Almost the end of April and a rainy afternoon -time to share some news from the woodland.

Ty’r Eithin have finished fencing the higher pasture and have recently brought in some lovely Belted Galloway cattle and some Welsh Blacks. They are very content spending some time down by the river but also grazing higher up. The grassland already looks different and I can’t wait to see how the ecology of the old pasture changes.

Belted Galloway Cattle

The mighty 6′ charcoal kiln has been delivered by Woodmiths Experience and put in place in preparation for the charcoal course due to run on the 10th and 11th of May.

Charcoal Kiln delivered

6′ Charcoal Kiln in place

We already have four people signed up and yet to advertise.

A lot happening nationally and in our own back yard. George Monbiot got me thinking ( he always does) about why it seems so hard to put across the case for tackling climate change. We seem to have moved into a grudging consensus that anthropomorphic  climate change is happening but still a reluctance to mention the “Climate Change “words by people on the left leaning/ pro-environment side. George quotes George Lakoff a cognitive linguist . He points out, you cannot win an argument unless you expound your own values and reframe the issue around them. If you adopt the language and values of your opponents you lose because you are reinforcing their frame- Read Monbiot’s excellent post Reframing the Planet to dig deeper.

And then I received an email from Steve Brown of Transition Tywi Trawsnewid inviting anyone in the Tywi Valley to a meeting at the Shire Hall, Carmarthen Street, Llandeilo on Tuesday May 6th at 7.30pm to work out practical ways of improving local resilience to the threats from climate change, which are accelerating. A terrific idea from Transition Llandeilo.

Martin and Lucy gave an excellent talk to the Ferryside Gardening Club about the Coed Panteg woodland- well received with a request to visit the woodland next time we have an open day. Few there had any idea where the woodland was and what it was about !

Back in the woods – “All is leaf” and flower

Cowslips bloom after coppicing

Orchid amongst Celandine

Richard Mabey and Wikipedia are a mine of information on our native plantsincluding the humble bracken a source of fuel and even food apparently these Fern Fiddle Heads are a delicacy in Korea ( untasted by me!)

Lastly not forgetting the little black tadpoles as they journey towards frog-hood

Tadpoles in the small pond