Another peaceful day in England’s deadliest county

Dawn was rather pretty this morning – which was not entirely reassuring.

As is well known: red sky at morning, shepherd’s warning.  This, however, was more of an orange sky.  Besides, we weren’t doing anything for sheep today: our task was tending watercress.

It was a pity we had not been able to take any samples of the plant to the weekend’s Benson Community Health Fair, where we had shared a stall with the Ewelme Watercress Beds group.  For watercress has been reputed since ancient times to have medicinal properties.

In some places, such as Alresford (Hampshire), watercress gets a whole festival to itself.  We, however, just cut the stuff back, and remove unwanted species from its habitat.  So that water channels run clear and free.

I say ‘we’.  Actually, a good deal of my morning could be summed up visually thus:

A tranquil spot in which to lie in the warm sun

For while everyone else who had made it in time for a 10 am start, walked down to the far end of the site and started work, someone had to wait by the RV point for those who had been delayed.  A number of people had experienced difficulty getting through Benson on account of filming – and seen some fairly strange sights:

What aliens have to do with a Midsomer-Murders plot, I cannot imagine.  However, we were assured by someone working on the set that today’s schedule was for the TV series Midsomer Murders, and the characters in silver suits and pink wigs were indeed ‘aliens’.

When all workers plus the all-important tea-crate had safely arrived, I was able to walk along myself to join the Green-Gym fun.  It was at first difficult to make out what was going on, except that there appeared to be no murders and no aliens:

Any technology visible in the background was in connection with the nearby airfield:

Even knowing what today’s task was, I still had difficulty in making out what, precisely, some Green-Gymmers were doing.  This, for instance:

From the bank, all I could really tell was that it was quite hard work.

Closer up, I realised that while volunteers upstream were cutting back watercress to create a channel, others were floating bundles of watercress downstream, then loading it into wheelbarrows to be taken to the compost heap.  Hard work for sure, but people seemed to be enjoying it:

And on such a beautiful day, workers took full advantage of the tea break.  Here, relaxing by the pond which we had dug out on a previous occasion:

Any aliens who come in peace are most welcome to join us at Green Gym: we do not discriminate.

Another Spring Fire

“I love a good fire,” was the response of many a volunteer to news of this week’s session.  Just as well really, because – for the third week in a row – our job was to clear up after other people, who had been engaged in winter countryside tasks.

A slightly diffident site warden had to break the news that today we would be seeing to another burst of spring fire:

burning up a big pile of brash which we have accumulated from our hedge laying courses and competitions over the winter.  Our Sunday group started the task at the weekend, but after burning brash all day there is still a good quantity left to get rid of …

He was not kidding about the quantity of brash left over:

Nor could there be any doubt that it was the most beautiful spring day:

Green-Gymmers need little encouragement to get stuck into a session of sawing, lopping, and breaking up cut wood.  Nor do they lack confidence about the amount they can get through in a session:

The fire of course started small, with site warden and our usual fire-master instructing an assistant …

then grew ...

and grew:

Note assistant fire-attendant is wearing safety spectacles

From time to time, the fire had to be allowed to rest, before being re-loaded with ever larger branches:

There were also tutorials in how to set a saw …

Some extra in-service training for our Tools Officer

and on the art of hedge-laying, as it can be seen from a stretch freshly laid this last season:

This particular length would not have been a winning length in the hedge-laying competition, for points will have been deducted for an ‘Elvis’:

However, the work has been done well enough (particular plaudits if, as is quite likely, this was a section taken on by novices) and, if one were to return in a year’s time, the winner of the original hedge-laying competition would not necessarily win a regrowth competition.  Looking further along the branch with the unfortunate pompadour trim, we could see how well the new shoots were developing:

There was a regrowth too in turn-out for Green Gym this week.  Several volunteers had returned from trips away, or had recovered from the winter virus – welcome back! 

Talk of interesting species seen while abroad (Kernow, aka Cornwall) led to reminiscences of childhood lessons in What To Do if Bitten by a Snake.  Which in turn led to thoughts of how people can be unduly afraid of animals which they do not often get to see.  Which reminded someone else of how they used to see (and chase) mice in the house where he grew up as a child.  One mouse had hidden behind a picture frame, but was apparently unaware that its tail was still hanging out.  What happened next?  Ah, that he could not remember.  But, as a fellow-volunteer observed, “Thereby hangs a tale.”  <Groan>

By the official end of the Green-Gym session, this was the progress which had been made:

Before

After

A good number of volunteers (myself not included this time) stayed on to see the job through to the end.  Proof positive that Green-Gymmers really do love a good fire?  Or perhaps they just did not fancy carrying the heavy tools back to the car-park.  By hand.  Uphill.  The thought that if they stayed on for a while, tools could be loaded in the back of the Earth-Trust landie must have been an extremely attractive one.

There is no guarantee that next week’s session will not also be a bonfire.  However, today’s burn-up will definitely have been the last fire until next year with the Earth Trust, 

so we are guaranteed something different next time we are with them.