Another year has begun, and so I look forward to new projects and challenges. This week I’ve been making samples of lamp bases for a lighting company. It’s been great fun although very cold in the workshop. It’s not well insulated so colder than outside in the winter and hotter than outside in the summer! Lots of layers on this week.

Well my modest willow harvest is cut and sorted. I’m so grateful there was any willow to actually harvest after the local muntjac have spent the last two years chewing my cuttings. The electric fence we put up to deter them has had very little effect.

I have seven different varieties growing, Black Maul, Dicky Meadows, Chermisina, Flanders Red, Green Dicks, Harrison’s and welsh white.

Many of the cuttings are dead and need to be replaced. However I’m loath to plant anything else until I get a more permanent fence in place. Hopefully this is going to happen in the next month which would mean I could still do some planting.

My lovely new storage shed doubled up as a sorting station, with chalk marks on the side denoting different heights and a dust bin to hold the bundles steady. It’s been a fun job and the colours are beautiful. Hopefully there’ll be a lot more next year 😊