More Himalayan Balsam was bashed and more trimming of the boardwalk
edges was done on the 9th.
The Balsam was bashed in the most inaccessible depths; it
really is very good at making it as difficult as possible to eradicate it. Very
often, in order to get at it, we have to do battle with brambles and nettles,
so we do have to rely on it growing tall enough to spot from a distance. This
one was the tallest of the day.
Whilst some of our small group was delving ever deeper into
the jungle, a crack brush cutter operator and his broom-wielding sidekick set
about trimming the boardwalk edges between the bridge over the Beck and Warren
Road. Unfortunately, the brush cutter broke down at the bench half-way along (I
don’t mean it got upset and tearful and needed a comforting arm around its
shoulder – something inside it snapped). We do have two of these troublesome
machines, but the second one was locked away in the tool store, and the key was
with the Balsam party, and they were un-traceable in the undergrowth.
We decided there was nothing for it but for the two of us to
sit down and wait in the shade for them to return. It was a hot afternoon, so I
can’t say I minded. While we sat there a Song Thrush sunned itself nearby,
un-concerned by our conversation, or perhaps it was quite reasonably fascinated
by the wisdom being expressed. A gorgeous Red Admiral was disporting itself
close by, and when the Balsam party returned, hot and nettle stung, but
triumphant, they drew our attention to this exciting Hornet Hoverfly.
Pre-work for the main working party on the 18th
was done on the morning before. At the same time, the boardwalk edge trimming
back was completed: if, like the Forth Bridge, it can ever be said to be truly
finished.
Walking across the boardwalk that morning, nicely timed to
miss the actual work, your correspondent found this beautiful Painted Lady
feeding on some Hemp Agrimony. (I have heard about certain painted ladies with
a liking for hemp products, so this may have been a bit of a confused and
ultimately disappointed hippy butterfly.)
We have often mentioned the unpleasant problem of dog excrement
being left on and near the boardwalk, which is not only disagreeable for people
walking across the site, but particularly nasty and potentially hazardous for
those of us working here. We are asking the Parish Council for a dog waste bin
to be placed at the Warren Road end, to complement the one already located in
the car park at the Information Point end. Some notices have also been put up
to ask dog owners to act responsibly, and for some time we have been
highlighting offending material with brightly coloured but biodegradable spray.
This has the double effect of warning people not to tread in it, and we hope, also
making the minority of errant dog owners aware that their transgressions have
been noted.
Some of the more noticeable special flowers to be found on
the Common are currently out, and being spared by the mower until they have set
seed. Amongst them are Grass of Parnassus and Devil’s Bit Scabious.
Sunday 18th dawned bright and already warm, and 15
of us gathered at the earlier time of 9.00 am, in order to avoid the hottest
part of the day. In earlier times we had avoided working at this time of year,
but Natural England insists that it is necessary to do the work now in order to
weaken the reeds encroaching on the central area. Frankly, it came as a
surprise to your sleepy correspondent that Sunday even had a 9.00 am, but there
you are, we’re never too old to learn new things.
Most of the session was spent cutting and clearing the
section opposite that central section, and we set to with a will (and
pitchforks). As the heat increased and the insects were disturbed we were treated to numerous dragonflies cruising around, presumably looking for an easy meal.
In time-honoured fashion, sheets were piled high with the
cut material, winched to the dumping site, and then laboriously tipped onto the
growing heaps.
There are many different aspects to the work, and it seemed
like fun, in our fevered state, to name the various roles, in a Carry On kind
of way. Sometimes the sheets are moved not by the winch, but by hand. The
people doing it are now known as Pullers, and one of our ladies complained she
always seemed to be ‘on the pull’. The steel bars attached to the leading edges
of the sheets for connection to the winch could be said to be attached by
hooks, and those people doing the attaching could be called Hookers. People
wielding pitchforks are obviously Forkers, and winch operators could completely
inaccurately and unfairly be called Whingers.
Tea break came along in due course, and we now present the
obligatory picture of Noel taking his ease in an inventive way. He is being
challenged to be in a hammock next time.
The same Noel held up an eager group accompanying a sheet
due for winching, when he decided he needed to rearrange his flowing locks. We
didn’t resent it, because he’s worth it.
Returning to the fray after the break we carried on winching
and tipping out at the edge of the site. It was now that John caused
significant hilarity, by being the wrong side of a tipped over sheet, and
disappearing below the load. He took some extracting, but at least he could
tell the time while he waited!
At the end of the session, the site looked like this. An
hour later, it rained. Result!
Here is Team Leader kevin's message of thanks:
A big thanks to everyone for this mornings work.
We achieved what we had hoped to do in this morning's cutting programme and managed to finish on time despite the heat. Hopefully everyone made it home before the thunderstorm started.
For those of you who were unable to make it today, you only have two weeks to wait before we do it all again. Hopefully we will seen you then.
Thanks once again
Kevin
