Lakeside Logging at Norton Conyers - January 2019

January 31st

-7.5 Celsius as I passed Nunwick on the way to Norton Conyers. It is the morning of the 31st of January and the coldest night of the season has been endured across the country. The bitter temperatures have bitten throughout much of the month, but the January weather concluded with a numbing vengeance. I walked around the outside of the gardens - senses heightened with the sub-zero temperatures amplifying the eerie silence. Every leaf, twig and blade of grass fixed and fragile in a coarse, crisp shell.

Frosted Garden Gates, 31st January 2019

8.30am

1.15pm

January 3rd

The year had started without frost. Giles and I began 2019 by removing the remainder of the apple tree Malus 'Beauty of Bath' which had been cut down before Christmas. Snowdrops (Galanthus) were beginning to emerge around the tree trunk, and these were lifted before digging up the earth. With axe and chainsaw, thick roots were cut. With rope attached, the tractor was used to pull and twist it out of the earth.

The chainsaw was used once again by Giles and the trunk broken into logs. The earth was replaced - extra compost added and Snowdrops carefully replanted. The job was completed - leaving barely any trace of the 50-year-old tree which once stood. The 'Egremont Russet' planted in close proximity now had space to grow and flourish.

Into the Woods

Next - into the woods. The initial stretch of the pathway was cleared, and habitat piles tidied and consolidated. We then ambled towards the lake, with tools in hand. The area surrounding the lake had been untended for years and it would be a significant undertaking to cut back foliage and retrieve fallen trees from the water. We would spend much of our January days working by the lake.

Starting on the south bank, overhanging branches, brambles and bamboo were cut back, gradually revealing an enhanced view across the lake. I was then employed to cut climbing Ivy (Hedera Helix) on trees to prevent them from being weighed down. I remarked at the woody stalks of the Ivy - some of which were thick enough to be small trees themselves.

Ivy (Hedera Helix)

As we made our way around the lake, we came across a headstone - for a horse. A small pet cemetery also exists in the woodland near the house and - as I later discovered - across the lake.

Luxury
A Chestnut Gelding
Died 18th July 1918
Aged 16 Years
A Celebrated Hunter
& Jumper First in the
Kings Cup at Olympia
1907 & 1908
Malise Graham

The Emergence of Life

As the month progressed, subtle glimmers of colour emerged. Most prominently, vibrant strands of lemon and lime sprung from a beautiful Witch Hazel (Hamemelis) to the east of the Orangery. The Hamemelis has a sense of gentle, graceful movement about it - the flowing flowers like the tentacles of a sea anemone. In the dull January light, the Witch Hazel seems to emit its own source of light and bears a delicate scent which belies the season. 

 Witch Hazel (Hamamelis)

But, the reality is that new life is all around us even at the dullest, darkest time of year. Knowing where to look for it is the key. As we walked towards the western garden door, Beth spotted a Hepatica in the undergrowth - it is a small, violet flower of the buttercup family. There is something very special about these small glimmers of fresh colour - a clear display of thriving life and a promise of new life to come.

Hepatica

Lakeside

The lakeside clear-up continued. A Willow (Salix) lay in the water - parts completely submerged and sitting in thick mud. Removing it was a real challenge. Loppers were used to remove branches, before a rope was tied. The tractor was then employed to wrench the tree out of the lake. But there was not enough room for manoeuvre and insufficient leverage; I drove the tractor around the perimeter of the lake and into an adjoining field, stopping behind my previous location.

The tractor wheels slipped and struggled to gain traction as it heaved, and Giles climbed onto the trailer for extra ballast! And after moving onto fresh ground the remainder of the tree emerged from the water. The mud in which it had been buried was very smelly; moving it into habitat piles was an unpleasant business!

Willow (Saxis)

The lake was starting to reveal itself and its true beauty. As the month progressed, bright blue skies created stunning reflections in the water.

In mid-January, Giles cut up a recently felled cherry tree and this was transported to the woodyard using the dumper truck - a huge undertaking, which unfortunately took its toll on the old machine. A section of the bodywork came loose, which required welding. But once Giles had attended to it, the dumper truck continued to fill the woodyard throughout the month, and the last day of January consisted of felling and logging an established Ash tree (Fraxinus).

Hopeful Plum at lunchtime

Hopeful Shandy at lunchtime

Snowdrops

The snowdrops quickly grew and filled out throughout the month - the budding flowers gradually appearing plump and heavy. They are a welcome sight across the estate, adding patches of winter joy to the barren earth.

Snowdrops (Galanthus)

Keepers Cottage

Towards the end of the month, we made our way down the lane to Keepers Cottage. Earlier in the month I had ventured in this direction before starting work; I had seen six herons in one field and four roe deer in another - all at the same time!

Work was needed in the garden of the Keepers Cottage, and foliage needed clearing. Derek, Emma and I had the unenviable task of removing a very hardy Philadelphus (Mock Orange), which was obscuring the view from the kitchen. The Philadelphus grows small bowl-shaped white flowers in the summer, with orange centres. However, when removing this shrub from the earth, it was difficult to imagine that it was capable of growing such delicate flowers. It took a great deal of digging, axing and leveraging to remove the base of it from the ground.

Derek attacking the remains of the Philadelphus

With vast quantities of Ivy removed from brickwork, and last-years growth cut back, we left the Keepers Cottage. Giles and I would return on the next working day to remove an aging conifer and unhealthy plum tree (which was also obstructing a window). Both of these were easily removed with spade and tractor.

Cold Shandy huddling into one of the gardener's lunches to keep warm!!

Ivy

We were all exasperated with Ivy towards the end of the month; cutting it back from walls and trees had kept us occupied for days around the lake and in the wider estate. We spent much time clearing in the woodland to the north of the house and at Wath Lodge which is 3/4 of a mile away. But this is necessary to prevent it from 'taking over' and causing damage.

January

January 2019 - a cold, yet physical and incredibly satisfying month. It was a pleasant surprise to see the subtle beauty in nature at this time of year, but also a delight to enjoy the clean, glimmering frosts and low, rolling mists which provided atmospheric backdrops. However, it was also a month in which I witnessed some of the most dramatic, beautiful skies I have ever seen - a selection of which I now end with.

Digging for Norton! Norton Conyers, 22nd March 2018

Spring has seen more than its fair share of false starts this year. I suppose it usually does, but then this year, there have been several heavy snow showers - interjected by mild sunshine - in March!! However, as I drove up to Norton Conyers today, I recognised a difference in the tone of the sky that suggested that this was Spring sunshine. Blue skies in winter tend to be slightly paler and cloudless, and the light offered by the Spring sky is unmistakable.

As we greeted each other this morning, the mood was cheerful and relaxed - all of us commenting on the lovely weather, and what a difference it would make to the day's work. It is true: good, mild weather is liberating for the gardener. Less layers to worry about; your whole body is more relaxed; there is no dread - or danger - of getting soaked to the skin before you've done half an hours' work.

Wheelbarrows, spades and forks were needed for our first task. Alyson and I hauled multiple full barrows of compost from the heap, and spread it generously over a huge, empty border. We had soon emptied the compost bin; quite a feat, having seen the quantity in the pile at the start of the day!

As she plunged her spade into the compacted earth, Alyson told me of the toads that had made the compost heap their habitat in years gone by. There were none today though!

The improved weather was good news for the garden's flora; the warmth had brought a few bees out of their slumber. We had been planning to aid the pollination process the previous week, but in the absence of a suitable brush hadn't been able to do so. Giles commented "Perhaps we won't have to use Shandy's tail after all!" Nevertheless, he thought the bees would still need some help, so in the afternoon volunteer Sue borrowed a brush from resident artist David and went about pollinating the peach stamens.

Next, Alyson and I dug up shrubs in the adjoining bed. They had spread, leaving the middle of the plants dead. Splitting the plants would rejuvenate them, and help them to thrive. A layer of compost was turned into the earth, before replanting. We then weaved supports - like inverted baskets. They were very attractive in their own right.

The afternoon: more digging. In the vegetable patch, 'Green Manure' had been planted to act as a natural fertiliser; in order for it to do this, the row had to be dug up. I began to tire - the cumulative physical effort was beginning taking its toll on my back. However, I finished the job, turning over the plants and digging them back in.

Giles had ventured out to collect timber planks earlier on in the day. Transporting these across the garden was the penultimate physical effort of the day. Giles and I carried them - around 30 - from the middle garden gate to the vegetable garden. We placed them approximately where they would be finally installed for the raised beds.

I finished the day digging up exhausted lettuce plants; the massive roots were heavy. I wheeled them over to the compost heap, and the cycle of decay and growth continued.

Although I felt physically exhausted, the mental effect was invigorating. This had been another extremely productive day, and we had all worked very hard to make this substantial progress. 

Clearing Up - Norton Conyers, 15th March 2018

Another damp day; Spring wasn’t here yet. But the gardener is well prepared - waterproofs and boots were adorned today. We looked a colourful bunch as we left the Orangery this morning and headed to the Dumper shed. And to be honest it was a bit of a dump! It had been left relatively unused at the end of last season, so there was reason for the mess. There's no problem things being left a little untidy, as there are always keener priorities to attend to. So, bearing in mind the poor weather, this was the perfect day for such a job. 

It was a job that required thought as to where to start. There was much to tackle, but with a team of five, progress was soon seen. Giles and I moved wood and logs; the ladies started moving tree protectors to an adjoining building; Plum found a dead pigeon.

There were many tree protectors - maybe a hundred. As I joined the efforts to move them, I uncovered a beautiful Peacock butterfly in hibernation. Its colours were a reminder that nature only sleeps - it does not disappear.

The Dumper shed was full of old unused gardening bits and pieces. Giles is a very resourceful man; he won't throw anything away that might come in useful. However, he's not a hoarder either - everything he does is carefully considered and planned. For example, underneath is a barrel - formerly containing Mango Slices (best before 2000!) from Mumbai in India. It's something that's of value to the gardener - however often it might come into use.

As I cleared some wooden poles from a corner and relocated them, I discovered perhaps fifty ladybirds huddling together - like the butterfly, they had found the perfect, protected spot to spend the winter months. And we had found the perfect spot to spend a rainy day - the work was fulfilling and everyone was in a jovial mood; as we'd entered the Dumper Shed, Giles asked me to switch the light on. There wasn't a light. I'm getting used to this gentle ribbing.

As the ladies finished their clearing work, I stayed and swept the straw covered floor. After Plum found the pigeon, I wondered what else might be discovered amongst this mass of dried grass. I was reminded of an old episode of Midsomer Murders where the victim is stabbed by a pitchfork and covered up in the straw. Thankfully there would be no such discoveries today..

 Following our break, we headed to the stables. Having burned the majority of the rubbish the previous week, the cleanup job now began in earnest. Sweeping the walls and windows of cobwebs; old plaster and paint dust from shelves and window bottoms; the floor from oily dirt. This was a considerable undertaking. The stables had been left in a time-warp - used only as a joiners yard in recent days. It had been built in the 1700s and must have fallen out of use as a stables some 70 or 80 years previously.

I know this because there were old packets on the floor - an old decaying Osram bulb jacket; metal springs; an old car headlamp cover; small wooden signs; a woodwormed groomer's brush. The bench was still solid enough to stand on to do my work, but had seen considerable wear and tear over the years. Built to last. Having lifted it, I uncovered a small plank of wood. It was attached to the stone floor with tar. I lifted it - the perfect shiny black uncovered the still fresh scent of pitch.

Our indoor clearing work was over. We retired to lunch.

As we returned, Giles began cutting back the trees which hung over the road leading up to the stables. Luminous lichen layered long limbs. We dragged the branches over the front of the house; I felt the strain, as an Ox would bearing its Yoke.

Giles, Alyson and I then left the borders of the walls and began cutting back the branches overhanging the Wath road. The Norton Conyers estate covers an area of 1500 acres - another substantial job!

Giles used his extended saw on the branches; Alyson and I hauled the wood over the wall for Beth and Bex to drag to habitat piles. The trees were packed together to begin with; they soon spread out, and there was too much work for three people.

Giles handed me a luminous green jacket, and asked me to look out for traffic; he walked round the other side of the wall and began cutting back from the house side. Lorries and vans seldom made an appearance, but safety was paramount for all concerned.

We completed this work, and next it was back to clear up. However, I got a little sidetracked. The litter by the side of the road was shocking. It upset me that people would dispose of things in this manner. I later spoke to Lady Graham - she told me about how she had challenged a lady who had dropped a takeaway box on the London Underground "I think you've dropped something" she said. The reply verged on abuse - almost physical "I'm providing someone with a job!!". 

I picked up the vast quantities of litter: crisp packets; pair of shoes; glass bottles; a fire extinguisher(!). Lady Graham said that when Sir James and she passed by on their bicycles, they would pick up rubbish - they had only done this the other day. I am coming to realise that the Grahams and I share similar values.

It was a satisfying job I suppose, but one I hoped that I wouldn't have to repeat any time soon!

A satisfying day of clearing had ended - the estate had had a 'Spring Clean' and was sprucing up for its Easter visitors.