Inglorious Mud

By the Session Leader:

The dog walkers this morning thought we were mad when they heard that we Green-Gymmers were going to be working yet again in the “icy” waters of the watercress beds. 

They could well think that if they saw the wintry scene that greeted us at Ewelme:

Iced up walkways seemed to present a real slip hazard:

What they would not have known is that the water temperature was little different to normal, just right for the ducks:

Also, the sloping parts of the walkway were well protected with netting:

So the team dived in to the two tasks:

• removing the cress that had previously been piled on the concrete bunds
• digging out all of the cress from the first pond

– From this, you would not immediately guess that much of our work today revolved around mud, removal of.  Mud: variously translated by our volunteers as boue and грязь.

Unfortunately, both tasks required the use of the one bund to wheel away the cress.   

With twelve members working [a good seasonal number: one for each of the days of Christmas – Ed.] there was the likelihood of a traffic jam.  Some simple organization, however, got a remarkably smooth operation going. 

One group dug out the watercress and mud from the pond, which had frozen underneath:

“At least when it’s frozen, the mud slices!”

They carried the mud and cress over to waiting wheel barrows on the bund, while a second team, on the left, walked past them to collect [chip away with an axe – Ed.] the cress that was further down on the bund, and which had frozen in place:

The wheelbarrowers alternated loads along the wooden walkway:

Cress barrow …

mud barrow, cress barrow ...

At the walkway, a third team was ready to exchange full barrows for empties …

and wheel them away up the hill …

to our compost-heap master, who was building what appeared to be a fortress …

watched keenly by one of the locals:

Because we know that Christmas-tide is by no means over, our tea-break was treated to a first, a foreign Xmas goody with an unpronounceable name, and a delicious almond filling:

[Until after the Second World War, Spekulatius/Speculaas was a luxury food-item, hand-crafted with fresh cinnamon, cardamom, and cloves; and consumed only at this time of year.  Typically, in Holland/Belgium/Germany, from the Feast of St Nicholas (Sinterklaas / St. Niklaas / Sankt. Klaus: 6 Dec) to Epiphany (6 Jan) or – if feeling flush – right through to Candlemas (2 Feb).  These days, in Central Europe, they are widely available in supermarkets year-round.  You can tell the Green-Gym specimens were mass-produced and bought from a British shop because – although very handsome – they were not made in a traditional mould. – Ed.] 

Meanwhile, to demonstrate the versatility of Green Gymmers, today’s mechanic was cannibalising two broken wheelbarrows into one by removing a good wheel from a broken barrow, and fitting it to a good barrow with broken wheel:

By the end the bund was clear, and the first bed cleared.  The bed was then raked over.  Yes, another first for WGG!  Raking water, with the prongs of the rake either way up: 

The idea was to move as much as possible of the residual mud downstream, for it to settle against the barrier, and be removed later.

Finally, a scrape with a spade to leave the bed ready for replanting:

What?  Replanting?  That means we will be starting all over again next year!