The Phantom Planter

 345 apple trees we have planted within the last couple of months with another 122 to go. We would have had all of them planted long ago but this weather has really slowed us up. Our new Lisnabreeny Community Orchard is officially full with around 500 heritage Irish apple trees planted over the past couple of years. The other 122 apple trees I have left I'm just going to phantom plant around the place. I have a large group of kids coming out this Sunday with me and they are all going to be phantom planting a tree each. I have set aside lots of masks for them too. Get them all signed up young! They are our future. You know when I walk around the place and see apple trees we phantom planted many years ago towering over me it makes me think that all the ones that didnt make it was worth it. I was standing checking out this massive perfect phantom planted apple tree the other day and I was thinking to myself that even if all the rest didnt make it and with all the years of work this on...

 My Mrs Perry apple tree cuttings are just beginning to come out of dormancy. I took these cuttings on January 14th and they started to show signs of tiny green shoots a couple of days ago. So just under 3 weeks for them to come out of dormancy early using an LED lit propagator. If these work and root ok I have plans to go back to this Mrs Perry self rooting apple tree and take many more cuttings. These cuttings can be kept dormant in the fridge for another few months. I can then take them out and root with this method I'm using and have a steady supply of apple trees coming. This is my own experiment going on here, I have not seen this method used before with apple trees. Well to be honest it was the Emerald Isles oldest oak tree that told me. About a month ago I was meditating at this old oak and the thought came into my head that I must try and grow apple trees using the same method as them funny plants people grow in their bedrooms. It was a light bulb moment right at this oak ...

  The rain seems to be slowing up so planting has resumed. Yesterday we planted 3 of my specialist oak trees in our spiral, these oaks have been grown from acorns collected of the following famous trees. The Major Oak aka Robin Hood. Sherwood Forest The Parliament Oak, Sherwood Forest The Big Belly Oak, Savernake Forest Wiltshire. The Robin Hood oak me and wee betty collected these acorns personally at about 5am when no one else was around to see us jump the fence. I hear this oak is not in good state with some people messaging me saying I could have gotten the last batch of acorns that this tree will ever produce again. Some say its dying. The Parliament oak acorns were collected and posted to me by a Paramili-Tree SAS (Special Acorn Service) Volunteer. And the Big Belly oak these acorns were again collected by myself and wee betty many years ago. I never forget the day we went and seen this stunning tree to check for acorns. The skies just opened and a massive storm hit, so me an...

 Rain Rain go to Spain and never show your face again! Thats a very common saying we used to say here growing up. Seems like it just never stops raining here at times. I have another 130 apple trees to plant and about 50 specialist oak trees as soon as this rain does one. Although the forecast for the next 10 days is more rain. Yesterday I took a walk up the Mourne mountains to check on some of my phantom planted trees. That put a smile on my face alright when I seen how well my Junipers are doing. These 2 in the pics I phantom planted around 5 years ago. They are growing like champions up here, so lush and green. Its great to see them shine in the winter when all the ferns have died off around them. Come summer time you can just see the heads of them poking out. I have trees phantom planted on so many walks that I go on. It really gives you the best excuse to get out in nature when you phantom plant trees. I dont know about you but I dont just plant a tree and forget about it. I a...

 I was at a Tibetan Buddhist temple a while back in Spain and the guy that runs the place give me some of this powder thats from a Buddhist Mandala.  If you dont know about these things read up on them. Some monks spend weeks and months making these very intricate pieces of art and at the end they destroy it. This is to reinforce the mind with the impermanence of life and to teach that attachment is our greatest cause of suffering. In this life we base our happiness on so many things that will all cease one day. The Buddha says what arises must cease. It is the law of the Universe. Rather than base our happiness on impermanent things, we must find peace and happiness within our own minds. This powder left from the Mandala is imbued with the positive energy from the monk making this in a state of meditation. Where ever this is spread will bring good energy. I will be spreading this around our spiritual spiral of oak trees. Its so important for me to support Tibetan Buddhism, ev...

 One year ago today I started to make drinking well water every day part of my life. I use for drinking and making my teas and coffees. No other water have I been drinking. I have been using a couple of different wells but this one is by far the tastiest. The Bolin Well its called and is named this because where it springs out of its source it bubbles so it looks its boiling. This water comes straight out of Slieve Croob mountain, the source of the River Lagan, which is the main river that runs through Belfast. For me its all about implementing these small healthy changes into your life over a matter of years. I get my water from the source, I get my milk from the source, get my eggs and butter from source and when I can afford it I get my culled venison from its source too. At the weekend there I made venison and juniper stew. Probably one of the most ancient recipes of this land. It was amazing! You know students in Scotland have now been encouraged to eat venison as they cull an...