A day of coppicing at Taf Fechan involved the creation of the new sport of competitive habitat piling although the rules have yet to be properly codified technical points were awarded for structural integrity and internal density while artistic points rested on general sexiness.

My team’s habitat pile was so damn sexy it attracted two Wrens and a Robin in under half an hour which I think makes us the winners (the other piles only being in my opinion only moderately sexy).

A by-product of all this sporty endeavour was the much needed regeneration of a patch of over mature Hazel wood and the opening of a path which had not been cleared for some years thus generating a very good view of the reserve and 13 bags of assorted rubbish (now it’s not often that litter sends you into a haze of nostalgia but finding a “fun sized” can of diet cola with the grand price of 9p proudly proclaimed on the side with a use by date sometime in the very early nineties brought on some misty eyed “I remember when…” recollections).

The Primroses were already growing away underfoot and I’m looking forward to seeing what else turns up now the canopy has been thinned.