Pleasant walk, fine weather, lots of park activity, good company, jolly banter, shared knowledge - We came across the Organics

-

A pleasant walk, fine weather, lots of park activity, good company, jolly banter, shared knowledge and light humour were the ingredients for a fine health and well-being walk recipe.

Veteran Willow at Cannon Hill

 As is often the case during 'Down To Earth in The City' meetings the themes veered this way and that, but were largely kept on course by the landscape features at Cannon Hill Park and beyond.

Added to the headliner features of hedgerow, meadow, ancient oaks and veteran willow was the Organic Growers Alliance conference at the MAC and a friendly rivalry encounter between the Hay Mills and Billesley Fire Crews.

Birmingham's Premier Park can be a bustling hive of activity on occasion but most times provides a comfortable encounter for families, dog walkers, runners and casual visitors. If the need to escape suddenly becomes overwhelming, then a short walk across the main grass-covered arena to the woods will often suffice. In need of a greater escape? then venture further along the Rea Valley, all the way to the Waseley Hills if desired. 

Willow tunnel
Aged Oak 400 years
  
 


An unexpected encounter was the Organic Growers Alliance Conference taking place at the MAC, and in particular, the modern seed drill caught my eye, what a contraption, and yet compared with my primitive model, perhaps a little over-technological.

https://organicgrowersalliance.co.uk/organic-matters-22/

The Jang Seeder

simple box hopper seeder
age and origin unknown


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Brockley Grove - then and now

-
Image
Holders Woods and Fields east of centre with Brockley Grove to the south, road and turning circle Article from Birmingham Forum website -  My old mum and I moved into a prefab on Brockley grove just off dog pool lane (dads lane) in moseley in about 1959 and my old mum thought it was heaven, it had a "fitted kitchen" i.e a built in washing machine, she'd always had to do her washing by hand before and in both bedrooms were "metal" fitted wardrobes. As it was detached, standing surounded with a nice little garden we both loved it. unfortunatly it' now been demolished and  Brockley grove is now unsign posted and is a dog walking area but I will always have very fond memories of mom's little "bungalow". This map shows the layout of the Brockley Grove prefabs
Read more

Lifford - William Dargue - A History of BIRMINGHAM Places & Placenames

-
Image
Lifford Woods An area of land bordering the River Rea at Allens Croft, with a pathway to Lifford Reservoir and Lifford Hall. The linear woodland runs either side of the river with willows and alders thriving. The site is little used today, with most people passing along the walkway, whilst much of the area is out of the public domain, cut off by railway embankment and the river.  In terms of wildlife, I guess this is under recorded, as are most sites, all records should be submitted to EcoRecord and twitter is a good way of doing this.  Lifford Woods and surrounds The account below is taken from "Lifford - William Dargue - A History of BIRMINGHAM Places & Placenames" B30 - Grid reference SP055796 la Ford: first record 1250 Lifford stands close to the ford across the River Rea. As the red clay on the east side of Birmingham became slimy and slippery in wet weather, a place where the river ran over a firmer bed would have been a draw ...
Read more

New Trees - Woodland Wednesdays at Highbury

-
Image
Highbury Park and neighbours - wooded Wooded Highbury The term 'replete' has recently been used in reference to the wildlife provision at Highbury, and whilst the park can boast a healthy list of trees and bird life and perhaps reasonable opportunity for invertebrates, there is certainly room for enhancement and improvement in this regard. The park is jealously viewed and guarded by its regular visitors and protest quickly develops as changes occur - for example recently planted hedges were met with anxiety and vandalism, new desire lines are seen as trespass and the recently announced proposal to improve the tarmac surfacing for cyclists was greeted with the following- https://www.birminghambeheard.org.uk/place/bcr3-highbury-park-walking-and-cycling-route Consultation  Politics aside, if that's possible, an overview of the wooded fabric of the park would probably indicate a net loss of timber over the past 5 years due to ageing, and the need to 'mak...
Read more