Monday - Low Bramley Grange Farm
At 12:30pm 3 NCVs met Kelly Harmer from the Nidderdale AONB office to help out with the hay meadows project work. This time we were sowing rather than collecting wild flower seeds, which brought the work full circle. The farmer had ensured that the field we were planting in had been recently grazed so that there were plenty of bare patches of soil. We also made good use of the loose soil created by some very busy moles!
Kelly gets the NCVs organised for the task
with her bumper bag of seed packets.
We had to use rakes to disturb the surface of the soil before scattering on the seeds of a variety of species. We then covered the seed and trod over the disturbed ground to ensure that the seeds were well embedded. Different species had to be planted in different areas of the field depending on the types of growing conditions they favoured. As we worked black rain clouds gathered but, thankfully, the rain held off.
The chocolate cookies, provided by Kelly (thanks Kelly!), gave us sufficient energy to complete the job by 4:30pm.
Some of the sown areas were marked with a cane so that Kelly could then go and take GPS readings to enable her to find them next year to monitor their progress. It will be interesting to see how well our newly sown seeds grow.
Rain, rain stay away.
The NCVs down tools to sample Kelly's
home made goodies. (They were VERY yummy!)
Some of the sown areas were marked with a cane so that Kelly could then go and take GPS readings to enable her to find them next year to monitor their progress. It will be interesting to see how well our newly sown seeds grow.
The cane marks the spot where the yellow rattle seeds have been sown.
(These particular ones were harvested 2 years ago on a REALLY wet Tuesday - see blog entry No. 1)
Tuesday - Hackfall Wood
At 10am sharp 13 NCVs met Paul to carry out what had been advertised as 'some path clearance work' in Hackfall Wood. This actually turned out to mean 'a morning of Himalayan Balsam pulling (hereafter HBP) followed by some path clearance work in the afternoon'. Obviously Paul realised that he would get a better turn out that way as HB pulling does not always pull in the crowds!
We achieved a good deal in the morning and actually managed to clear a big area of balsam. As long as we didn't look around the corner of the path we could feel that we had finished the job. Our work was assisted by singing a couple of HBP songs - the usual one to the tune of Rawhide for which Angela has now written the full lyrics (see end of entry) and a new one to the tune of 'I'm forever blowing bubbles' (I'm forever pulling balsam, pretty balsam in the wood....'). Some chocolate brownies at coffee time also helped the job along.
And they're off - HB is ruthlessly hunted down and pulled up.....
... before being carted off by barrow-man Dave L.
(the only volunteer when 'a strong young man' was called for.)
Apologies for the lack of clarity of this photo - Paul was obviously suffering from HBP syndrome which results in sufferers experiencing severe musculoskeletal shaking
of the arms.
At lunchtime we were entertained by a very bold bank vole that made its way gradually down the path in front of us - not a bit worried by our presence.
A passing vole makes enquiries about volunteering
opportunities whilst checking out Terry's lunch bag for crumbs.
manifests itself in a belief that invisible armchairs are available in the woods.
Sufferers do appear to be able to sit suspended in mid air for long periods of time.
(Please note that Joanne chose lunchtime to arrive - she obviously knew about Paul's
'path clearance work' ruse in advance.)
The path clearance work was not too arduous and gave us an early finish.
This meant that those NCVs who wanted to could return to the barn and meet Chris Bax, who had been running an earth oven course for the Nidderdale AONB throughout the day. It was good to see the fruits of our labours over the last two weeks being finished off, ready to be put to good use.
Is this clear enough?
Task completed and the long haul up and out of the valley is nearly over.
Chris prepares to explain the bread oven construction
method to the NCVs.
The instructions for how to make a bread oven can be downloaded from the following website:
http://www.metoffice.gov.uk/media/pdf/1/e/Build_and_bake_-_how_to_build_an_oven_by_River_Cottage.pdf
And finally..... the lyrics of Angela's HBP song (to be sung to the tune of 'Rawhide'):
Balsam, balsam, balsam
Himalayan balsam
We love pulling balsam
Oh yeah
Hour after hour
Never let it flower
We love pulling balsam
Oh yeah
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