I was working this last weekend at
Castlerigg stone circle (a Neolithic stone circle just outside Keswick that is
4 to 4.5 thousand years old) with a National Trust volunteer group from the
Leeds area of Yorkshire. Members of this
group have been coming annually to spend a working weekend in the Lakes for the last 15
years. Over those years they have done
huge amounts of work.
This year we were re-turfing around the Castlerigg stones. It is a job we do every one or
two years depending on the wear and tear caused by the combination of footfall
and weather. The heaviest wear of course
is immediately around the stones so we replace worn sections with new turf to protect the
site and to keep it looking good.
We dig
out the soil from a section to a depth of about 4 to 5 inches (10 to 12 cm).
That is taken across to a strip along the
side of the field where we have taken out turf to use for the repair. The soil fills in the strip and is reseeded
and the removed turf is laid around the stones in the circle. This is an annual or biannual cycle. We also trial new seed mixes in search of the
most sustainable, hard-wearing option for this site.
Sunny had his last day with us on the
Saturday as he returned to his family on the Sunday. He’ll be able to show off his new swimming
and ATV driving skills! The Yorkshire
crew carried on without him and, as they always do, completed a fantastic
amount of work for the Trust.
I’ll close this post with a mention of
Fletch the perch-crow and his new blog.
Fletch is a resident of the gardens at Wordsworth House in Cockermouth
who believes that he is the world’s first ever blogging perch-crow. He is going to be blogging about thieving
birds, visiting armadillos, crocheted mice called Bubble and Squeak and his
life in general. He will also be talking
about gardening (particularly heritage gardening) and what’s going on at
Wordsworth House plus he’ll be giving useful tips.
Go to the following link and you can check
out his blog – there’s even a photograph of him!
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