01/04/2005

Coppice Capers

7.45am on a Sunday morning - the alarm goes off and I check the weather out of the window; oh dear, no wind, no rain, I have to get up as it is a coppicing Sunday. I blearily make some breakfast and start to get boots, overalls, gloves etc ready. Haul the bike out of the shed and peddle off towards Bull's Wood. Stop and return for my forgotten flask, which I manage to spill all over the patio (which has to be washed off) so by the time I get to the rendezvous point the others have already gone. It's well after 8.30am and all that's left is the bag of helmets for those who might come along later.

Fortunately Mark is also late and as he has a load of gear and chainsaw I can help him to carry the stuff to the wood. By the time we arrive at the wood the fire is going well - John and Eddie make a formidable fire-building team. The others tell us that they surprised a large deer sitting in last year's coppice area. This is enclosed by a chestnut paling fence and piled up branches ('brash') that are cut off the tops of the felled trees, which is done to stop the deer from munching on the new shoots of the re-generating trees. John repairs the hedge and then has to take the fence down to get out.

It's dead handy to have a chainsaw after many weeks without one, Mark has been extremely busy moving and setting up his new house and Mike still has to be careful of an injured shoulder. So it's been nice and peaceful for many weeks, even if we do have to leave the thicker branches and most of the best firewood standing. Mark quickly cleans up the stools we have left and starts into felling the larger trunks. Buzz, buzz, crack, crunch. The firewood stack grows steadily as we get into the rhythm of clearing tops and stacking lengths with a satisfyingly musical 'bonk' as ash is placed on top of ash.

 Tea break - phew, it's hard work keeping up with the chainsaw and clearing the smaller hazel with a bow saw. We catch up on each other's news and events like the recent Felsham Panto and how the Spring is getting on. I only had time to grab an apple this morning but Eddie toasts his cheese sandwich and comments on the fact that for once I'm not trying to bake a foil wrapped package on the fire - not quite 'ready, steady, cook' and I've yet to create anything as nice as a toasted crumpet.

Getting started after the break is rather harder than it should be and there are some tricky stools to fell in th hedge line. John valiantly does the hard work of clearing up on the field side and I weave the tops into a reasonable hedge that doubles as a comfy bed for a few moments before comments from the others spur me back into action.

Final tea break, much needed now, and a concerted effort to tidy up where we've been before the end. This is not made easy by the numerous orchids that are starting to appear. I call them landmines, because although they won't blow your leg off if you step on one, Julia might!

Another Sunday morning spent earning a satisfying pint at the Bull. There are many reasons why I like coppicing - getting closer to nature, getting a good work out that's cheaper than the gym, good company, being able to pick up bean poles, pea sticks and firewood. Anyway, it's free and fun and you're welcome to come along.

Mike