due to a recent problem with blogger, Swarthmoor hall has been unable to publish any recent news items, we believe this to be fixed now.

The new year has started with the snowdrops coming out. Last year they were out before Xmas, but this year they are more seasonally in time as normally they come out in January. Rabbits tried to chew the bark off the newly planted apple trees over Xmas. We had to put on some makeshift guards to stop them. We may have "lost" one tree as they seem to have chewed nearly all the way around. We will have to wait until spring and then see how the tree responds. Either way it will not be happy and may take years to truly recover, growing slowly meantime.
The moles seem to have left the gardens and gone back to the meadow. Maybe our latest control methd has worked! We pushed short lengths of elderberry stems into the hills and tunnels just before Xmas, apparently the moles don't like it and scoot off! We will see!
A new digital camera was bought in thre sales so look out for new pictures on the blog site in the coming weeks.
Tony Woodford one of the Friends of Swarthmoor Hall is coming up for a couple of days on 16.01.07 with his chain saw. There is a pile of timber to log for the fires and a few thin larch trees in the shelterbelt to fell to make more light and space for the hardwoods there. We hope its not too windy and wet.
Bookings are coming in now for the 2007 programme of events and for groups wanting to use the site. Will we be as busy as last year? 

The 1652 Country Pilgrimage went very well Monday 21 - Thursday 24 August. The views from Pendle Hill were superb. We could see the Lancashire coast! The day after Pendle we had a superb talk at Brigflatts Meeting House from Tess Satchel the Warden. She really brought the story of George Fox's visit in June 1652 to life. Our trip up to Firbank fell was not so good and we were driven off by the rain and wind down to Kendal. The visit to the Quaker Tapestry there made up for the disappointment at Firbank.
Views again from Birkrigg Common were marvellous. we could see Blackpool tower in one direction and the fells and mountains of the southern part of the Lake District in the other. We searched for the stone circle and had given up and were on our way back to the minibus when we "discovered" it.

This weekend we have a Silent Retreat. The 12 participants are making good use of the grounds and the surrounding areas, Ulverston town, and the Hoad Hill.

Raspberries are in full flood, an autumn variety, (Autumn Bliss we think), and are being served freshly picked at breakfast each morning.
The meadow has had it's hay crop taken by the farm, and regrowth has started. The moles are still causing us problems in the garden lawns despite the extensive use of mothballs put down their runs. Has anyone got any humane suggestions as to how to get them to move on?

Banbury & Evesham MM dining in Wilkinson Story room, during their weeks holiday. 

Meeting for worship 12.30pm on Thursday 10.08.06, bring your own lunch for afterwards, hot drinks supplied.

Paul and Stephen the volunteer Gardeners have been harvesting the Lavender flowers to bunch them up. We use it in each of the historic rooms to deter the moths! It is very pleasant going into the attic on warm days, that's where we dry the bunches, and smell the strong scent from the bunches.

Moles are still causing us problems in the gardens. We have used moth balls to try to drive them out into the meadow where they cause less of a problem. We had thought we had got them to move, but now and then we get a new hill appearing in the middle of the back lawn.

Raspberries from the summer fruiting canes have been harvested and the autumn canes are flowering and starting with the new fruits now. we have frozen the summer fruits for catering
use later. The Blackcurrants have been harvested and half made into jam and half frozen.
Apples are beginning to fill up now we have had some rain. Lots of the small fruits have dropped off because of the dry spell, but there are enough on to give us a reasonable crop.

FOSH (Friends of Swarthmoor Hall) members Jean and Des Gamlen are coming for a few days next week, to do some voluntary work and some sight seeing.

Banbury and Evesham Monthly Meeting are due soon for a weeks holiday.