And Now For Something Completely Different!
Posted: Wed Feb 21, 2024 5:56 pm
It dose involve "The Angle")
I had an interesting day yesterday inspecting a few trees.
Cutting a long story short.
In 2005 Englands cricket team beat there old adversaries the Australians for The Ashes.
Being a cricket fan I thought I would make my little tribute by arranging some tree planting.
Viz..
It was winter 2005, I planted an avenue of Cricket Bat Willows with my pal Tom and enrolled the help of a local friends group in a park to help planting some little native whips too. ( small trees)
The icing on the cake was that I had arranged for Derek Underwood the ex England bowler to plant an oak tree at the end of the avenue on the left, ( he was a left hand top rate bowler for England) and I would plant a eucalyptus tree on the right for the Australians for such a memorable Battle.
It was a cracking day, Derek planted the oak and sighed autographs, along with my Dukes Cricket ball, and then was on his way after a nice chat, with even more autotrophs for many there with a common interest.
A few years went by, but unfortunately Dereks oak got vandalised.
I managed to salvage a small lower section of the trunk and with some pruning thought I would manage it as a scrub oak for the time being. ( they live a long time and could turn into a fine specimen when I'm long gone)
It pulled through and has flourished.
So.... yesterday on my annual pilgrimage, paid my visit..
Took a few photos of the oak and the eucalyptus tree, and a distance shot of one of the Cricket Bat willows ( I have lost a few in the high winds over the last couple of years.
I will be collecting some of the wood to use, for what I don't know yet? no good saying cricket bats.. its a long process)
But..looking at Dereks oak there were a few oak apples on the twigs that I could turn into a couple of Perch/ Gudgeon floats, and a nice looking rod rest growing low, so with carful pruning I took my "Rod rest cutting" and will look forward to whittling one out and using it, knowing it has that little bit of a sentimental pedigree.
Mr B.
I had an interesting day yesterday inspecting a few trees.
Cutting a long story short.
In 2005 Englands cricket team beat there old adversaries the Australians for The Ashes.
Being a cricket fan I thought I would make my little tribute by arranging some tree planting.
Viz..
It was winter 2005, I planted an avenue of Cricket Bat Willows with my pal Tom and enrolled the help of a local friends group in a park to help planting some little native whips too. ( small trees)
The icing on the cake was that I had arranged for Derek Underwood the ex England bowler to plant an oak tree at the end of the avenue on the left, ( he was a left hand top rate bowler for England) and I would plant a eucalyptus tree on the right for the Australians for such a memorable Battle.
It was a cracking day, Derek planted the oak and sighed autographs, along with my Dukes Cricket ball, and then was on his way after a nice chat, with even more autotrophs for many there with a common interest.
A few years went by, but unfortunately Dereks oak got vandalised.
I managed to salvage a small lower section of the trunk and with some pruning thought I would manage it as a scrub oak for the time being. ( they live a long time and could turn into a fine specimen when I'm long gone)
It pulled through and has flourished.
So.... yesterday on my annual pilgrimage, paid my visit..
Took a few photos of the oak and the eucalyptus tree, and a distance shot of one of the Cricket Bat willows ( I have lost a few in the high winds over the last couple of years.
I will be collecting some of the wood to use, for what I don't know yet? no good saying cricket bats.. its a long process)
But..looking at Dereks oak there were a few oak apples on the twigs that I could turn into a couple of Perch/ Gudgeon floats, and a nice looking rod rest growing low, so with carful pruning I took my "Rod rest cutting" and will look forward to whittling one out and using it, knowing it has that little bit of a sentimental pedigree.
Mr B.
