From small acorns…
It’s now early August, the grounds here surrounding our dedicated gluten free bakery are at their most verdant.
The saplings in our little copse are all reaching for the sky. I’ve removed the spiral protectors on the most vigorous. A few look like leafy incredible hulks straining at their garments. Linda has been busy keeping the gardens around the Bee Shack in check. Two of our beautiful white doves are new parents; Graham, our resident wildlife expert, has confirmed that they now have a new baby. Our keep fit class were surprised to be joined by a tiny shrew last week. I wouldn’t have thought a hyperactive mammal would need to do any aerobic exercise.
Today I’m writing the story behind two of our saplings. A diminutive oak and a petite Horse Chestnut.
The oak began, as all oaks must as an acorn dropped last autumn. I found it while rambling through the hinterland of Stalbridge with the family hound. The tree it sprang from is a squat old giant with huge weathered arms. It sits alone on the edge of an arable field near the Georgian wall, which surrounds the old Stalbridge estate.
The conker that the horse chestnut sprang from I found in Stalbridge Park. One of the old trees along the park wall which once would have been in the gardens of the stately home. They would have been quite a sight as you progressed up to the great house in a pony and trap. It’s long gone now, lost in a fire. You can still find the stones from the house scattered in surrounding fields.
Its great to see two little descendents from those survivors growing here at Naish Farm.
Written by Barry, baker and part-time BeeGreener here at Honeybuns
