Bracken Bashing - Old Spring Wood: 16-07-2013

Editor's note - those eagle eyed readers who have noticed that there is no blog entry for last week need wonder no more - we did meet. However, it was for an excellent wild flower identification training session with Marian Wilby of the Nidderdale AONB team, rather than a work task. Part of the morning was spent in the 'classroom' at the AONB office in Pateley and then we all moved up to Strawberry Bank for practical application of our skills in using identification keys and magnifying glasses. Blisteringly hot conditions led to an early finish in the afternoon.)

Now - back to this week and over to Tony K......

I looked up 'BB' on the Internet and found that there are a lot of them, although Bracken Bashing doesn’t seem to be listed as an abbreviation. There’s Big Brother, Brigitte Bardot, Denys Watkins-Pitchford (known as BB), illustrator and author, to name but a few but the most important one of all wasn’t there. Isn’t that strange?

Nineteen people turned up at Old Spring Wood, all of them eager to attack the invasive threat which either indicates people’s love of bracken bashing or, if you’re feeling uncharitable, it was the prospect of one of Rosemary’s barbecues. Five volunteers returned to the other never-ending task there of encouraging trees to stand up straight and replacing tree guards which had been decapitated; the rest of us started on the bracken. The weather of course was superb but although most of us were working out of the reach of direct sunlight the five stalwarts on the hill were glad of the shade by lunch time.

As always, Rosemary did us proud. Three courses – nibbles, main course and pud, with coffee and tea to follow. Although we were eager to get back to work the lunch break seemed to be longer than usual, about an hour and half, and there was general agreement that the afternoon’s work should be curtailed and we would finish at 3pm. The folks on the hill were the last to give up and looked very hot and ready to drop when they got back to the cars, but it was a very productive day.

Paul reminded us that the 30^th July will be the summer walk, and coincides almost with Audrey’s 80^th birthday (the 27^th). He will bring a card next week for us to sign showing, ideally, a bird in a tree, as both of these living items are favourites of Audrey’s. 

Tony K