Blasts of January

By the Session Leader:

A “good sess” this morning – and, thanks to Green-Gym efforts, much easier driving away from the site afterwards than it had been arriving by wheels along a bridleway rather the worse for winter weather.

January usually means plenty of these to enjoy where the habitat is right for them:

Those specimens were spotted near Oxford around the weekend, so I was on the lookout for more flights of angelic snowdrops on site today.  In fact, the ones in the nature reserve were still in their infancy, though bearing the promise of some spectacular displays to come:

We were not, however, there to be surprised by snowdrops.  And thankfully, though it was a crisp day, the “blasts of January” (as I think one of the characters in The Winter’s Tale says?) were not so strong as to blow anyone through and through, however lean. 

The main task was to shift several tonnes of scalpings: from pile in car-park to the potholes in the bridleway.  This was the job that most of the volunteers this morning piled into with zeal – also knowing, of course, that it would ensure they were not be cold for more than 10 minutes:

Task #2 was to level a mound of soil and prepare for sowing:

Task #3 pond clearance:

And the initially unscheduled task, to see to the fence which had worked loose in the wind, and which urgently required repair before any serious blasts of January (or February, March, &c) shredded the panels:

After tea-break, there was a little re-organization.  The fence job was completed, to the evident satisfaction of the construction team:

They then moved on to clearing “leaves” [actually more like leaves + compost - Ed.] from the industrial-heritage area:

Meanwhile, volunteers new to the place set off on a guided tour to view some of the sights of the site:

The soil-prep team had levelled earth, and ‘raked to a fine tilth’ (as the expression goes):

The pond-clearer could look back at a job well done, and measure the remaining depth in one from which a massive quantity of leaves had been carefully removed without puncturing the liner:

And the roadway-maintenance crew?  Well their satisfaction was that of all of us driving away from the site today (while two volunteers virtuously walked to their respective homes): it was a much smoother ride leaving than arriving.

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!

A Muddy New Year!

By the Session Leader:

First WGG day back after Christmas Day and New Year, so a good turnout not expected. 

In fact, nine volunteers turned up.  The steady rain did decide one person to turn back.  In hindsight, he was the sensible one.

Not that it poured down.  The rain was just a steady drizzle, so it was not till one got home that it was clear how wet it had been. 

In fact it was the mud that was the worst enemy, but this did not affect all the team.  The part of the group that tackled the coppicing just got wet, not muddy. 

They started by cutting down a section of hazel, three rows, eight deep with the help of our newest and youngest member.

Then the first problem arose: one photograph of this group at work, and soaking wet camera gave up the ghost.

Meanwhile the engineering members got stuck in and tore up one of the rotten sections of the boardwalk.  Unfortunately, the wood turned out to be sodden; and the ground underneath, soft mud.  Too late!  Having torn up the section, there was no alternative but to carry on replacing it.

In spite of warning notices posted either end of the site saying that the walkway was closed, several walkers and their dogs came through.  They admired our work.  Shame I can't post a picture to show it to the rest of the world.

Obligingly the drizzle eased for coffee, served from the back shelf of the car.

Then back to work. The coppicing group had to sort the cuttings, trimming to length, chopping up the brash and spreading the brash over the stumps to keep the rabbits and deer away.  They finished by our normal finishing time, rather wet but happy.

The engineering group was struggling.  The new ‘wood’ was reconstituted plastic.  It has a much longer life than wood in wet conditions, but it was slightly different in size and did not take kindly to having holes drilled in it.  By 2 pm [well after our normal finishing time - Ed.] the new long stretchers and supports were securely in place, ready for the wooden planks to go across to form the walk way; the workers were covered in mud; and all three cordless drills had flat batteries.

So the project had to be left for the time being, with blockades at each end; while workers returned to warmth, dry, and food.  I charged up my drill and went back again at 3.30 to see if I could help the site warden finish the boardwalk - and was taken aback to find he was just finishing!  Just a bit more netting needed and a few extra screws, another time.  So I took the dog for a walk by the lock instead.

The team did a great job today, and I hope the engineers have managed to get all the mud off!