The old field

Well, here it is in all its glory on a cold and dull winter day! This is a composite shot stitched from three (hence the blurred, merged areas) which is not going to win any prizes - it is, simply, a true view of this ¼ acre of old derelict farm land. There is a 1970s aerial photo of it that shows cows grazing in open meadow. Now, 40 years on, we are attempting to rescue it from an overgrown wilderness.

The ground faces south, falling from top to bottom of the shot with a steep-sided burn flowing from the top middle to the right hand side, just behind the chopped hedge. The stacks are from last autumn's assault, cutting back brambles, overgrown hedge, choked trees and weeds of every variety. A couple of dark patches indicate where some of the heaps were burned. The pile of stones was gathered from digging over the patch just beyond the compost bin, where it is planned to grow some fruit and vegetables. The stones will be handy to make or edge paths. It is also intended to keep most of the trees that remain - all but the small chestnut in the foreground are self-seeded, mainly ash. It may look fairly sedate at present, though unkempt, but close up fresh weeds are already showing!