After the Rain

To the wood on Friday 16th January. It had poured down the night before - the worst winds and rain of the winter so far, and I went to see how the wood was holding up. This is what I found:

The pond was brown with churned up silt.

The water level was very high, in places flooding the fishermen's swims

At the northern end of the wood, Frenchbridge Ghyll had flooded 

Along the ride the ditch - created with so much effort last year - was working just as it should. The water was running down the slope and into the ditch, and through the drain and under the ride:

Great pleasure to be had from a working drainage system

And then running down through the wood towards the pond. 

Note to self - this woodland channel needs clearing out, and the ditch needs extending - possibly doubling in length. The ride with the ditch is obviously dryer. Where there is no ditch the water sits on the ride, the surface is water logged and rushes grow. Back to work with a spade ...  sigh. 

Autumn at Old Copse

Sometimes things don't go to plan. The BBC weather chart said sunshine all day, so it was off to the wood to get a few hours work in. But the sun soon disappeared and the rain poured down for an hour or more.  We just took to the cabin, brewed up tea and enjoyed the rain, the wonderful light and colours, from the shelter of the deck until it stopped and we could get back to work. But before we did that, we took time to look again at some of our favourite parts of the wood.

A particularly lovely view of the Pond

The cabin seen from the Pond

A continuation of Frenchbridge Ghyll which drains into the Pond. This is a very atmospheric part of Old Copse, secretive and hidden , a little like a Helford River Creek.

No idea how this old iron cart wheel got here. The whole area floods in the winter .This wet ghyll woodland is rich in wildlife including adders and slow-worms. 

Cabin Point:  A view of the Pond from the cabin 

Another view: from the cabin window

Our beautiful composting loo in the bracken, beech and pine