Cake and Cocktails

By ‘C’:

“We all have our melting point!” declared one volunteer.

Fortunately, no melting point – of either volunteers or victuals – was reached today.  For the north wind doth blow, and in May here that typically means blue skies horizon-to-horizon, without it getting too hot.

Today was no exception.  It was a lovely day to be out in the countryside: blue sky, fresh-faced leaves, cow parsley on the verges now bordering on 4' tall …

Perfect Green-Gym weather in fact, ordered specially ;) along with the cake, to mark a member’s birthday:

“Not quite sure what state the emoji is meant to represent!”

And the ‘cocktails’?  Mocktail jellies: piña colada, cuba libre, and watermelon daiquiri flavour!

Today’s location: an undulating section of the Chilterns scarp.  Task: fencing.  With plier, hammer, and spade, of course, oh and one or two other tools, rather than mask and foil. 

Many of us recognized at once the particular spot, as one we had worked on before.  Some knew one side of the corner to be the end of a long perimeter-fence-line, the upper section of which we had cleared of encroaching vegetation before starting on the business of replacing old timber-posts and wire with shiny new metal posts + fresh wire:

Others knew the short length, set at 90° to the main fence-line, to be one where in the past we had carried out ‘first-aid’ work, replacing some of the posts to give the fencing a few years’ extra life:

So part of our work today was to undo work which we – or previous WGG-teams – had laboured on!  [I think this is the first time this has happened – Ed.]

This morning, one group concentrated on putting in the new posts to complete the line for the perimeter fence.  The larger force made a start on the field-end fence-line.  Rather a lot of vegetation clearance was required first:

Inevitably this meant that some ambulant creatures had to find a new habitat for the timebeing:

Why did this creature not just fly away?

Interesting specimens of plant-life, which naturally cannot relocate, we were careful to work round, eg orchids and wild strawberries:

Some of the posts we could readily identify as WGG-handiwork: newer timber; sunk in solidly; and wire attached by staples which had been left proud.  Where the work had been done by our Green-Gym forebears, this made life much easier for those engaged on the intricate task of removing staples:

It made life much more difficult, though, for those tasked with lifting a post out again:

At half-time, we demonstrated how to recycle fence-posts.  Those already extracted, made an excellent low work-top for the tea-crate volunteer:

By session end we could see that we had surprised ourselves with the amount of progress which had been made on both fronts. 

The perimeter fence was particularly pleasing.  It will look even better when it is finished, including a garnish of a single strand of barbed wire along the top:

The other section had been prepared as far as the eye could see, for the next work-party to continue with putting in fancy new posts in all the places marked: