Unexpected beauty in an ugly place...

[Stalker62]

I have had a long day on the Shoot today.

'My' Farmer (as are all farmers) is busy - and they are also undergoing a dreadful year; with harvest down by about 50%. Cover crop for the up-coming season will be negligible to non.

It is a depressing thought.

Finally, (after days of nagging) my Farmer tells me where the Jimny is, that it is (always a moot point) "working", and that I have a supply of wheat I can help myself to.

I get to the farm early in an attempt to beat the rain, which is due in the early afternoon.

Mrs.62 is away for the weekend (and having taken the Cocker) means I am 'Billy-no-Mates'. On the up side, I don't have to rush home for anything - so I put in a full shift.

Not only do I exhaust the entire wheat supply I have been left, I am also on a 'clean-up' mission.

For the past month or so, I have been collecting those terrible plastic tree protectors. Utter shite. The worst thing ever invented, this side of semolina.

I have been taking them home, cutting them up and filling our bins with them.

Speaking to the Farmer's Father (also a farmer), he estimates they have been 'planted' about 25 years ago. They have not degraded, they will never (in my lifetime) degrade, and I hate the sight of them. He tells me the new 'generation' ones are better.

Anyhoo.

In the midst of my 'plastic litter rage', I suddenly notice something rather wonderful.

There, amongst a huge pile of rubble and soil, is the most beautiful bunch of Poppies.

Poppies are known to thrive in 'broken soil' (and the soil in WWI was indeed 'broken'),



...but it was just a signal that nature can still triumph; in spite of man's attempt to destroy it.



Not the first time I am ashamed of our species.

 

[Smellydog]

Nice work re the plastic old fruit but come the lead ban the shoot might be covered in wads as well .

 

[Fosbery Holster]

Well done, plastic is a scourge in the landscape some people would turn a blind eye to it, not you.

Do yourself a favour and watch the poppies seed heads until they turn brown then collect them, leave some to germinate in situ, make sure they are completely dry pop them in a lidded container, (nearly said a plastic container then) put them in the fridge until spring then sow them on similar ground, maybe you have similar conditions nearby.

Beautiful indeed we have some growing in the garden that my mate brought back from the battlefields near Ypres.

 

[Tim.243]

I have had a long day on the Shoot today.

'My' Farmer (as are all farmers) is busy - and they are also undergoing a dreadful year; with harvest down by about 50%. Cover crop for the up-coming season will be negligible to non.

It is a depressing thought.

Finally, (after days of nagging) my Farmer tells me where the Jimny is, that it is (always a moot point) "working", and that I have a supply of wheat I can help myself to.

I get to the farm early in an attempt to beat the rain, which is due in the early afternoon.

Mrs.62 is away for the weekend (and having taken the Cocker) means I am 'Billy-no-Mates'. On the up side, I don't have to rush home for anything - so I put in a full shift.

Not only do I exhaust the entire wheat supply I have been left, I am also on a 'clean-up' mission.
View attachment 435122
For the past month or so, I have been collecting those terrible plastic tree protectors. Utter shite. The worst thing ever invented, this side of semolina.

I have been taking them home, cutting them up and filling our bins with them.

Speaking to the Farmer's Father (also a farmer), he estimates they have been 'planted' about 25 years ago. They have not degraded, they will never (in my lifetime) degrade, and I hate the sight of them. He tells me the new 'generation' ones are better.

Anyhoo.

In the midst of my 'plastic litter rage', I suddenly notice something rather wonderful.

There, amongst a huge pile of rubble and soil, is the most beautiful bunch of Poppies.

Poppies are known to thrive in 'broken soil' (and the soil in WWI was indeed 'broken'),

View attachment 435125

...but it was just a signal that nature can still triumph; in spite of man's attempt to destroy it.

View attachment 435123

Not the first time I am ashamed of our species.

The plastic tubes and batons make a good "thing" to tap the birds through or as a "stop" so don't waste them.

 

[Donkey Basher]

Those tree tubes are a scourge!

The best bit about them is the zip ties which are reusable - I have found them brilliant for putting round ratchet strap sets to keep them tidy when not in use. Roll the long strap up around the hook then sit it on top of the ratchet bit with the short strap sandwiched between the two & hold together with the zip tie.

When you want to use the strap, push the button & the zip tie let’s go. I keep it handy by putting through the little loop where the strap is stitched for the hook so it’s there for when I need to roll them all up again!

Top tip for today

 

[Mountain Bug]

Funny thing about poppies isn't it. My father-in-law, who I never knew or even met, loved california poppies. As a reminder of him, for my wife, I have broadcast tens of thousands of poppy seeds over the years. In that time only three plants have I ever seen grown and flowering and those were growing in rock and rubble.


Scott

 

[Roebuck9]

The thing about poppy seeds is they are loved and eaten by mice so do not broadcast them in the autumn/winter but in the spring to stand any chance of them surviving to grow.

 

[trickie]

Finally, there is Nothing Wrong with Semolina

 

[shakey jake]

Finally, there is Nothing Wrong with Semolina

Polenta is i think finer ground, about the best thing to serve with hare ragu

 

[moeggesit]

Finally, there is Nothing Wrong with Semolina

Especially if you use it as a case filler with back powder

 

[sh1kar]

Funny thing about poppies isn't it. My father-in-law, who I never knew or even met, loved california poppies. As a reminder of him, for my wife, I have broadcast tens of thousands of poppy seeds over the years. In that time only three plants have I ever seen grown and flowering and those were growing in rock and rubble.


Scott

Poppies need the worst possible bare ground you can find. They are an early coloniser

S

 

[mudman]

Walking around the cereal stubbles noticed some amounts of short pieces of baler twine. Next field still had those big heston bales in place. They all had a cut off pieces of loose baler twine on them. Is this normal? It will all end up in the soil when the ground is worked.

Generally find a couple of balloons on my wanders around the shoot, always pocket them and bin them later. Doubt the farmer even notices but I like to do my bit.

As for tree tubes, paid to put them on, not paid to take them away, so they stay on, sometimes strangling the lower part of the tree if badly constructed. But the grant money was already pocketed years ago…. A farmer friend once commented to me most of his neighbours will not even knock in a fence post unless they get a grant to do it. My own observation is if a job cannot be done from a tractor cab it doesn’t get done. Tree tube removal is manual work so it doesn’t happen.

 

[Tim.243]

Walking around the cereal stubbles noticed some amounts of short pieces of baler twine. Next field still had those big heston bales in place. They all had a cut off pieces of loose baler twine on them. Is this normal? It will all end up in the soil when the ground is worked.

Generally find a couple of balloons on my wanders around the shoot, always pocket them and bin them later. Doubt the farmer even notices but I like to do my bit.

As for tree tubes, paid to put them on, not paid to take them away, so they stay on, sometimes strangling the lower part of the tree if badly constructed. But the grant money was already pocketed years ago…. A farmer friend once commented to me most of his neighbours will not even knock in a fence post unless they get a grant to do it. My own observation is if a job cannot be done from a tractor cab it doesn’t get done. Tree tube removal is manual work so it doesn’t happen.

The flip side is fly tipping (as part of their business) the "habitual" rubbish dumpers members of the public, I placed 6 bags of discarded rubbish from fisherman under the sign "litter abuse with result in the loss of this fishery" sent it to the owner who said had I seen it yesterday I would have not renewed their 5 year lease.

 

[Jelen]

Funny thing about poppies isn't it. My father-in-law, who I never knew or even met, loved california poppies. As a reminder of him, for my wife, I have broadcast tens of thousands of poppy seeds over the years. In that time only three plants have I ever seen grown and flowering and those were growing in rock and rubble.


Scott

California Poppies. Same as you I seeded some - on the strip of what can loosely be called soil- in front of the house.
The only one that flowered was in a crack between 2 slabs, the other side of the front door, where I didn't seed!
The same with Welsh Poppies in the back garden. None where I seeded, but plenty where I didn't.