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It\u2019s fair to say that trees are important; they create oxygen, purify air and support countless species of wildlife. All this means they\u2019re worth celebrating: cue National Tree Week. Organised by The Tree Council, the UK\u2019s largest annual tree celebration sees the conservation sector, volunteer groups and tree-lovers come together to help our trees. Here are three ways you can get involved:<\/p>\n\n
1. Learn <\/strong>\u201cProtection starts with connection,\u201d says The Tree Council. Find trees in your area and get to know them \u2013 feel them, sketch them, identify them.<\/p>\n\n 2. Share <\/strong>Talk to friends and family about your favourite trees and why they are important.<\/p>\n\n 3. Plant <\/strong>Plant a tree or hedge in your garden, or join a community tree-planting event.<\/p>\n\n treecouncil.org.uk<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n\n <\/p>\n\n <\/p>\n\n \u201cRemember, remember hedgehogs on the 5th of November!\u201d The Wildlife Trusts ask that we think of our spiky friends on bonfire night. Hedgehogs hibernate over winter, hiding under piles of leaves and logs \u2013 such as bonfire stacks. To avoid harming a hog, build a bonfire on open ground (not on a pile of leaves) on the same day you\u2019ll light it, and check it before lighting. See our hedgehog feature<\/a>, and find out more at wildlifetrusts.org\/actions\/how-check-your-bonfire-hedgehogs<\/a><\/p>\n\n <\/p>\n\n Have you heard the Plodcast? BBC Countryfile Magazine\u2019s <\/em>weekly escape into the countryside is hosted by Fergus Collins. New episodes include: roaming the Ardennes Forest in northern France, exploring a fairy glen in County Down and taking on a charity half-marathon in the Wye Valley.<\/p>\n\n By Gill Meller<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Spiced or mulled cider is just the thing to serve around a roaring fire. It warms you up from the inside and is so simple to make.<\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n SERVES 8-12<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n \u2022<\/span> 2<\/strong> litres medium-dry traditional (hard) cider <\/strong> For the spice bag: <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n \u2022<\/span> 2 tsp coriander seeds <\/strong> METHOD<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n 1<\/span><\/strong> Pour the cider into a large pan. Add the apple juice, sugar, orange zest and juice, bay leaves and apple slices. Place all the spices into a square of muslin (cheesecloth) or clean cotton cloth, draw in the edges and tie the cloth up with string to form a sealed bag. <\/p>\n\n\n\n 2<\/span><\/strong> Drop the bag into the cider. Set the pan over the fire and bring the liquid up to a very gentle simmer. Remove it from the direct heat and let it sit and infuse for 5\u201310 minutes. Serve hot, ladled into cups or glasses.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div><\/section>\n\n <\/p>\n\n Few things are quite as thrilling as waking up on a November morning with the prospect of a refreshing autumn walk ahead. But this feeling of jubilation can quickly dissolve when you discover that your boots are still sodden from your previous day\u2019s outing. Next time you\u2019ll remember to dry them properly, you tell yourself. But how? Here are some important dos and don\u2019ts… <\/p>\n\n You will need:<\/span><\/strong> shoe brush; newspaper<\/p>\n\n <\/p>\n\n 1<\/span><\/strong> Brush off as much dirt as possible from the boots and remove the laces and insole. This may sound like a faff, but the individual parts will dry more quickly when separated.<\/p>\n\n <\/p>\n\n 2<\/span><\/strong> Stuff your boots with lightly scrunched balls of newspaper to absorb excess water, replacing the paper every few hours.<\/p>\n\n 3<\/span><\/strong> Leave your boots in a warm, well-ventilated room or outdoors (if it\u2019s not raining). Do not put your boots on the radiator or in front of the fire. The material will dry too quickly and may crack.<\/p>\n\n 4<\/span><\/strong> Once your boots are dry, re-lace them, insert the insoles and you\u2019re ready to go!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Check out all the interesting events happening in the month of November. From Hedgehog-friendly bonfires to brewing up a delicious spiced cider!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":9135,"featured_media":31691,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ub_ctt_via":"","purple_page_number":"","purple_custom_meta_purple_page_number":"","purple_seq_number":"","purple_custom_meta_purple_seq_number":"","purple_source_article":"","purple_custom_meta_purple_source_article":"","purple_source_issue":"","purple_custom_meta_purple_source_issue":"November-2023","purple_external_id":"","purple_custom_meta_purple_external_id":"November-2023-e106cfbe-cc39-4be1-a303-4249942b0701","purple_issue_code":"","purple_custom_meta_purple_issue_code":"|0000084075||","purple_android_product":"","purple_custom_meta_purple_android_product":"com.im.countryfile.209","purple_ios_product":"","purple_custom_meta_purple_ios_product":"com.im.countryfile.209","purple_web_product":"","purple_custom_meta_purple_web_product":"","purple_publication_id":"","purple_migrated":"","kt_blocks_editor_width":"","apple_news_api_created_at":"2023-10-18T15:32:30Z","apple_news_article-theme":"","apple_news_api_id":"6e7a702e-1840-4333-bb7f-7c392967f2c5","apple_news_api_modified_at":"2023-10-18T15:32:30Z","apple_news_api_revision":"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAw==","apple_news_api_share_url":"https:\/\/apple.news\/AbnpwLhhAQzO7f3w5KWfyxQ","apple_news_coverimage":0,"apple_news_coverimage_caption":"","apple_news_is_hidden":false,"apple_news_is_paid":true,"apple_news_is_preview":true,"apple_news_is_sponsored":false,"apple_news_maturity_rating":"","apple_news_pullquote":"","apple_news_pullquote_position":"","apple_news_article_theme":"","apple_news_sections":"[]"},"categories":[154],"tags":[],"apple_news_notices":[],"featured_image_src":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/45\/2021\/07\/BRANCHES-SNIP.png","author_info":{"display_name":"Katie.Hood@ourmedia.co.uk","author_link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbccountryfile\/author\/katie-hoodourmedia-co-uk\/"},"acf":{"readingTimeMinutes":"4","apple_news_title":""},"uagb_featured_image_src":{"full":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/45\/2021\/07\/BRANCHES-SNIP.png",750,609,false],"thumbnail":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/45\/2021\/07\/BRANCHES-SNIP-150x150.png",150,150,true],"medium":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/45\/2021\/07\/BRANCHES-SNIP-300x244.png",300,244,true],"medium_large":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/45\/2021\/07\/BRANCHES-SNIP.png",750,609,false],"large":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/45\/2021\/07\/BRANCHES-SNIP.png",750,609,false],"1536x1536":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/45\/2021\/07\/BRANCHES-SNIP.png",750,609,false],"2048x2048":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/45\/2021\/07\/BRANCHES-SNIP.png",750,609,false]},"uagb_author_info":{"display_name":"Katie.Hood@ourmedia.co.uk","author_link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbccountryfile\/author\/katie-hoodourmedia-co-uk\/"},"uagb_comment_info":0,"uagb_excerpt":"Check out all the interesting events happening in the month of November. From Hedgehog-friendly bonfires to brewing up a delicious spiced cider!","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbccountryfile\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/31676"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbccountryfile\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbccountryfile\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbccountryfile\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/9135"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbccountryfile\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=31676"}],"version-history":[{"count":7,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbccountryfile\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/31676\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":32705,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbccountryfile\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/31676\/revisions\/32705"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbccountryfile\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/31691"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbccountryfile\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=31676"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbccountryfile\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=31676"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbccountryfile\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=31676"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
\n\n5 November<\/strong><\/h5>\n\n
Hedgehog-friendly bonfires<\/h4>\n\n
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\n\nPlodcast highlights this month <\/strong><\/h5>\n\n
Get active in nature<\/strong><\/strong><\/h4>\n\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/45\/2023\/10\/61242a6b-4260-4b7e-b3fd-0dc3e0d19622.jpg\")
<\/figure><\/div>\n\nAUTUMN RECIPE<\/strong><\/h5>\n\n\n\n
SPICED CIDER<\/strong><\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n
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\u2022<\/span> 500ml apple juice <\/strong>
\u2022<\/span> 100g light brown soft sugar <\/strong>
\u2022<\/span> Thickly pared zest and juice of 2 oranges <\/strong>
\u2022<\/span> 8 bay leaves, torn <\/strong>
\u2022<\/span> 2 apples, peeled, cored and sliced into thin wedges <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u2022<\/span> 1 tsp black peppercorns <\/strong>
\u2022<\/span> 8 cloves <\/strong>
\u2022<\/span> 2 cardamom pods, bashed <\/strong>
\u2022<\/span> Cinnamon stick, broken in pieces <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\nMAKE DO AND MEND<\/h5>\n\n
HOW TO DRY WALKING BOOTS<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n
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