The weather was dreadful over the weekend, cold and rainy with hella high winds. I slipped down to Beechwood last night to see how things had fared. This broom was lying by Pottery Road:




I'm worried about the witch who must have blown off in mid-air.

As usual, the trees around Todmorden Mills took a hit:






I didn't find any major damage at Beechwood but the invasives are progressing at lightning speed. I still think I can beat the garlic mustard if I buckle down for the next week or two, but the rest of it, oy.

The wetland gods were obviously angered by my neglect of the place last week, and they sought revenge by trying to take my eye out. A dead branch was hanging down near the path and I was too caught up in searching out garlic mustard to notice it. I got lucky and just missed disaster; there's a scratch on my eyelid but nothing worse. The branch was quickly taken out, as are most things that hurt me. "Now you must die!"

Fungus is going to provide a whole summer's entertainment, I can see. This ...




Has now turned into this:




Not sure of this pretty yellow flower. Anyone? I haven't consulted my reference books yet.

Some random bits of wood:

The pond is looking better after all the rain and the ants were subdued by the cold, so it's promising to be a good week at Beechwood. Garlic mustard removal isn't everyone's idea of a good time but hey, it's better than a poke in the eye with a sharp stick.