Feeling Really Happy People

By the Session Leader:

Those of us who arrived early had not one, but two tractors to watch:

At 10 in the morning, when Green Gym convenes, the day is not just beginning; but songbirds were certainly singing (not quite sure what a skylark was doing singing its little heart out in October), and a Red Kite was showing off its flying skills.  [Perhaps they were just feeling really happy creatures – Ed.]

Green-Gymmers certainly seemed to be happy.  It was an ideal day for a session, and a beautiful location: the weather was variable, but dry and mild; and the site of the Clumps gave us good views over the countryside.

The occasional splash of sun gave us some rich autumn colours too:

View from Castle Hill over to Dorchester, which is where last week’s session was held

The task today was to continue clearing scrub from the ramparts, carrying on from where previous work-parties had done their bit.  The reason for this task – which becomes less onerous each year, with the cumulative effect of repeated operations – is twofold.  One is to preserve the archaeology of the hill fort.  (Fun fact: it is thought that when in use, the sides of the fort would have been kept entirely clear of vegetation, so that the gleaming white chalkland fortifications would have been visible for miles – a sign of the prestige and strength of the occupiers.)  The other is to promote the wildflower cover, which is seen to best advantage around June, on the south-facing side of the castle.

The previous work-party had left a large pile of brash to be burned: 

The first job to do on that was to move the fire platform.  That meant lifting concrete blocks and corrugated sheets up out of the moat, carrying them along the ramparts to their new position, and lowering them back into the moat.

That was the easy bit!  Re-assembling the platform in its new location was another matter.  [Like putting together an item of flat-pack furniture, without benefit of an instruction leaflet? – Ed.]  It is skilled job which required much deliberation, trial, and head scratching …

before it was completed to engineers’ satisfaction …

and the fire could be ceremoniously lit:

Meanwhile the more nimble Green-Gymmers were already balancing themselves on the slopes generating more brash by clearing further sections of the rampart of blackthorn-cover:

Jungle it was not.  Nevertheless, taking out regenerate blackthorn uncovered things accidentally left behind by others:

None of the human discoveries were as exciting as our canine companion’s find.  The occasional squeak was neither some exotic species of bird, nor a Green-Gymmer’s distress call.  Leah had found a ball/dog-toy, and was delighted:

Back at the fire, it took three people (minimum) to move the brash, and maintain the fire.  Volunteers took it in turns in the hot seat, feeding the fire a morsel at a time.  [The intention being (they will) not set the world on fire – Ed.] 

The rest of the Green-Gym workforce knew the burn-squad had, piece by piece, got through the entire pile of brash, because chaps could be seen standing around taking their ease.  [And, knowing Green-Gymmers, probably discussing technologically innovative ways of expediting the task – Ed.]

By session end, all that was left of the brash-heap was a pile of red-hot ash: