Goodbye Scots Pine . . . Goodbyyyyeeeeee!!!!!!

Ok, I'm happy now. My pines are safe and I had my cow fix!

We met with Peter Walters at his farmhouse. He was very happy to take on all pines. Some will be planted in the parkland, others opposite a beautiful thatched long house and the 2 bigger pines were planted today up Peter, my Dad and myself in a beautiful field, next to a wood and the Tarka Trail (a public footpath, which used to be the railway). They are around 10 metres away from eachother but along the same side and will form the part of a new hedge-row. Peter was very good, he dug each hole, chatting away happily about his life on the farm and his conservation work. They now have 102 bird species and 32 butterflies and this year they're counting the moths and dragonflies. He's a big chap, I mean you wouldn't want to meet him in a dark alley! But he's absoultly dedicated to his work and gets very excited when he sees a butterfly! He finds Bill Odie a miserable old sod, but thinks Kate Humble is great! This is the last year the BBC will be filming Springwatch and Autumn Watch at the farm as the owners are selling part of the farm, the big house (the one near the road) and 150 acres of land. They'll be moving into the thatched long house which is just below Peter's house. It's such a beautiful place, bursting with wildlife and I do feel the pines will be very happy there, although I miss them, I know that they are in paradise!

Goodbye to the pines. . .

Pines in the car

Peter and my dad digging the hole

Planted

They look happy

Myself and Peter Walters

His land rover - Venerable vehicle

Me in the back!

And then we come to my cow fix! After a cup of tea and a piece of apple cake with my dad, sitting outside, we walked up the garden admiring the wild flowers on the hedgerows and the butterflies and insects, when I walked to our garden gate and saw the cows. I ran over to them and climbed over their gate calling them, of course they came up and I introduced myself and got a lick and a nudge! I took many pictures of them! Then after a while they moved off back down the field and I was happy to think that they now know I'm here. Well, it was short-lived as the farmer took them out an hour ago. To be fair they didn't have a lot of grass there and they were also competing with the sheep . I hope they'll be back though. Fingers crossed.

See the clouds?

Apart from being very tired and stiff from mad gardening yesterday, there's not much else to add and you all know me well enough now that I don't do linky things anymore or talk about the news, I find life is too short and I'd rather talk about Devon! So you'll have to put up with it for the next 5 weeks or so!

The sun did shine and then it clouded over, as soon as the cows turned round to go, the clouds came and a nasty day of rain and wind is predicted tomorrow. Great I say! Only because it'll give me a chance to paint. Watch this space.

Emy xxx

P.S Peter said we can go and see the pines anytime we want for always. . . That means I can watch them grow and around 30 years from now I'll see them mature and think, I planted them, they are mine! And of course I'll be photographing them for years to come. I can't wait to see them again, hopefully in mid- August!