Every cloud...

While much of the country had snow, we instead had strong winds that toppled some large oak and alder trees across our river. This came as no surprise as their roots had become more exposed with each winter flow. It's always sad to see large trees downed, but on the plus side, it gives us a few tons of fuel for our Rayburn.

Hopefully, they can be cleared without any problems, as trees like this can be a bit tricky. The water rushing under them scours out a deep channel, and the force of the water pushes and sucks at you as you try to stand on the slippery stones. Another problem can be when you remove some of the weight of a fallen tree it can roll suddenly, so you need to keep an escape route clear. These trees however look fairly straight forward and we're looking forward to getting started on them when the river calms down a bit.

As well as a nice supply of logs for winter 2019/20, the roots may become an island in the river which will make a nice nesting spot for the wild ducks.