

It hasn't been too bad as I have lots of pens, but I was desperate to get the ducks out of the polytunnel!