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This week we visited Currie Wood with your local friendly neighbourhood ranger Alan. We met at the new tool cupboard and armed ourselves with new axes and freshly rebladed bow saws and Ellie mini-bussed us skillfully to the woods.

We were briefed and tool-talked and began the fun jobs of ring barking and felling conifer trees, with the aim of opening up the canopy to let light in and improve the conditions for birch and oak trees that would otherwise be outcompeted by the greedy conifers.

Have you ever wanted to know how to get that natural pine fresh scent on your clothes, without the need for expensive washing powders? Its easy and effective simply using a sharp axe and enthusiasm you can get great results peeling back the cambium of trees. Ringbarking not only makes you smell great but kills off trees whilst leaving them upright so that you don’t have to deal with the complications of felling.

Complications John and Rosie can attest for, after cutting a huge wedge out of a tree with the Dirties shiny new felling axe and enjoying a smooth cut with the fresh bow saw blade they came into problems when the saw refused to go any further in, or come out the other way. The solution: bigger saws. Alan’s lovely two person saw brought the tree down with saw blade still embedded in the trunk, although not in the intended direction and somewhat caught up in the canopy. Tree felling is hard guys.

As ever the highlight of the day was the great lunch supplied by the foodies sat by the idyllic stream, soup and bread was enjoyed with a dessert of cake donated by Alan.

In all, much destruction was undertaken against the trees and we look forward to future visits where we might see the new green growth that we will have enabled.

James Bamkin

As we traveled to Easter Craiglockhart Local Natural Reserve on a meteorologically indecisive Sunday morning, the ancient rivalry between bus and bike people was once again renewed. This time, the cyclists won.

After a brief introduction from Ewan and David, who are responsible for the nature reserve, we set to work. A number of us donned wellies and waders and, now bearing a striking resemblance to a band of goblins, started clearing silt and vegetation from the small ditch draining a nearby pond (Which, as it happens, is home to group of famously aggressive swans. We maintained a healthy distance).  The other group equipped themselves with hard hats, a bike helmet and a ladder and installed bird boxes throughout the wood. After a hearty lunch of sandwiches, biscuits and Ewan’s homemade rocky road, we returned to work with renewed enthusiasm and only started making our way back home as the sun was disappearing behind the rooftops.

I’m sure the birds enjoyed the day even more than we did: An all you can eat buffet from fresh river mud and a wealth of bird boxes to choose from is enough to make any bird’s heart beat faster.

Thanks Emma G

This past Sunday, October 19, we enjoyed a very robust turnout for a visit to Aberlady Bay. Once the bus/train/minibus mini debacle had been resolved, we were able to transport everyone to the nature reserve, which is located on the Firth of Forth southeast of Edinburgh. Once there, our guide, John, led us through a land of golf into the grassy dunes. Once assured that we were protected from Third Reich tank advances, we turned our eye toward the real enemy, sea-buckthorn, a shrub reintroduced to areas of Scotland that outcompetes other plant species essential for the functioning of the dune ecosystem. It’s everywhere. So, John led us to the “affectionately named” Fox Hollow where we picked, lopped, and dug out as much sea-buckthorn as possible for the remainder of our day, tossing our sea-buckthorn victims into a glorious bonfire that raged the whole time, and occasionally munching on the buckthorn’s berries filled with sweet and sour orange paint-like juice.

So, my second Dirty Weekend was a wonderful, sunny day of good things, with a fine unwinding at the Auld Hoose (spicy chicken dippers this time). Also, thanks, Amy, Margaret, Rosie and special guest, James for preparing a bountiful sandwich lunch, and thank you, Ellie for once again driving that minibus!

Topher