Planting at Achnashellach and some time in the TFL Findhorn office.

Following my two work weeks at Plodda I was fortunate enough to have the opportunity to hang around the Trees for Life Findhorn office for a week, under the guise of an IT professional.  My work was mostly based around upgrading slower MACs, ensuring machines were being backup up and specifying and ordering any other required IT kit.  This was the last chance to see the TFL staff at Findhorn for the spring season, and I was treated to a beautiful walk in the dunes, a large slice of carrot cake, and a bbq party round at Mick’s (thanks Mick).

However, (possibly) the best part of my season was yet to come. On the Friday (21st) I had to leave Mick’s bbq reasonably early to head over to Achnashellach.  There were still some unplanted trees left over from the season’s work weeks, and I’d agreed, with Colin, to have a go at getting some of them in.  Armed with a spade, a couple of planting bags, and an FCS key, I drove to Craig, crossed the railway crossing, and was into the wild.

My illusions (delusions) of being into the wild were shattered at 7.30 the next morning when the slow trickle of walkers started to make their way into the hills, up the track past my sleepy camper.  So, I dropped the roof, picked up some trees and got on with the business of increasing the population of Scots Pine on the hillside.

Amidst reports of some kind of heat wave across the rest of the UK, the weather gods were kind enough to leave Achnashellach overcast, with some fine rain at times, much to my relief, as carrying hundreds of trees up a hillside covered in 3ft high heather is warm work.  At the end of each day the weather would brighten a little and I would stand at the top of my hill and survey the Glen.  To the West were a series of majestic craggy mountains, to the East a large rolling Glen.  Near me there was a burn running down the hill with a number of native trees alongside it; a sign of how large parts of the hill should look in just a few years time.  In amongst the trees were Willow Warbler, Tree Pipit, Chaffinch, Great Tit, Blackbird, Thrush, etc…