Spring in the air!

Will our male resident swan better 9 offspring 2014?

Water flow still strong by the Broadwater weir

Slight frost first thing but temperatures soon up to double figures at Sherborne today. The morning was spent at the nursery splitting wood and by lunch we had completed 3 customer orders. Spent a warm lunchtime down by the Broadwater where springlike activities were well underway. A pair of coots had built their nest on the remaining weed patch on the Broadwater close to the fallen oak, a pair of buzzards were perched close together in the copse above the weir {probably preparing for nesting in Clarkes close nearby}, the resident swans look ready to start this years family {can they beat last years 9 offspring!}, and the various wigeon, tufted ducks, mallards were all 'pairing up' on the quieter places upon the Broadwater.

The afternoon with weather still holding was spent up at Larkethill wood initially tidying up the previously cut wood into cordwood piles and the smaller items loaded on the trailer. Mike was then unleashed on some much needed thinning of sycamore, beech and ash. In no time additional cord wood piles were building at quite a rate given most of the trees felled put up little resistance. I only had to use the wedges and tree lever on a couple of trees with Mike using the 'lever' technique to untangle a tree caught up in an adjacent trees branches. Again in this springlike weather, once the chainsaw was silenced,  the birds {males} were certainly showing off their voices. So another productive day out in the country and perhaps we've finally escaped the incessant round of winter storms.

Obviously the flooding this year notably in the Somerset levels and alongside the Thames has and is distressing for those impacted but hopefully an adequate/more long lasting response will come out of this as outlined by most 'experts'/NGOs  illustrated by this WT piece.