They came, they sawed, they conquered

 

It was another lovely day, showing real promise that Spring is under way. Amongst the growing birdsong, I heard the “chirp, chirp, cheep” of my first reed bunting of the year. Let’s hope it’s a portent of a productive breeding season for our red-bed denizens!

The reed cutting having been completed last time, this session’s task at hand was scrub bashing, and 17 scrub bashers certainly bashed some scrub. This was alongside the boardwalk between the car park and the storage container, following on from earlier bashing further along. It’s necessary because the willow trees love to extend their branches across the boardwalk, to the annoyance and inconvenience of visitors to the Common.

Unusually, the tools were laid out neatly at the start of the session, ready for the eager volunteers to pounce upon.

The Team Leaders were putting new blades in the bow saws (and what a difference it made)…and no cut fingers reported!

Those saws were of course put to good effect in the hands of crack sawyers.

And the loppers were put to even better use in the hands of, er, lopperers.

Cut branches were hauled away by hauliers

And brushers brushed the boardwalk clean

The usual coffee break gave everyone a chance to debate the issues of the day

…..then it was back to work. Four ladies set to building a dead hedge with the brash and branches removed….they were so proud (rightly so) of their work…

… here’s Team Leader Julie, the doyenne of dead-hedge creators, weaving her craft.

The boardwalk edges are now cut right back which will hopefully mean we can keep it clear to walk along.

A nice bracket fungus

The work almost done, there was light at the end of the tunnel

A session before Christmas worked on the section beside the boardwalk spur linking the main bit with Bradfield Road. These glorious Snowdrops give splendid justification for all that effort. 

Here’s Julie’s message of thanks:

Hello all

This is just our customary 'Thank you' to the fantastic team of volunteers who turned out for today's Work Party.  Seventeen of us turned out in the glorious sunshine to wield loppers, saws (with new blades!) and brooms.  It was a very enjoyable morning with everyone in good form. Congratulations to the team of ladies who discovered their talent for dead hedging - so satisfying to see it at the end.

We will be returning to tackle scrub on Area B in two weeks’ time and hope for the same lovely weather! Enjoy the sunshine while it lasts!

Take Care

Julie and the TLs