Walking round the paths you’ll come upon the Wooplore signs which are the best locations to listen to the stories.
It’ struck me as strange coming upon this one down near the pond in Axehead in the middle of winter.
You don’t really think about it, the same as you forget the midges until you get to the west coast each year, but the insects are only really visible in the warmer months and there are absolutely non about just now.
Well, maybe if you really looked for them you might find something. As they say on the radio, “there’ll be letters”.
Apart from the stream noises and a few birds it was absolutely silent. No buzzing, chirping or the annoying whine of a midge by your ear. Strange how a sign telling you about something makes you realise just how much isn’t there.
Roll on Spring.
No it wasn’t a meerkat but our local otter.
Otter tracks in the snow.
The Branching Out group had a great morning doing some tracking in the snow on Friday. Not only were there tracks of deer and the usual suspects but they saw otter tracks then watched it cavorting around the burn.
Highlight of their day they all said. And there was a great big yellow thing in the sky and reflecting off the snow.
Here we go !
I got there a bit later and despite me sitting on the three cornered bench for a while it decided not to give another performance. The snow let me study the entrances to our otter holt and it obviously wasn’t using it as there were no tracks in or out.
Must be a bit of a choosy otter or our design just didn’t appeal.
Anyway, the tracks were still there in the snow and the place where it slid down into the burn so I got a pic.
Rab Erskine was helping the Branching Out group and making some lovely scones on the BBQ.
While the oven was heating there was a mighty bang.
Maybe an improvised explosive scone in the oven?
It turned out that unknowingly someone had left a rock in the BBQ to hold stuff up and it had exploded when the fire got hot.
A cautionary tale.
Eyemouth may have it’s Herring Queen but we’ve got our Squid Queen.
The Branching Out group were up at Wooplaw doing some greenwood work and making gypsy flowers on the shaving horses. That’s one in Lisa’s hat.
However, if the wood hasn’t been dried a bit it won’t curl and you get gypsy squid instead.
That’s one on the top of the Squid Queen’s staff.
Anyway, everyone went home with a gypsy flower and fire drill that they’d made themselves.
A great day, well done all.
On a cold January day a great group came out from Galashiels Rotary Club to plant an orchard.
Despite the snow on the surface the ground was fine below it.
Not only coming out to plant them but they even bought them for us.
Jonathon at Cheviot Trees gave us a really good deal so thanks all round.
There are 20 trees, 12 apple – 3 each of James Grieve, Fiesta, Discovery and Greensleeves, 4 Conference pear and 4 Victoria Plum.
They aren’t planted in a group but spread among the trees alongside the Jubilee Trail. One job was putting a chicken wire hoop around each to protect the bark from the deer, yes, we saw the hoofprints too.
Later there was time to explore the Wooploft and even test the pole.
Peter Croan has put together a great album of photos of the day and here’s the LINK.
Tom put a piece on their own website too.
A great fun day and looking forward to seeing the leaves in spring and the fruit in a year or two.
Took a trip out to Cheviot Nursery today.
En route for Cheviot Trees
Collected the fruit trees and stakes for Sunday.
Looking forward to getting them planted now.
One of the sitka rescued from Wooplaw and planted on the way back to Stow as part of the Linear Forest seems to have an admirer. Don’t know who it is but – nice one.
See if you spot it if you come that way for tomorrow’s walk.
It was a bit wet on Sunday so the bird box crew adjourned indoors for a while.
Here’s a few of the boxes getting made.
Some were the type with a hole drilled in the front and others with half the front open.
See if you can find them around Bigwood.
On Sunday the new sign got put on the side of the container.
Here’s the crew with the pop riveter.
Nice one.
