Bog snorkelling in the Heart of Darkness

 The part of the main reedbed facing our attention yesterday had not been cut for eight years: it’s meant to be done every four, but last time only the small part of it we described in the previous posting was cut before that very nasty virus meant that almost everyone was forbidden to mix, even on reedbeds. The reedbed therefore took advantage of Lockdown to go absolutely wild – not to say livid. Here’s all you could see of it for most of the intervening period:

Not a very enticing sight, and of course the horror, the full horror, lay beyond. It was an undiscovered country, so long was it since human foot had set, er, foot there. In an act of peculiarly rural joint masochism, 12 of us turned out in the rain, relatively happy that the snow affecting much of the rest of the country was giving us a miss. Bravely, we penetrated into the morass; someone was bound to get a soaking. In fact we all got very wet and dirty, but Team Leader Michelle took the prize by staging a sit-down strike.

She enjoyed that so much that later on she toppled over backwards and got a full-length soaking!

The view greeting me as I trudged along the boardwalk at the start inevitably revealed several people already enjoying the fun.

They had set out the tools in anticipation: now all that was needed was a horde of volunteers.

Even they were not the first explorers; as can be seen from the above photo, John and Kevin had done a ‘pre-cut’ a day or two before. Sadly, Kevin lost an argument with Grillo’s starting handle, getting a broken finger as a souvenir, so he was on today’s sick list.

The first task on arrival is of course to sign in; no mean feat in the drizzle. Eventually your correspondent’s trusty pencil was the only implement capable of making a legible mark on the rapidly dampening paper.

Venturing onto the area under consideration, some icy patches were testament to the cold night, and the lucky escape we had had from the worst of the winter weather.

Long before I arrived (on time I might add), much preparatory work had already been done:

Laying out the sheets

Setting up the winch

And then the fun begins

It’s not all fun for the winch crew however, and no singing was heard this time. Problems with the rope coiling itself in knots slowed the winching down a lot.

It seemed like much longer than an hour, but at the appointed time the half-time break was announced, and the bedraggled crew assembled.

Break over, our one remaining fit Grillo operator was back hard at work. (Some dispute about the meaning of ‘fit’ here – ed)

It’s not easy steering a sheet in deep mud.

On arrival at the dump site the sheet of course has to be tipped out. Sometimes it’s easy, by using the winch, but the situation here did not lend itself to that, so it’s back to good old grunt work – and a lot of grunting went on!

I an attempt to speed up the process we ended up manually transferring material dumped off the sheets onto the heaps.

There was so much mud in front of the growing dump site that it made moving about there hard work (and as mentioned above, falling over was a constant hazard).

Finally, it was time to pack up, a few minutes early because we were all so wet and tired. Erudite comments, such as “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times” were offered up while the tools were loaded onto trailers and wheelbarrows and trundled back to the store. Eventually we dispersed, looking forward immensely to doing it all again in a fortnight. There will have been massive clean-up operations all around the village; we hope Anglian Water was up to the challenge!

Here is how the site looked when we left it.

Here is Team Leader Margaret’s message of thanks:

Happy New Year to you all.

We have all heard of the magnificent seven but have you heard of the magnificent 12? Well, they were the amazing folk who turned out this morning. We knew conditions under foot would be bad but not this bad. As Noel said at the end, just walking through the mud was tiring! So thank you all so much, particular mention to Michelle who went over twice in the name of duty and Dave whose body went forward but his feet stayed behind. Also to Kevin who ended up in Minor Injuries on Friday, with the Grillo kickback being more than he had bargained for. What fun was had by all. The work you do is so important in maintaining the Common so thank you so much. If this has not put you off we look forward to seeing you in two weeks’ time when we return to the reed bed. Hopefully to a crisp winters day.

Thank you.

Margaret on behalf of the team leaders.

 

 

Mud!

 We have recently been enduring a spell of decidedly grim weather. Cosily-named storms have drenched the area (and much, much worse in some places), and recently we have been locked in a holding pattern where dreary day followed dreary day, with the light level rarely exceeding crepuscular. The useful weathervane flag on the Church Tower hung as limp as a time-expired lettuce, so still was the air, barely able to stretch out to show its true colours.

The clouds had been at about six inches above the ground, making for humidity levels almost requiring an aqualung when walking the dog (and where can get canine aqualungs? Amazon perhaps.) Overflying helicopters and warplanes were hidden from sight, although sadly not from hearing. Skeins of puppy-yapping geese could be just about made out as they dipped in and out of the murk, while hidden buzzards mewed invisibly, like locked-out cats.

Saturday afternoon’s sunshine and Sunday’s brightness came as a welcome reminder that there are times when it’s not so bad, but for those still in search of some light relief, now is the time to make a shameless plug for the panto at Sheringham Little Theatre. For anyone able lay hands on a ticket, the unalloyed joy, energy and inventive silliness of this production is guaranteed to relieve the gloom. It certainly did mine on Sunday evening, which is why this blog post was a little delayed; oh yes it was!

Another way to cheer yourself up is of course to volunteer on the Common, and that is what 13 of us did on Sunday morning, lured in no doubt by the promise of festive mince pies, courtesy of Kevin and Linda.

The redoubtable Grillo drivers had started the ball rolling some 10 days before this session, in the expectation that we would convene soon after, but Storm Bert put paid to that, for fear of trees falling onto the winch crew, which would have really given them something to sing about. Here’s how it looked after that pre-cut.

This small part of the main reedbed was last cut four years ago, between Covid lockdowns. The remainder was due to be dealt with the following January, but we weren’t allowed back until March, by which time it was too late. So we face future sessions on ground untouched for eight years with more than a little trepidation!

Arriving only a little early I had inevitably been beaten by team leaders and various other ultra-keen types.

Stragglers arrived, towing with them a group of unsuspecting walkers. They were spared being press ganged by their unsuitable footwear. (Wellies the bare minimum; full diving dry suits better).

Soon the work began; note the unaccustomed hint of blue in the sky.

Every step was hard work in the cloying mud. See the buried welly!

Our wonderful winch saves us a lot of effort in dragging sheets to the dumping site. When possible, it can also be used to turn the sheet over and remove the cut material  - so much easier than manually turning it over! Here we see it happening.

Eventually the half-time break arrived, to general relief. The stampede towards the aforementioned mince pies was not the thunder of rampaging herds of buffalo, but more the squelching of slow-motion progress through a lot of sucking mud. (Note: spelling has been carefully checked – ed.)

Pity the lonely photographer, driven out of the herd in order to capture the happy scene.

On being allowed back, this collection of recumbent tools caught my eye. We’re not just about pitchforks, oh no. Loppers, saws, spades and our trusty ‘tree popper’ all feature here, and were put to good use.

As usual, Noel found a comfy seat.

Break over, it was back to work with a whistle and a cheery hop, skip and jump.

The big event after the break was the discovery in the mud of some sort of metal wheel, possibly from an ancient tractor or other agricultural implement. (Sadly, the common had been something of a dumping ground historically.) If anyone recognises it and would like it back, please apply in person at the next working party – with wellies and gloves of course.

Four years of growth mean there’s a lot to clear away. Here’s our impressive dumping site, which will of course rot down in short order.

By the end of the session we had cleared all that had previously been cut, so we’re ready for the delights awaiting us in the New Year. Here’s how we left it.

All that remained was to take the equipment back to the store and wend our weary ways home.

Here is the Team Leaders’ message of thanks and festive greeting:

Hello all.

An enormous thank you to the thirteen who came today. gosh wasn't it the right call to cancel last week. We had perfect conditions today. The going was tough for everyone with very wet and boggy conditions. As always you work with good humour and the task was done. A huge thank you to Kevin and Linda for the mince pies which made the second half so much easier.

We wish you all a very happy Christmas and thank you for the brilliant work you have all done for your community, and the wildlife of Southrepps Common not to mention the flora.  We look forward to seeing you all in 2025. We restart on the 5th January when you may all need some extra exercise after the Christmas pud and chocolates.

Merry Christmas 🎄 🎄 🎄

Margaret, Kevin, Julie, Michelle and Sue.

 

 

 

A pit stop in the weather

 A small working party was carried out yesterday at Pit Common on a lovely sunny day, happily sandwiched between two vile ones. This session was re-scheduled from the planned Sunday one, due to the ravages of Storm Bert. Bertie had not affected our area anything like as badly as some desperately unfortunate parts of the country, but was nonetheless huffing and puffing and threatening to blow down anything he could – which might have included the trees at Pit Common onto our precious volunteers. Therefore, a postponement was deemed wise; the runes were cast, the oracle consulted, and Tuesday emerged as a likely decent day. We are lucky to have an average of 13 volunteers on our working parties, mostly of course on Sundays, so it was still pleasing that nine were free to attend this time. It will come as little surprise to regular readers that your usual correspondent was not among them; this time a dentist’s note secured my release, although the sharp pain in my mouth and an even sharper one in my wallet meant I got the rough end of the deal.

Acting Team Leader Teddy oversaw the action, accompanied by Linda, who under his supervision also hacked and carried and dragged whatever came within reach.

Those nine people were perfectly happy (so I am told) to get stuck in to cutting back the scrub which was encroaching on the open part of this little common.

Indeed, apparently they had to be restrained from going further, the red mist having descended no doubt.

Mowing, and hiding under cut material, was also carried out.

At the end of the session everyone was pleased with the result, and we hope that NWT warden George will be equally impressed.

Here is Team Leader Margaret’s message of thanks:

Hello all,

Thank you to the nine volunteers who turned up at short notice today. You have done a cracking job cutting back the dead scrub behind the sign at the pit and brushcutting some of the reed that is invading the pond. It was a beautiful day and we timed the work perfectly so all that was cut was cleared by 12.00. We even managed to spread some yellow rattle seeds on the wildflower area and cut the grass. Kevin had cut half of it yesterday. Thank you Kevin. It was a good job we cancelled Sunday as two trees came down elsewhere in Lower Street. So weather permitting we hopefully will see you on the 8th December to make a start on the Reed bed behind the Chadwick bench. Enjoy this lovely day.

Margaret.On behalf of the Team leaders.

A rake’s progress on Area B

 

Regular readers of this blog have no doubt been quietly wondering about the state of play regarding the troublesome knee belonging to your usual correspondent. Well, still glowing from the X-rays that had bombarded it a mere two days previously, the knee in question was returned to duty on The Common this morning, having been absent for the two previous sessions. We can report that it doesn’t seem to have suffered from the outing. 

For many days before, the mornings had barely managed to dawn. Heavy cloud and deathly still air made for a depressing atmosphere: the sort that almost makes you yearn for the bright lights of the dental hygienist’s chair. Happily, today was noticeably better, leading us to wonder what the strange blueness was in the sky.

We were returning to the patch known as Area B in order to finish the job of cutting and clearing it, which had not been possible to achieve earlier in the cutting season for a variety of reasons. 16 stalwarts of our volunteer corps turned up and were soon hard at work shifting the material which had been previously cut and left in ‘windrows’. Although I arrived on time, of course many of them were already there; here’s the sight that greeted me.

Prior to that of course the sheets had been laid out; full marks for the keenest!

On arrival, after signing in, you must choose your weapon.

The winch crew needs to get set up too, despite being dazzled by the bright buckets.

Then it’s full steam ahead.

This area can be treacherous for the unwary, as there are numerous holes where Alder saplings have been removed. Team Leader Margaret was unwarily walking backwards when the inevitable happened, and she landed on a thistle to general amusement. Luckily the moment was captured on camera, although she complained about being left sitting on a little prickle ahem.

I mentioned above the need to choose your weapon/tool wisely. Margaret went back to the tool store to fetch Andrew’s chosen device. As can be seen from this video, it’s evidence that here on Area B a rake was making progress (I thank you!)

There was not a great deal of vegetation to move on this extra session, and it had the merit of being dry and light, so we had actually finished in under an hour. The hour mark is traditionally time for the refreshment break, but the closest Sunday to 11^th November is of course Remembrance Sunday, and at 11.00 we mark the occasion with a two-minute silence. Today we spent a while trying to attract the attention of these stragglers as silence does not come naturally to our merry band.

However, the group was ready on time to respect the silence on a beautiful morning; this being taken just before the start.

At the end of the two minutes we managed to refrain from congratulating ourselves for being quiet for a little while by clapping and cheering, as football crowds seem compelled to do, but we were soon back in chatty refreshment break mode.

Once the (work) party is over, there’s still the clearing up to do. The drag sheets need folding in the approved way; here Ken is receiving Julie’s expert tuition (having already suffered my less expert guidance).

And the winch rope has to be put away in its big yellow bucket… but first it has to de-kinked as it tends to curl up on itself in use. (Mention of Kinks of course always sets Noel off on a rendition of the hits of that iconic group – this time ably assisted by John D with some useful station names.) Firstly, the rope has to be walked out as far as it can go; this answers the age-old question of “how long is a piece of string?” Team Leader Kevin drew the long straw, and was sent off in the direction of Warren Road. He went a long way…

… and then further still.

Meanwhile, the kinks themselves need attention. Here’s Sheila unravelling the knitting

But that’s not all; the next trick is to shake the rope violently, like skipping little girls used to do in my primary school playground.

At the end of it all we could look back at the end result – a good job done.

Even then, more work was needed, as Team Leader Margaret discovered a tripping hazard on the boardwalk in urgent need of attention – although fellow Team Leader Kevin speculated that she had lost £1 again!

On a less pleasant note, we’ve been here before, but there has been a recent increase in the amount of dog excrement left on and beside the boardwalk, despite the notices reminding dog owners of their responsibilities.

Including me, many of our volunteers are dog owners themselves, and we know well what is expected of us. It is all the more galling and of course unpleasant therefore to be presented with the leavings of other peoples’ pets. This time we removed at least nine faeces, with at least one already bagged up but left there nonetheless! Here are some of them bagged up ready for proper disposal.

We can only urge all dog owners exercising their pets along the boardwalk to do the right thing please, and clear up after them. There’s a bin for the purpose at the car park end of the boardwalk so we don’t feel there’s any excuse not to use it.

And finally, here is Team Leader Margaret’s message of thanks:

Hello All.

We were so lucky with the weather today, warm and sunny after such a grey week. They say the sun shines on the righteous! Thank you to the 16 volunteers who made short work of the arisings on area B. Thank you also for the very peaceful observance of the two minutes silence at 11.00.

We look forward to Duncan's blog as we seem to have supplied him with ample material today. Thank you Duncan for the time and effort you take in keeping us all informed and entertained. It is very much appreciated.

Enjoy the rest of the day and hopefully see you in two weeks’ time when we take our annual trip to School Common.

If at any time you have suggestions about how the working parties run please have a chat - we are always open to ideas. Also, if there is anyone who would like to join the leaders team you would be most welcome.

Margaret for the team leaders