CROW (Conserve Reading on Wednesdays)
Wednesday, 26th February 2014
Kings Meadow ~ Willow harvest

Our first attempt to cut willow at the beginning of January ended abruptly when the arrival of wind, rain and hail caused us to departed sooner and more quickly than had been planned. At that time large areas of the Meadow were already under water and as the situation continued to deteriorate we decided to cancel our end of February task at the site and instead complete the hedgelaying on which we had been working over the winter at Blundells Copse.

However we were prevailed upon to at least cut some of the willow as to have left it any longer would have resulted in the bulk going to waste. We therefore took the plunge and organised two tasks on the same day, with some cutting willow while the remainder worked on the hedge. This proved an excellent decision as not only was the hedge finished but we also managed to cut over twenty five bundles of willow.

Fortunately by the time of the task the flooding had eased and the area in which we were to work was reasonably dry.

Doing well with the cutting does have its downside but Tricia's trusty if somewhat ancient Nova once again proved its worth.

What more can be said?

Created: Tuesday, 11th March 2014
Photographs: Hannah Graves