Tuesday 19 May 2009

Down the road, evening.

I count the trees around in our woodland: ninety goat and one weeping willow, two ash, numerous hazel and chestnut, ten wizened oak round the edges. And alot of brambles.

2 comments:

Bee said...

Last night I was reading a diary of Laura Ingalls Wilder's, and she describes in minute detail the trees on the land that they buy. I like this accounting, for some reason.

What does a goat willow look like? And why is it called that?

Lucy said...

We're hoping to sell the wooded bit of our land, and the notaire asked how many oaks there were on it, so I was doing the inventory for a practical purpose really.

I feel a slight pang at letting it go, but the brambles, which the Dutchman is complaining about encroaching onto his land, reminded me what a bother it is, and how it'll be nice not to have to worry about it. We'll still have more than enough garden to occupy us.

Goat willow is much like sallow, not sure I really know the difference, it's your ordinary, rough and twiggy pussy willow, a weed wood, but serviceable as firewoood if it's dried, and useful for draining soggy land, which was why we planted it.