The old and the new

Lovely sunny blustery day today. I spent the afternoon pruning into shape the young hedge around the bull's paddock. We have decided to unwind the plastic protection from the base of each plant as they are now well established and we want growth at the bottom. The hedge is mainly hawthorn but has other plants mixed with it such as holly and blackthorn and others. We were lucky at the time of planting this and other hedges as our supplier informed us about a grant which we were fortunate enough to get towards the cost. This is to encourage farmers to provide for wildlife.

The tree in the foreground is one of several species of Oak, the farm has many growing in the hedgerows. I just love the rugged warmth of the bark and find these solid trees very reassuring!