It’s great to see the new building for volunteers, now completed externally, blending in so well with the Bath House. The doors and windows are being painted to match its historic neighbour and the reclaimed tile roof and oak cladding is beginning to weather attractively. Attention has now turned to the fitting out of the inside; with a mains electricity cable installed, the first steps have been taken.
The flight of stone steps created by Nick which curve elegantly down from this top area of the site leads to a path towards the stone seat and garden, joining the path from the main gate. The iron railings for these steps have now been painted and incorporate the two surviving original & stylish iron gate posts. The rockery areas each side of the steps are developing really well and are now filling up with alpines and other suitable plants. This whole area, which for a long time had been unloved, now provides an attractive approach to the Bath House. The whole volunteer group has worked very hard throughout the winter, whatever the weather, to achieve these projects, and new volunteers Theresa and Paulette have added their enthusiasm and energy to the team.
The signs of spring are now coming thick and fast, and the new volunteers were rapidly put to work in completing the preparation of the wild flower meadow for new growth. Also in dealing with those plants – sometimes known as weeds – that inevitably spring up in the wrong places.
The Woodland garden is now transformed, as the white carpet of snowdrops is replaced with the blue and pink of Pulmonaria, and the yellow of Primroses and native Daffodils. This dainty, less strident form of the Daffodil is the national flower of Wales, and duly appears at its best on St David’s Day, 1st March.
As Spring progressed, we spied another yellow flower, Coltsfoot, which unusually produces flowers before the horseshoe-shaped leaves which give its common name. The lovely Hellebores began to show their handsome speckled bells; and new leaves on every tree heralded the new season and the approach of warmer days.
The wildlife pond is always interesting, and we were pleased to see this frog – and hope for lots of little froglets later.
Restrictions during the pandemic, and people’s other commitments, have not prevented individual volunteers continuing to work on site, and by the end of May we had virtually completed the new building. And the new rockery, using stone from the site, is coming along well, too.
Unfortunately, the blog wasn’t so easy to keep up with, so we have had to compromise with this merged post, rather than a monthly update. Come back later for Summer’s offering!
