Saturday 24 April 2021

Spring Blossom watch with the National Trust


The National Trust are asking you to share the beauty of blossom on social media for their  #BlossomWatch day on 24 April 2021. Upload pictures of your local blossom, tag the location of where it is and use #BlossomWatch to spread the joy of spring with others. Why not check out their website and download the blossom pack.

National Trust Spring Blossom Watch

Thursday 22 April 2021

Minutes from Donkey Lane Community Orchard Meeting

The minutes from the meeting held on the 17th April 2021 are now available to view via the 'Governance & Minutes' tab or by following this link.

Sunday 18 April 2021

Back at the Orchard

 Great news, we're back at the Orchard. 

Working parties at the Orchard restarted on Saturday 17 April albeit with restricted numbers and with Covid-19 safety measures in place.

We will be running regular working parties as follows:

The first Tuesday of the month: 10:00 am - 1:00 pm
The third Saturday of the month: 1:00 pm - 4:00 pm

If you would like to attend one of the working parties, please email Linda at greeningchinnor@gmail.com to book a place.

Blossom

 

Photo courtesy of Keith Webley

Photo courtesy of Keith Webley

It's the middle of March and already some garden trees in Chinnor are in blossom, either pink or white ornamental cherries with their delicate blooms which are even more noticeable because the trees are not yet in leaf. And already the Magnolias are showing their large buds ready to burst into spectacular flower to transform some lucky peoples' front gardens.I was surprised to discover that Magnolias are such an old family that they have been around for at least 20 million years. And that was before there were many flying insects such as bees to pollinate them, so they relied on the heavier beetles which had already evolved.

Of course all our native British broadleaved trees are flowering plants, and some have small greenish flowers that can easily be overlooked amongst the leaves. But there is one family which generally produces showy flowers and that is the Rose family. Perhaps the tree which is most associated with spring and the old festivals which marked the turning of the year, is the hawthorn with its abundant May blossom. Of the plants cultivated by man, as well as garden roses, this large family includes both apples and pears, as well as plums, cherries and almonds.

In England there used to be many customs associated with hawthorn blossom, and the cover of the book 'Chinnor in Camera' first published in 1988, shows a photograph of children holding their garlands on May Day around a century ago. Inside is the 'garlanding song' they sang as they went around the village. More recently towards the end of the last century, a May Fayre was revived at nearby Kingston Blount. A May King and Queen were chosen and school children displayed the different dances around the be-ribboned Maypole. Read more ... 


Monday 12 April 2021

Minutes of AGM and Annual Report

The minutes of our AGM held on the 31st March 2021 along with the Annual Report have now been published and can be found on the 'Governance & Minutes' tab  or by following the following links:


At the AGM the revised Greening Chinnor Constitution was adopted. The Constitution can also be found on the 'Governance & Minutes' tab or by following this link

Thursday 8 April 2021

Dates for your Diary

Thursday 15th April 7:30 pm: Donkey Lane Orchard meeting via Zoom. Email greeningchinnor@gmail.com for link to meeting

Saturday 17th April 10:00 am - 1:00 pm: Working party at the Orchard - booked places only

Sunday 2nd May 10:00 am - 12:30 pm: Spring Community Litter Pick. Details to follow