January. We had trouble with an old oak, which had been shedding its branches straight into our car park! I remember noting that well-trained tree surgeons are my heroes because of their sheer expertise and agility with chain saws high in the trees...
February. We continued with our plantation work in bitter winds, mild days, sleet, snow, the then found that the squirrels had been to work ruining several trees - the rats!
March. The Trust's eight-person "hit-squad" made short work of some big alders, which in the wet, slippery, muddy ghyll, had earlier defeated our green team. I hate chain saws. But they have their uses.
April. I said that this was the best time of year to visit the reserve. Too right. It is full of bluebells, wood anemones, and later, twayblades, one of the features of the reserve.
May. The dormouse discovery! I doubt if I will ever find one again unless I set out to study them carefully. My trouble is that I might just as well study black beetles because I am a jack-of-all trades (and perhaps master of none of them!)
June. We got down to weeding the tatty heather again. Hopefully the Trust will have a new labour-saving and anti-soul-destroying piece of equipment this year. Wouldn't that be a pleasure!
July. Swifts, swallows, bats above our family's roof - garden flat in Spain adjacent to a country park, really was a pleasure when the drinks came up and the sun went down.
August. It had been a good month for butterflies and the humming bird hawk moths, but then Roger jammed the cutter bar as we started mowing the rides...
September. The county ornithological society paid us a visit and found 19 species in the wood, and were particularly chuffed about a busy group of spotted flycatchers in the heather.
October. David felled a large, dead pine before it banged someone on the head! We try to keep dead trees going for the woodpeckers and nuthatches.
November. We were in a hole! Looking for a culvert which was not in the right place. What a waste of six man hours, but it was worth it when the rains came.
December. Oh yes! An article in "Heathfield First" drew in seven inquiries for the reserve. Watch this space, and have a New Year full of achievement and happiness.
John Hall © 2003