Gathering Hazels

No spade today

Did I mention that I melted my rucksack, the other day; on my mates wood-burner?

I put it there to dry & didn't realise that wood-burners got that hot.  I thought they were the 'live in a bus' equivalent of a radiator, but no!  It melted quite fast!

That meant that I couldn't bring my spade with me today on my Dart Valley Tree collecting mission, to collect Hazels.

I decided it wouldn't be very safe, tied on the back of my motorbike with bungees, for a thirty mile round trip collecting Hazels.  I just would have to be a bit more careful pulling them up; getting my hands right underneath them, to help prevent too many roots tearing and not being able to get any larger specimens.

Despite the inconvenience of not having my trustee spade with me; I did get quite allot of Hazels and Dog roses + one Spindle, so I was happy.

The advantage of having no spade was; how much less paranoid I felt, as I dropped every thing and pretended to be looking at the view or examining some kind of plant life, whenever a car or some people went by, but it is so much easier and better to use a spade.  

I suppose I will need to invest again in a nice new rucksack and then I must remember not to melt it.