A couple of days out at Dundreggan
Yesterday and today I was lucky enough to tag a ride along to Dundreggan with the TFL staff, who were all over there for a staff meeting. Yesterday I entertained myself by setting up shared printing, via a MAC, to a windows laptop, and with a few other IT bits and pieces, while the staff meeting took place. Today I gratefully gave a hand to Dan and Colin who were setting out plots in the new planting area, to be set aside for ‘experiments’.
The aim of the ‘experiments’ is to determine whether different planting conditions aid the growth of the newly planted trees. The plots that I’ll be most interested in are those using soil samples containing fungal mycelium. The more I read about fungi and their place within ecosystems, the more I discover that it seems trees (and other plants) derive huge benefit from them. Fly agaric (Amanita muscaria) is well known to form mycorrhizas (translates to ‘fungi root’, where a plant root becomes sheathed with mycelium to form a symbiotic relationship between the two) with Birch trees, one of the trees that will be planted in the planting area.
The planting site is at roughly 400m. Allan tried to take us up in the 4 wheel drive pickup, but that couldn’t find its way through the first increasingly large snow drifts on the track on the way up. So, after a rethink Allan and Steve picked us up in the Argo. Woaw, another big kid adventure. We all hung on whilst Allan negotiated enormous near vertical drifts, taking us teetering over the edges of huge snow formed chasms, eventually getting us to the gate of the planting site. From there we had to carry our stuff in because, due to the snow, we couldn’t get the gate open.
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- Let’s find some vampires
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- The Dundreggan Crevasse
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- Allan and Steve take stock of the damage caused by the snow. This fence is two meters high, but here it’s slowly being pulled apart by the weight of the drift
Some pictures of the bay
The weather has been very spring like, even with the freezing cold mornings. The sun is warming during the day, and the birds certainly seem to be enjoying it.
I’ve decided that a new laptop is required, and so have been frantically looking for bargains online. Laptops are, thankfully, cheaper than the last time I had to buy one. I’m grateful to TFL for allowing me to use their office and internet connection to sort out what I need.
Anyway, here are some pictures from my wandering today…
Some minor set backs.
I’ve been having such a good time I suppose it was to be expected that my luck would even out at some point. So, after a reboot, my laptop informed my that it was suffering from a “fatal system error”. It was pretty blunt about it, no other hints at what the problem might be, and no room for maneuver.
I’m fairly sure the hard drive had some bad blocks on it, but this was disappointing. And I don’t have the tools on me to test the hard drive, etc to narrow down the problem. So at the moment I’m having to rely on the very charitable IT folks at Findhorn to find out what I can recover.
In the mean time I can continue to let you know what I’m up to, but it might not look as pretty. I’m currently doing a spot more work in the TFL office, and, since Jane’s move to Dundreggan, staying in my van. The weather is slightly contrary to what I’d consider ideal. In the daytime the sun is out, the birds sing, spring is in the air, there is a hint of warmth. The park looks lovely while I sit in the TFL office browsing the net for a new laptop. At night the stars come out, the sky is clear, and the temperature falls beyond freezing. This morning I found it most difficult to extract myself from my two sleeping bags. I then had to scrape the ice from the inside of the windows to see the ice on the outside of the windows.
The cold weather seems to be affecting some of my other ‘toys’. The van roof only raises after it’s been driven a while, and the flow to the tap inside has failed completely due to ice in the system. And my mobile now only works after it’s been left on a radiator for an hour in the mornings. Without this process it will happily ring when someone calls, but none of the buttons work, so the call cannot be taken.
The tree nursery work week that I was supposed to be leading this week was initially postponed, and has now been cancelled. Apparently it’s not possible to prepare the trees to be shipped out for planting, as they are covered in snow. However, I do plan to spend some time at the Plodda during the week beginning March 13th, helping Gill out with the work that needs doing, assuming things have thawed out a bit by then.
I have some more pics of Forest Lodge to post at some point, including some of the igloo that Ross and Jordan built. Hopefully things will be sorted in due course. To finish on some positives, this morning I saw Shelduck on Findhorn bay when I woke. The bay looked fantastic, with snowy hills behind it, and all the surrounding pools iced over. There were also plenty of oystercatcher, curlew, and geese about. Unfortunately the geese were too far away for me to see what they were, but it’s great to hear them chattering away to each other at night.
Ok, things have now (11th) improved, so I’ve added my last Forest Lodge post, and added some pics below…
Some Shelduck and other waders feeding in the bay on what is a pretty cold morning
This 60 second exposure shot shows the flight path of a plane being flown repeatedly around the airbase, with Forres in the distance
Some snow in Findhorn
Today there was a sprinkling of snow on the ground when I walked to the TFL office. It’s not much, but it makes me happy.
The mood is cheery in the office. I’m finding the work on the web site interesting, and a good opportunity to brush up my html/php/css skills.
And last night myself and Jane went to see Sherlock Holmes. It’s really rather good. The best film I’ve seen since “In Bruges”. Entertaining from beginning to end. Definitely worth seeing.
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- Kate boldly charging through the snow on her way in to the office
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- Snow in The Park.
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- A female pheasant outside the TFL office window
The good, the cold and the quite ridiculous.
Life in Findhorn is good. I walk to & from work, in the TFL office, every day. It’s cold but that’s good. I walk alongside the bay, from the village to the park. There is a telescope on the way, and on Friday morning I take a bit of time out to watch three pairs of Widgeons on the bay.
The web site work is going ok. Check it out. Please bear in mind that I didn’t design the new site. I, along with Sky, from the foundation IT team, just helped moved it from the old design to the new. A lot of content on the site relates to tree dedications bought through the site. The office is always upbeat, and it’s great to be involved in a project that has a positive impact on so many people’s lives.
Today, Saturday, I get up at 9am. I feel good about the day ahead. I go for a walk along the bay. Although it’s overcast, the air is clear and there is snow on the hills. The tide is high, but there are a few birds in the bay. Mallard, Widgeon, Redshank and Curlew.
On the way back to the house I pop into the Findhorn shop to pick up some cake, crisps and Hobnobs. I then break open some beer and watch the Wales Scotland match. The match is crazy, with Wales relying on a big come back again (their last one, against England, was disappointingly too little too late). I’m determined not to get wound up, but by the end of the game I’m exhausted. Wales have somehow won, even though they were second best for the majority of the match. However, it’s a while before I’m able to stop smiling, and this doesn’t seem to go down well with my Scottish housemate.
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- The sleepy town of Findhorn, a jigsaw puzzle picture waiting to happen
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- Findhorn bay, with the mountains of Easter Ross in the distance
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- Looking South West, towards some mist.
Aspen and Avatar
Today I manage to tag along on a TFL trip to Dundreggan. Alan and Mick are going to a meeting with the FCS, Jane is along for a meeting with Steve, and Dan is going to take me Aspen root collecting.
Jane comes with us in the morning, and we set off to find GM47 (Glen Moriston stand no 47). Some quality map reading later and a long walk into the woods near Ceannacroc Lodge and we find the Aspen stand. Dan shows us how to take samples and then takes a GPS reading and some photos of the stand.
Aspen send out suckers to create new trees. It is rare that they flower and produce seeds, but they can send out large numbers of suckers. As a result, a group of Aspen trees, like those we’ve found today, are usually all part of the same “clone”.
After taking the GPS reading Dan realises that we are nearly 3 km away from where we’re meant to be. But this is good news! We’ve been taking samples (19 – a good haul) from a previously undiscovered stand of Glen Moriston Aspen. It’s time for lunch, so we walk back to the van, feeling somewhat fortunate.
In the afternoon Mick joins us, whilst Jane has her meeting with Steve. The burn where GM47 is actually growing is spectacular, a narrow gorge headed by a waterfall. The Aspen stand seems to originate from two very old looking, twisted trees near the top of the gorge. It’s harder to get samples here, we have to guess where the suckers are and dig for them. But we collect a few samples and head back to Dundreggan to pick up the others following a successful day. On the way home all the passengers in the van sleep at one point or another.
Last night myself and Jane went to see Avatar, in 3D. During the adverts before the film, I felt slightly sick, especially when anything on screen was in the extreme foreground. However, thankfully, the makers of Avatar have not thrown in too many of these extreme close up moments, and after a couple of minutes of the film I forget these feelings.
I must admit, I loved Avatar. Life on Pandora is stunning, the 3D worked for me, although it’s maybe not as spectacular is it’s made out to be. But, more importantly, the story, which millions of people are apparently watching, has a very strong message. Hopefully, when the kids watching Avatar today, are making tomorrow’s big decisions, they’ll pay heed to what they felt during the film.
If you haven’t seen it, see it at the cinema, in 3D if possible. Leave your cynicism at the door, immerse yourself in the film and love it for what it is, a simple but well told story with superb visual effects.
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- Dan and Jane discuss tactics next to our newly discovered Aspen stand
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- Sphagnum capilifolium. Expect a post about the painting Jane is going to do of this in her art class.
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- Is it in my lichen book, or my fungi book, because I can’t find it…
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- The bottom of this dead tree appears to be an eco-geek’s paradise. Except, where’s all that oil coming from?
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- Woaw, all this stuff near the ground is so amazing. I think this is maybe some green liverwort.
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- Hmm, peltigera hymenina, and/or p. membranacea. Common UK dog lichens.
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- The view looking North from our side of the Glen.
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- The gorge harbouring GM47
More TFL web site work
On Wednesday Allan and Russell helped me pack all the Pine cones into my van and I drove over to the TFL office. It was a cold morning, but the roads were relatively clear and the journey was good. In the office I dropped the cones off and agreed to do some work on the new TFL web site over the forthcoming days.
I spend the rest of the week in the office by day, and staying in Jock’s spare room by night (Jock is the landlord of Jane, the TFL marketing manager – he’s rarely home and has very kindly agreed to me staying for a couple of weeks). Today, Saturday, I take the opportunity to walk the beach here, at Findhorn, and make use of my new(ish) camera.
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- Jane and Steve, the living teddy bear
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- Hmm, should I get the board out…?
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- Xanthoria parietina. Maybe.
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- Seals lounging about in the Scottish sunshine
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- Not North America
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- The zoom on my digital compact captures a seal in the bath
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- Some Oystercatchers and a Curlew
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- Findhorn bay by night
There are 25000 seeds to collect…
…so, myself and Russell brave the sun and the snow at Inverwick, to top up the Scots Pine cone stock. Apparently a local tree nursery reckon that they can give us trees to plant, from these seeds, by the Autumn.
It’s a hard day, with the sun beating down on us and the air totally still, I have to strip down to just a t-shirt and jacket on top. And the only reason for the jacket is because it has pockets to collect the cones in while I’m up in the trees.
At one point I see a Coal Tit in a nearby tree, and a couple of Great Tits flying about. At the next opportunity I discuss this with Russell, thinking that a Coal Tit is a good spot, at which point he proceeds to tell me that a Crested Tit was sat in the tree he was in, barely 4 feet away from him. I’ve never seen a Crested Tit before, but as much as I try to follow the noise of the small flock of tits, as they fly around in the trees near us, I don’t get to see one today either.
Back at Dundreggan all the other Fs have left. Russell cooks, I start the fire, and Steve eats with us whilst polishing off some left over wine.
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- Thanks Julie. I would never have suspected that a washing line could be so interesting.
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- Not Austria.
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- Frosted Birch regen showing through a stand of Scots Pine
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- Some birch trees, on Dundreggan
More Focaliser conference, and some post conference chores…
Last night we ate and talked and played the odd game until late into the night. I can’t remember laughing so much for a long time, especially each time Andrew De La Haye claimed “My name is Flump Jockey” during the “My name is…” game.
Anyway, Alan’s attempts to get us all in a photo were worth it in the end…
Focalisers. And Steve.
Today a lucky handful of us are able to stay on to collect some seed source for future planting. Howard and Joan collect Pine cones on Dundreggan, while the rest of us take the AWD TFL minibus to Inverwick to collect cones there. There’s snow on the ground, and sporadic snow showers, and a great view of the Glen. In fact it’s just beautiful and I wonder why we don’t have work weeks at this time of year. But then I remember Rosie saying that the early work weeks are always slow to fill. Maybe if people could just see this snow…
Where's Russell?
How many times in this blog have I mentioned that I've not had this much fun since I was a kid..?
5 Focalisers, a 4 wheel drive minibus, and lot's of snow - is there a better way to spend a Monday?
The Focaliser Conference 2010.
…I have to stop in a layby on the A84, at just gone 1am, somewhere near Kingshouse. The moon is pretty much full, and is shining off the snow so brightly that I don’t need headlights. Of course I do use them up to the point where I pull over. I prepare my bed and get 5 hours sleep.
I’m up at 6.21am, Saturday morning. The moon is still up, just about, and it’s a beautiful crispy clear morning. It’s also cold. I struggle to get out of the sleeping bag. But I do, and get some clothes on and start driving. By the time I get to Loch Lochy I have to stop for 20 minutes kip. I’m then on my way again, and I make it to Dundreggan by 10am.
So, I walk into the conference in the middle of Alan’s introduction. Alan says hello and, amazingly, there is an empty seat, which I take, as Alan talks us through some of the fantastically positive stories from TFL history. TFL stands for Trees for Life, and Focaliser is the term TFL use to describe the two people who lead each volunteer work week.
The conference is an amazing experience. The people, the location, the well chaired debates, the snow falling behind people’s heads as they talk, and the way we manage to keep ourselves entertained in the evenings – it’s a brilliant weekend. With some great snow ball fights.
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- The cameras before the storm
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- Lining up for the big photo shoot
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- Myself and the mighty Calum wear our best photo faces
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- Check out Rob’s snow comet
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- Dan seems to be hiding behind Howard, and my hands are getting pretty cold
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- That’s Gordon’s bedroom out there
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- One half of the group explores the start to the introductory walk
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- Calum plays with the legendary Alison McGillivray (check her out on youtube)
Last day at Dundreggan, for this year.
Davy (a Focaliser for TFL, who I’ve met at a couple of changeovers), has been staying at the Cottage for a couple of days. He’s been practising his chainsaw skills to remove the Leylandi next to the cottage. which has made the area outside the door seem much less claustrophobic, especially after dark. Myself and Derek help to tidy up the brash.
Davy pointed out that we act a bit like those lizards that are shown on the TV, that live in the desert, having to raise one foot off the kitchen floor, and then the other, whilst cooking. Unlike the lizards, we do this to keep our feet from getting too cold.
Anyway, today I’m on my own again, for most of the day. Steve’s router turns up and I set it up as a wireless gateway. This may require further testing, but I have another job to do. I get a pair of secateurs, and a bag, and walk over to the East side of the estate to find some greenery for the Christmas dinner.
I walk up the burn on the South East part of the estate. It’s beautiful. In fact it may be my favourite part of the estate, and I’ve only explored it for the first time today, on my last day! There are masses of Juniper, holly bushes, and several places where the water cascades over steps of exposed rock. By the time I have enough greenery it’s getting dark, so I hurry down to give my findings to Elaine, and then go back to the cottage to pack up my stuff.
I’m honoured to spend the evening with the TFL crowd at their annual Christmas dinner. Every one is on good form and the conversation flows easily. The night finishes with a giant game of untangle, which doesn’t quite work out, with two connected circles, but is hilarious. By the time I get to bed it’s half 12. I have to be up shortly for the next adventure…
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- Davy, with saw, and Derek, working behind the cottage. The light was fading so the picture is poor, but still gives a good indication of how much was cleared
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- There was a beautiful misty light in the Glen this afternoon
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- The view down into the Glen as the evening mists gather
A bit of snow and I’m like a kid at Christmas
I’m still at Dundreggan. It’s still cold. And there’s been some snow at river level in the glen. Today Steve and Allan are busy so I get the opportunity to take a walk in the morning sun. Even though there is just a very light covering of snow, everywhere looks beautiful. I walk up the Red Burn, then cut across the hillside towards Binnilidh Bheag, before walking down past the wild boar enclosure. The boar are nowhere to be seen, but there are deer on the hillside, and I spend a few minutes watching a Red Admiral trying out it’s wings and sunning itself on a rock.
Yesterday I spent the afternoon walking the riparian planting area; a joint project between TFL and the Forestry Commission Scotland. I found some Alder that I’d planted in May in the FCS area, all looking very healthy, and some of the Aspen and Birch that I’d planted three weeks ago in the TFL area.
That was after Marion had left yesterday morning, and today I still have some of her squash soup to finish. It’s good soup. Almost too good. I know about the squash, the chillies, and some of the other veg that’s in there, but I can’t quite work out how she’s managed to get it to taste like a cross between soup and jam.
This evening I go and check out the wild boar, after dark but before tea. It’s below freezing and vegetation crunches under every footfall. I walk up the side of the enclosure, and eventually hear some low level grunts. I keep going a little way and then stop. I can hear one of the pigs walking down to where I’ve just been. In the dark it’s easy to imagine that there is no fence between us. As the two larger boar walk about looking for me, one above me on the slope, and one below, sniffing the air and sending out short deep grunts to each other, I get just a small taster of what it might be like to meet a potentially dangerous animal in the wild. It’s a buzz. Of course I’m safely behind a fence, but I feel sorry that in Britain we’ve pretty much eradicated this kind of experience from our lives.
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- A small family of fungi in the raparian planting area
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- Yellow Stagshorn Fungus. I think.
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- Allt Ruadh, the Red Burn.
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- It’s pretty late in the year for old Red to be out, but on a day like today, who can blame him
A day off, and some Boar spotting.
Actually six sows. Apparently a mother and Auntie, and 4 youngsters (ish). Anyway, they’re not about when I walk up past the enclosure. I carry on, walking up Binnilidh Bheag, and see a couple of grouse (look like red), and something fast under foot, amongst other things. The Sun comes out, and I take a couple of pictures looking down the Glen.
On the way down I catch up with the pigs. One of the older sows charges me, but there’s a fence between me and her. The picture is not good enough to upload. Yes, I bottled it slightly…
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- Looking down over the estate from Binnilidh Bheag. Dundreggan Farm is everything this side of the river. The wild boar enclosure is in the woods directly below.
Wild Boar, Bison and mass media coverage.
Wow, what a day. We’re on the road just after half 6. Surprisingly, it’s raining. In fact everywhere between Glen Moriston and Kincraig looks very wet. It’s also cold, the temp doesn’t get much over 4 degrees outside while we’re in the car.
We get to Highland Wildlife park at 8.30am. Alan Watson Featherstone is already doing a radio interview for the BBC.
Myself, Kate and Kevin are given a Landrover tour of the park. Elk, Bison and a family of Amur Tiger, are the highlights.
I also spend a fair bit of time watching the wolf that keeps trotting around their enclosure. Wolves are a beautiful and misunderstood animal. As a predator to Deer they play a key role in European ecosystems, and their extirpation from Britain, through hunting, is an important reason why the Caledonian forest is unable to regenerate naturally, without human intervention.
We struggle to get the trailer to the pigs, in the mud (they are surely going to love their new home). But we’re on our way before 11, and when we make it back to Dundreggan, there are a number of people having tea and cakes in the cottage.
After another brief inspection by a vet and the dangerous animals inspector, the release goes very smoothly. The 6 sows trot off into the woods, curiously exploring their new surroundings. It’s very cool to see.
There must have been a good 25 people to see the release, including representation from BBC Scotland, STV and Gaelic television. I’ve managed to locate the following articles:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/highlands_and_islands/8370348.stm
http://www.heraldscotland.com/news/home-news/wild-boar-our-new-eco-warriors-1.986562
http://news.scotsman.com/odd/Boars-to-return-to-the.5858725.jp
http://www.biodiversityscotland.gov.uk/library/Issue%2032%20final%20version.pdf
It is possible to find more articles by googling “Dundreggan boar” and any other words you think might help. I believe there is also a clip on bbc iplayer, but my internet connection is not going to be up for finding that.
Apologies for the terrible state of my pics. My camera and bad weather don’t mix (it’s not completely recovered from the soaking it received on Skye), and the light was poor and there was water on the lens. Really, there was…
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- The wild boar in their old home.
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- It’s a bit hard to see, but there is a wolf in the picture somewhere
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- When can we get some of these Steve?
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- They’re probably thinking they’ve had better days
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- Kate and Colin are clearly very excited
More wild boar prep
Today was pretty much all about getting ready for tomorrow’s arrivals. Myself and Steve started by checking out the electric fence. Unfortunately, after wondering why the ‘tester’ wasn’t working, we noticed that it was only meant to work to a max of 4 amps, whereas our battery was 75. Oops. “Guess we’ll need to use our hands then”, says Steve grabbing the fence…
We put signs and locks on the gates and Steve shows around the dangerous animals inspector, and a member of the local constabulary. Obviously word of the pigs is getting about.
Marion, the long term French volunteer, turned up today. She had been staying out in the bothy at Corrimony, but the weather had been crap. The last straw came when wind kept blowing the smoke from the fire she had lit down into the bothy.
Steve informs (asks) me that I’ll be travelling to pick up the pigs with him tomorrow. They are to be collected from Highland Wildlife Park. We’ll leave at half 6 in the morning. I need to go to bed early. So Steve brings round a bottle of wine…
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- Doesn’t it look cosy?!
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- The three gate system at the lower end of the enclosure. Surely no pig can escape from such a system
Life at Dundreggan – cold and wet.
It’s cold in the cottage and I wake in the night sure there is someone first in the room with me, and then just outside my bedroom door. I get up; nobody. The place is full of unusual noises and, almost certainly, a number of rodents.
In the morning Steve (Dundreggan Project Manager) comes round when I’m in the shower. He asks me to check the wild boar enclosure and add some fencing to the gates. It rains all day. I go back to the cottage to eat at 2.30pm. I’ve managed to sort one of the 6 gates. I’m wet, even with a full set of waterproofs on. The heater in the cottage kitchen is broken.
Half an hour later I find that Allan Common has taken the tools I’m using – I think that I’ve seen him drive off in the tractor, but eventually find him up by the enclosure gates. He’s working on the second gate, with a bloodied hand. It’s raining harder. I help him and, without much talking, we manage to finish two other gates in the remaining hour before it gets too dark.
I get in and make some food, then just about manage to pick up a couple of emails on my very flaky internet connection. They’re not the best part of my day. Solicitors and girls – I thought things had been going ok, but apparently not.
Thankfully Steve comes round for a chat, so I don’t get too much time to think on things, before tiredness catches up with me and I fall into a deep and relatively untroubled sleep…
In the TFL office.
Actually, it didn’t turn out to be that cold. Some clouds came by and the temperature probably stayed over 5 degrees. And I had enough food for a decent breakfast, which I ate whilst sat next to the sea, watching a Tornado doing a near vertical take off over Kinloss.
And Jock was around on Monday, with a key, which he’s very kindly lent me for the week, as well as cooking me a meal on Monday night! So I have a bed for the next few days.
Ok, I’m working in the TFL office for the week, updating the soon to be published, new web site. It’s a beautifully relaxed place to work. So long as you don’t mind jets performing numerous thunderous take offs nearby. I managed to get a pic of Craig and his replacement, Colin. And, in exchange for a free meal, which I’m always on the look out for, myself and Colin painted a couple of rooms in Craig’s new place last night…
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- Craig looks on as Mick explains to Colin what the work week co-ordinator really does
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- Working with MACs. If anyone can tell me the keyboard shortcut to rename a file (F2 in Windows) I’d be very grateful..?
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- Another large jet engined plane flies past the TFL window
Trees For Life (or more importantly, me!) in The Ecologist.
Did I say that my favourite magazine was the Ecologist (now only available online apparently)? Fame, and surely fortune some time soon, has finally come my way. Check out the following article:
Trees For Life in The Ecologist
Thanks must go out to Eifion, who joined us (on the 24th Oct, Plodda week) for Monday and Tuesday, after the group had already been together since Saturday. Not an easy thing to do, and he was a great sport. He even managed to win at Cheat, if I remember correctly. Hopefully he’ll be back for a full week sometime.
(“Transformative”? Nice one…)
Trees for Life last work week of the season, at Dundreggan
So I’ve just finished the last work week of the season. It was great. My co-focaliser was the TFL legend, Gordon McRuvie, and the group was a great mix of young and experience, local, national and international. Norman had managed to squeeze himself onto the week following our encounter at Dundreggan, and I was glad to spend some time with Bill, given his thoughts for the future.
We spent a couple of days planting 2000 or so trees in the field by the river Moriston. The field had already been planted up during previous weeks and it was a matter of filling in the gaps. The first couple of mornings were crispy white, just as Scottish winter mornings should be.
The rest of our work was spent improving the plantation in the West of the estate for Black Grouse use.
After we dropped the group off in Inverness, myself and Gordon drove back to Findhorn. No change-over today. The last week of the season. It was probably more to do with how much I’d enjoyed the week just gone, as opposed to knowing that I was due a break from work weeks for a while, that made me feel a bit reluctant to say goodbye to Gordon when we dropped off the van. As we had done with all the volunteers, as we left them at the train station, we hugged good bye. Then we shouted “Shabbbroch!” to each other a couple of times, whilst passionately beating our chests with our right hand, as I drove my van out of the car park, with the intention of finding myself a quiet spot to contemplate the finer points of the week…
Anyway, check out these photos. There’ll be a link to more photos, when I have a better internet connection.
Ok, all photos are now uploaded. To view them click this link.
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- As a Focaliser, one of our roles is to work out how to remove the security tags from clothes that volunteers have recently ‘acquired’
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- The group on Sunday morning, looking decidedly happy with each other considering they’ve been together for less than 12 hours
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- Minus 3 on our first morning. These little icicles are created as the ground freezes and the expanding water is forced out
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- Project Manager, Steve Morris gives us a talk about the estate
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- Day 2 in the Trees for Life house and we wake to a picture postcard morning
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- The mighty Gordon celebrates after the last tree is planted. Irene is glad she made the trip from Holland to see this
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- The ‘re-introductory walk’ – we walk out above the trees to see the sun setting. It’s still only 1.30pm…
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- The Woodland Grant Scheme area on Dundreggan. Look at that growth! I nearly had to change my pants
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- Still in the WGS area – signs that the Black Grouse are settling in. Shortly after this, a male took off in front of us and we were able to watch it for a long time as it flew down towards the edge of the plantation below
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- This pot has ended up in my van, only half finished, after I found it in the ‘perishables’ box in the back of the work week van
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- Angela removes another volunteer’s head. Norman’s excuse was that he was checking out a caterpillar
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- Everyone was a star, but my prize for good sport of the week has to go to Lisa. She took a huge amount of ribbing and still smiled her way through every part of the week. She’s great at Pilates and can lop her own body weight’s worth of branches in minutes
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- The group look forward to their last bus tour with Jimmy and Angus
Last briefing of the season, and last briefing with Craig.
It’s almost time for the last work week of the Autumn, and 2009. Craig, the work week/volunteer co-ordinator, leaves at the end of the month, so this is the last time I’ll sit with my co-Focaliser, and listen to the great man’s instructions for the week.
Gordon arrives early afternoon and we get the food order sorted. Then we sit down with Craig – unfortunately I forgot to get a photo of the occasion – who gives us the low down on roughly how many trees we’ll have to plant during the forthcoming week at Dundreggan, where we might be taking out non-native weeds, etc
Afterwards we all go and get food at the Findhorn CC, with Ruth (Craig’s wife) and the kids. Craig brings efficiency, professionalism and good humour to the co-ordinator role, and I’ll miss him doing the job. But there are potential benefits to him moving on, I may finally get to co-lead a work week with him (after two aborted attempts) – we have one planned for the spring.
John Garrett accompanies me on a week at Plodda
I had a feeling this was going to be a good week when myself and Sasha met the group in the station. I’d had a call from John at the changeover saying he was just passing Tebay – typically tardy, but hey, Frodsham to Cannich in one day is a bit of a mission.
John eventually turned up at gone 7, by which time the group had already made food and seemed to be getting on rather well. The good food and good laughs continued all week, with games almost every night, lots of hard work, a freelance reporter (Eifion – apparently he’s sold a piece to the Ecologist and the Shooting Times so look out for them) and a swift drink in the Tomich Hotel on Friday.
And, on our day off (Wednesday) we all went on a walk together. It started with a river crossing, shoes and socks off and rolled up trousers – we waded over in threes in an attempt not to lose anybody – and included great views of Glen Affric, dinner by Loch An Ang (I’ll have to check the spelling later), another river crossing, a walk through a field with grass as high as our heads and a look at the Guisachan ruin.
More pictures will follow when I have decent internet access…
Ok, all photos are now uploaded. To view them click this link.
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- Ta daaaa! I’m not sure Mark is happy with the size of the stump though. Do Lizzie and Rachel care?
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- Eifion’s article in the Ecologist should be interesting…
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- The group gathers prior to the walk on the day off.
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- So, if one of us goes over, the others will be able to hold them up? Hmm…
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- Our threesome prepares for the river crossing. I’m fine.
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- Loch An Ang (I still haven’t checked the spelling)
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- Actually, this may have been the best part of my day. Running through a field, with grass as tall as my head, reminded me what it was like to be a child.
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- Mark, Rachel and John rolling up fence wire. Sasha watching, Charlie and Nick attacking a post, Penny checking her hair, and Lizzie, well who knows what Lizzie is doing…
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- Last day, lunch on the bus. John has forgotten his, so is having to eat other people’s offerings
End of week chores…
At the end of a work week myself and the other week leader have some chores to do. Firstly we drop the volunteers off at Inverness railway station. It’s always a bit of a wrench getting back into the van knowing I may not see some of these people again. But, we wave them goodbye and then have to head off to refuel the van, and pick up any other supplies before embarking on The Big Changeover.
The Big Changeover involves meeting the leaders going out on the next week(s), swapping vans, food, notes, etc and buying a fry up breakfast. This week Calum left me in Moriston’s car park to catch a train to London, so I had to head over to the Changeover on my own.
After the Changeover I drove the TFL van, “Birch” (due to its silver colour) with trailer, to Forres. There I had to meet Craig, from the work week office, to pick up a key for the office, drop of any recycling in Forres, before completing the last leg of my journey in Birch to the Findhorn Foundation, where the TFL offices are.
TFL Offices, Findhorn Foundation.
Once I’d swapped my bags from Birch to my van, and done what I needed to do in the office, I was on my way.
A work week on the beautiful Isle of Skye
The island was a little reluctant to show us her beauty on this visit, but finally did so in time for the day off, on Wednesday. Another work week with Calum, top man, and this time, a group of fairly experienced volunteers, a few of whom I knew already.
I’d heard that the week before had been a bit of a wash out, but when leaving Inverness last Saturday the sun was out and it looked like things could be about to change (contrary to the forecast). However, this time the forecast had it just about right. Sunday was a monster – removing fence in what started out as wind and drizzle and progressed to wind and heavy rain. Thankfully that was the worst of it with just light rain for the next two days. And then some sun. Until Friday night when it all kicked off again, force 7 winds, heavy showers, cancelled ferries, caution on the Skye bridge – great stuff.
Photos will follow, once I’ve stopped driving for long enough to get them online.
Ok, photos can now be found here (in fairly low resolution). There may be slightly less of them than usual because my camera got very wet in my pocket on the first Sunday, and has, since then, been performing in a most erratic fashion.
Anyway, here are some higher res highlights:
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- So Paul, what do you think of it so far?
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- Gordon in need of some ‘calories’ (available in flasks back at the hostel)
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- So, on our day off we thought we’d drive the bus down some rarely used FCS tracks, just so’s the vols didn’t have to walk so far to site…
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- …the Focaliser training taught us how to keep calm…
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- …and read maps.
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- Looking out at the Sun rising, from the Flora MacDonald hostel
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- It’s funny but I don’t miss the view I had from my office window. For a start Balloon Woman hasn’t been a volunteer on any of my work weeks.
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- Gordon and Vince distract the Focaliser while Val tries to role the wire into the sea
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- Calum after 4 weeks of Focalising.
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- The third, and final, North off.
Painting and Decorating
I’ve spent the last few days at the Trees for Life property, Dundreggan. The lodge is currently being altered to meet building regulations (disabled access, etc) for use as accommodation for the work weeks to be held there. Myself and Norman were meant to be painting but, perhaps not surprisingly, the builders had overrun. So they were in our way, and we ended up spending more time prepping than painting.
Still, it was good to catch up with Norman, who I’d not seen since my first work week, back in October ’06, and we managed to scrape together some decent meals and extract a conversation or two from Pierre, the French volunteer, who is staying at Dundreggan for a month, where he hopes to learn English. To be fair his English is better than my french, but then I have no intention of learning french or going to France. I had to speak to him very slowly as apparently I have an accent which he finds difficult to understand. I wasn’t very good at it.
Must remember to add some photos… Ok, here they are.
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- The Passion Wagon parked up next to the cottage.
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- One of the bedrooms. Mostly we were filling and sanding, prepping for paint. But this one had a layer of paint on before I left…
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- The main living area. Probably the last we’ll see of the stags heads, a legacy from Dundreggan’s sporting estate days.
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- Jane, the TFL Marketing Manager, checks out the Dundreggan deer fridge. Plus Sika stag.
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- Norman admiring our handywork
Life since the office 
Major endorsements