From today’s session leader:
Sighs of
relief from several Green Gymmers when our meadow-raking session changed into a
Withymead tree-clearance session. Thank
goodness for yesterday’s rain which made the meadow far too wet to cut!
One of our
workers today is a fully trained scythe-operator and recommended sything as a very effective technique
for clearing meadows. It’s also quiet
and soothing to sweep through the grass, leaving a clean row of cuttings behind
for the pitchfork.
Arriving at
Withymead, we met the Electricity Board – almost the whole company it seemed
with loads of vans and diggers and red barriers. They are laying cables for 11,000 volts for
the local residents. We kept well clear.
Today’s
tasks were to clear up trees: whether fallen down or cut down; whether brash
for the bonfire or wonderful logs for the log pile.
But before
we could work, there were wardrobe repairs to carry out, thanks to the boy
scout who came prepared with his penknife:
Amongst the felled
willows, we found water mint in flower, which we admired, sniffed, and
respectfully avoided.
The site
warden also pointed out swathes of gypsywort (Lycopus europaeus), a wet-habitat nettle. Apparently beggars and gypsies used it to
darken their skin, so they looked Moorish and were then permitted to beg. This may just be an old-wives’ tale as I could
not corroborate this.
Today we could
try out our new fire-lighting kit. Success,
despite it being a windless day, with lots of green growth to burn.
One fire
monitor didn’t want to leave the fire. Even
the call of “Tea” and “Cake” took a while to seep through to his consciousness.
Who can blame him? It was a grand fire, and the main attraction
for several gymmers to come to Withymead today. [Ed: I heard there were "several phoenixes" in there.]
Wild Parsnip
(Pastinaca sativa)
abounds near our tea break site, so warnings to avoid the plant came loud and
clear. Don’t touch it, as its juice
is activated by sunlight (even on overcast days) and can cause a rash and
blistering and even temporary blindness.
Sometimes the effects aren’t apparent for 24 hours, so it’s a tricky
plant.
The warden
invited us to raid the pear and apple trees on site. Although the pear isn’t quite ready, the
apples were perfect. We guessed they
were Discovery, an early apple, and the green grocer would soon follow them up
with Worcester Pearmain, then Katy, Windsor, and finally the Coxes and Russets.
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| Pears |
 |
| Plums |
 |
| Apples |
Towards the
end of our morning, the rain started and gradually brought work to a close. We finished with a quick visit to the sand
martins’ new abode on the river bank, and left the fire to die down under the
warden’s watchful eye.
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