Up on the downs

By C

Summer last week was very pleasant.  Hope everyone made the most of it, because today:

Met Office National Severe Weather Warning
Outbreaks of rain, heavy at times with a risk of thunder, ...
giving a risk of local accumulations in excess of 20 or 30 mm.

So a little damp!  What the Met Office advice failed to add is that rain is good for keeping Green-Gymmers cool.  Admittedly, rain in waterfall/kayak-floating quantities would have more than we needed; and the amount we did get, had some volunteers putting on every layer of clothing available to avoid getting too cool. 

Nevertheless, some sort of cooling system was most certainly needed this morning, for the task was “clearing up cut scrub following a scrub cutting contract.”   In other words: walking up, down, and across the Chilterns scarp, carrying great piles of material for the fire rather than the ‘free weights’ you would find in a regular gym:  

Note that even on a soggy day, without use of accelerant, Green Gym got a fire going when site warden had been doubtful of our chances of success.  Site of fire: defunct rabbit warren, now used as a badger toilet-block (but not a sett).  Flowers on the slope: cowslip.

This all made for a brilliant/challenging CV (cardio-vascular) work-out, also good for lower-body-strength and balance.  We have never known one of our site-wardens say in advance of a session, “Anyone who is not good with this terrain should probably not attend.”

The cut stuff (dogwood mostly) could either be raked and speared on to a fork where it had fallen …

or – where it was on the slope above the fire-site, tossed further down to create larger piles for easier removal nearer one of the sheep-tracks we used for paths:

The track to and from the spot we used for tea-break afforded views of ‘fairy rings’ (made by fungi) …

and led through an area used in WW2 as a firing-range:

The hillside was scoured to reveal the chalkface, which gave the soldiers in training, positioned on the slope opposite, clear targets to aim at.  The remains of a concrete bunker for the ‘spotters’ can just be made out at the bottom of the slope.

As for the question which inevitably arose in discussion, “Why are highlands in England called downs?” the answer is that down, used as a noun to mean 'upland', comes from Old English dún, 'hill'.  The modern adverb is a contraction from Middle English adun, 'from the hill'.