In the mists of a new year

By ‘C’:

Not cold this morning, but headlights had to be turned on when driving up into the Chilterns this morning on account of patchy mist-cum-fog-cum-drizzle.

The task, however, was a favourite: coppicing – with bonfire for disposing of excess brash.  To be quite precise: ground clearance for the benefit of ground flora, especially white hellebore (Veratrum album: pretty to look at, but should just be looked at unless a skilled herbalist).  Just a little clearing was required, so as not to detract from value of habitat for dormice.

Green-Gymmers were soon eyeing up targets …

then getting stuck into their sawing:

Meanwhile, a fire was prepared:

It went through its usual evolutionary stages during the morning:

In the background to the last photograph you may just be able to make out the traffic on the motorway which cuts through the hills at Aston Rowant.  The path beside which we were working is officially a ‘thoroughfare’, so we were strictly not allowed to leave our tea crate in a place where it would obstruct the highway for a horse, for example.  Naturally volunteers promptly took to referring to the bridleway as “the old M40”.

Smaller targets required just loppers – or plain gloved hands.  The engineering department, which had been so busy last week, had little to do today other than carry out field repairs on a bowsaw:

The engineering team spent quite some time studying the problem, then disappeared, and came back announcing that they’d done it, courtesy of some strong fingers “plus the axe to hit it with.”  [Carefully, of course – Ed.]

By session end, the workers had cleared an area which we hope strikes the right balance between needs of fauna and flora – and had worked up a good appetite for the famous Green-Gym Christmas lunch.  Which is always held in the new year, during the second half of Christmastide.  Congratulations to the winner of the Green Gym Christmas Quiz!