Page 45 - ALG Issue 4 2022

Winter on the
allotment
I was sitting in my shed in front of a roaring fire musing about jobs which could be done in the chill.
A number of felled trees lay nearby and I had an idea: I could make use of some.
A cherry tree had to be felled because it was diseased. I took a slice and after drying it, I once again mounted it and turned it on the lathe.
I have never liked dumping decent wood when it can be recycled, but this gave me a new leisure-time activity. I started to turn bowls, leaving a little bark on the perimeter of the bowls, which went down well with interested parties. Bark is very beautiful when varnished on a bowl.
Over the many cold winter months, I turned many items. Each time I was amazed at the wood effects achieved.
Trees with disease show a multitude of colours and effects when sanded, and can be either waxed and polished, or waxed, varnished and polished.
If I get small branch lengths, I usually slice the piece laterally and after drilling tea light holes, I varnish them for Christmas ornaments.
A group heard about my activities and invited me to give a one hour talk on the subject. I prepared a presentation and used some of my work pieces to show the results.
I included in the presentation an explanation of my use of my own beeswax from my five hives, including my method of mixing and using the wax to make a rich furniture polish.
In the following I have included a number of photographs of finished products.
Fruit trees offered a wide variety of
finishes but other trees surprisingly gave very unusual examples when turned. The Rowen tree was particularly interesting, holding a
lot of moisture even after months
of drying out. The ‘Sweety Bowl’ photograph of an unknown variety to me was difficult to turn, having lots of small cracks across the grain as shown.
Notice the prominent fault lines. These took quite a long time to smooth out before waxing and polishing.
During the winter, I am sometimes found preparing my five beehives for the start of spring. The bees start to buzz around when the
first sign of pollen can be found. Daffodils, primulas, and many more early flowering plants provide early foraging.
Honey is extracted around autumn, and my colleagues help me to not only harvest the honey, but a large amount of beeswax which I process into polish to enhance my turning. During a normal extraction, I can take as much as eighty pounds of pure honey, and about three pounds of wax. Of course, the weather governs the results.
John Wilshaw, Heroncross Allotments
Allotment and Leisure Gardener 45
Big hunt success
We had a great line-up planned for our annual August ‘get- together’ to celebrate NAW ‘Bugs, Bees and Broccoli’ on the Chestergate Allotment Bisley.
As well as our lists of wildlife observations, we were to have
a talk on Amphibians from allotment tenant Caroline, a presentation on parasitic insects by fellow allotment Warden, Robert, from Eastcombe (whose pond featured in the last magazine), a display of the moth trapping by Tony including a rare find – a Bordered Sallow moth only previously recorded six times in the County, and a wonderful special guest from Slimbridge Wildfowl and Wetland Trust researcher, Lucy Smith, who agreed to explain the value of ponds for insects in growing spaces.
But we were sadly thwarted by climate change and the extreme heat forecast, so with a heavy heart and, in consideration of our duty to public care, had to cancel the gathering.
But many allotment holders reported grasshoppers, newts, slowworms, ladybirds (munching on the aphids on one runner bean wigwam), moths, butterflies, and many birds ranging from kites, yellow hammers to wrens (as well as the ubiquitous pigeon!). Our one-night moth trap revealed a rare Bordered Sallow moth – great excitement!
So, although it was disappointing not to have our gathering, we still have made a great start to our observations of and care for bugs and bees whilst we grow our food, and many more local people are increasingly aware of how important our allotments are to our strategy for enhancing wildlife corridors in the parish.
Lesley Greene, Allotment Warden Chestergate Allotments Bisley