Coppice

Whilst away at the weekend, inebriated youth, amongst many other misadventures facilitated by an excess and a mixing of alcohol, broke my cloths pole.  So, the mission for today was to visit Resource Wood and harvest myself another. Resource Wood, I'm not sure of its real name, is known as such for its abundance of a variety of bushcraft, food and wild plant resources. Under a powerful Sun the six mile or so return walk, mainly through farmland, was open and exposed. On reaching Resource Wood we were afforded a respite from the heat; amongst its stands, a mixture of neglected Hazel coppice and mature deciduous trees, the air was cooler. It took some searching to find the right pole, but eventually one showed itself; I thanked the tree and made sure that the cut was clean and close to the stool. I thought on the walk home of the lunacy of modernity, that you'd consider buying a pole to hold your washing line up or when you see bundles pea sticks on sale at the garden centre; it wouldn't have been that long ago that, instinctively, we'd have looked to nature to provide such things. Even if you didn't harvest it yourself, you'd have only paid a nominal fee to woodsman or such.  It's clear from out and about that many woods were once well managed and most likely very productive, supporting a thriving sustainable economy. Now, we happily pay for over priced synthetic poles and use plastic netting to support peas, wasteful and environmentally damaging. I can't help thinking we've gone wrong.