And here is the full story of life today in the Green-Gym universe

Even the ducks were enjoying the scene.  It was a beautiful day, sun on the river, what was not to like:

Humans, however, had no time to relax and merely enjoy the view.  The first task tackled was a familiar one: filling potholes in the slack road.  Two volunteers duly set to, finding a barrow, filling it, then filling a few holes, and dancing on them to pack the gravel down:

A second team – the experienced engineers – took on another task familiar from a different site: repairing the rotten base of a section of boardwalk.

Meanwhile, a larger group set to work on the ivy that was ever so slightly overwhelming the fence by the road:

Originally the request was to cut off the ivy along the top of the fence and just give the ivy growing outwards “a haircut trim.”  Site management was worried lest it be only the ivy which was holding up the fence.  As soon as the ivy was cut off the top, however, it peeled away from the fence; WGG destructive instincts kicked in; and most of the ivy ended up in a barrow, and from there to a pile for burning next time; and the fence is still standing strong & sturdy.

Yet another group was tasked with raking out where a willow tree had been removed previously, then bagging up the brash and dragging that too for burning at some point in the future: 

No bonfire today!  Overnight there had been a downpour as can be seen by the state of the road:

So our tea break did not have its usual glow to warm us:

After the break, another task was produced: moving piles of cut weeds, nettles and grass over to the reptile home.  (Not that we saw any of the resident reptiles.)

Towards session end, the ivy group was putting the finishing touches to the fence, and the two road menders were still working hard on the potholes.  We managed to finish on time, though.  Which was just as well really.  The Green Gym weather had behaved perfectly, as it should.  The day changed dramatically after we had arrived home:

Green-Gumming across the universe

Despite the best efforts of spellchecker, it was only Green-Gymmers who were invited to a level site beside the Thames today after the steep Chilterns scarp last week.  When the session leader sent out the instructions, the computer wanted to change the ‘y’ to a ‘u’.

The day could not have begun better.  The light before dawn was magical – these pictures taken further upstream from today’s site:

The Thames moonlit, near Wallingford

Now why couldn’t we have had a clear sky like that yesterday, for the lunar eclipse?  I suppose because the weather was saving the best for Tuesday morning for Green Gym:

As the light mellowed, the promise in the countryside was of fresh new growth:

Green-Gymmers (wearing their gumboots? and boldly going forward ’cause we can’t find reverse?) assembled to do their bit.  It looked like there would be plenty to choose from, to suit all tastes – annotations below courtesy of Session Leader, not Site Management):

• fill bridleway potholes   (hard work) 
• repair boardwalk   (constructive) 
• paint notice board   (leisurely) 
• clear willow from reed bed   (wellies?) 
• tidy paths and benches   (maintenance) 
• bonfire, tbc   (destructive) 
• cut ivy on bridleway fence   (if feeling vicious)

Full story to follow, when session leader not occupied with three dogs and one visitor.  (Or was it 3 visitors and 1 animal?  I may be getting confused with the Epiphany story here.)

Meanwhile, the weather certainly held throughout the morning.  The rain arrived at quarter to two this afternoon; and the snow at quarter past.

Rake Britain Great Again?

Foreword from <guess!>

It was kinda fresh out there this morning?  A cold wind – so cold! – from Scandinavia.  Home of the best kind of troll.  And it had been so mellow this past week.

Wild rose, late November

Well I’ve got news for you: anyfinnk the Finns can do, we can do better.  Because we have the best rakers in Europe.  Totally.

Because, folks, it’s not about the rakes.  (We have the best rakes by the way.  Huge.  Believe me.)  It’s about the people – ordinary decent hard-working people – who stand up for what they believe in, and together rake our beloved countryside beautiful again.

They really are wonderful people.  They do a tremendous job.

Like the way they deal with fallen leaves.  Yeah, we get a lot of those round here.  Losers!  We put them in their place.  Bigly.  (They’re all dead by the way.  So sad.)

Our rakers are so amazing, we win every time.  It’s ridiculous.  I can even rake on water, I’m that great.  It’s true. 

[Actually that’s WGG “raking water”, 1 March 2017, at a different site – Ed.]

We’re the best in the world.  Don’t let anyone to try to tell you otherwise: that’s fake news.  Fake news.  From CNN.

Green Gym is great.  So great – for a little country.  You should come and try it sometime.  You’ll love it.

[OK, I think that’s enough from our ‘Guest Editor’.  Let me hand over to the Session Leader to tell what really happened at WGG this morning.  I’m sure it was a great session.  Absolutely fantastic.  Even though we don’t actually have any rakes ourselves.  Not even sure Green-Gymmers used them this session … – Ed.]

We had been warned beforehand that there was going to be plenty of work for us.  This was the plan as advertised to members:

• Bonfire (weather permitting)
• Move wood to the yard
• Repair boardwalk step
• Clear vegetation to and around boundary fence
• Fill potholes in drive

Fourteen Green-Gymmers arrived ready to brave the cold wind and get to work.  Our venue today, Withymead, we know from experience is one of the best places to work at when the weather is distinctly chilly.  Because, being situated beside the River Thames,
it is such a sheltered spot.

The task list, however, had changed: down to just two items, but bigguns.  Both of which involved plenty of walking. 

One – ‘Move wood to yard’ – started right at the bottom of the site, where a tree had been cut right back.  There was a large pile of brash and logs to be dragged or barrowed up to the bonfire site.

A small part of our group headed straight down there to get to work, while the ‘fire team’ began work on the bonfire.

The other task turned out to be even bigger, and needed the services of the majority.  
It was right up at the top of the site, beyond where we have worked before. 

Not just ‘Clear vegetation to and around boundary fence’ but something much more destructive.  It should have read: ‘Clear vegetation, remove chain link fence and posts, and break up wooden fencing panels; transport all debris down to the bonfire site.’

 

This was right up our street for the more destructive members of the group.  But not much scope in either job for haravointi.  [Finnish for raking – Ed.]

No sooner had we started on the demolition job than an SOS came from the bonfire site.  A fire had been started, but urgently needed some of the fencing panels.

A good blaze and heat were needed, as there was also a large pile of damp reeds to be burned.

Tea break had the luxury of a table …

and chairs:

So the resting workers could watch two more energetic workers keeping the fire fed too.

At the end most of the brash and logs had been shifted.

The chain link fencing had been removed.

(That’s just two of four rolls)

And the last bits of fencing were barrowed away ...

leaving a clear boundary waiting for a new fence:

As for the ‘promised’ rain: that never developed beyond an occasional slight drizzle.  

PS from the real Editor:

I’d have said myself that some of the drops which were blown into my face this morning felt like they had entertained ambitions of being snow – and might have fallen as the white stuff if they had not been blown over to British Isles.  Time to go inside, and make some warming coffee, I think …