Mothering Sunday and after

I've been telling my two wonderful "kids" that I don't need/want any presents from them for Mothering Sunday, that they themselves are my greatest gift of all.  But they don't take any notice, year after year they shower me with wonderful presents and show their affection, and so again this year.  Annie's beautiful message and spectacular gift of a huge Cymbidium Orchid with a very fashionable white enamel plant bucket arrived a couple of days early, and Carl, who lives so much closer than Annie, came to visit with one fruit~ and one ornamental tree [both my children know I appreciate something that lasts more than bunches of flowers, pretty as they are], a new coffee mug and lots of favourite dark chocolate.  He also brought Emm along who was on a weekend visit from Uni, which was lovely.

My poor brother Gerd had to cut short their visit to Portsmouth
as he caught a nasty cold and cough last Friday, and they were unable to go on their planned Mothering Sunday visit to Susi's, they were very disappointed.  I do hope that you're on the mend by now, Gerd?













Monday 11th was the beginning of the work connected with our National Forest free tree scheme:

John went along for the ride and helped unload near the donkey shelter:

 Yesterday morning, Wednesday 13th, I went out early with the camera to see that a lot of clearing work and the setting out of the planting scheme with lots of bamboo sticks had been done:

 

The cut-down scrub has been burned yesterday and today:

The small field [with view of Coleorton Church and Hall] is going to be planted up with several spinneys.

 

This part of our hedge on the right is as far as we got with our own clearance operation two years ago, inside you can see quite clearly the stack of wood we left and how the nettles have taken over again:

 
Coming back from the field the view is of a mass of dried grass now the fence is out:

 


Yesterday afternoon our duckies came up to the frog pond, you can see Honey resting her legs in the water.

This afternoon Nick from "Native Forestry" took down our sick cherry tree:

 

I now have to think what to plant in its place in the autumn!