Old Spring Wood: 17-07-2018

  

"Gird up your loins fellow NCVs - today is the day when battle against the enemy commences. 

We will fight it in the woods. 

We will fight it round the rocks. 

We will fight it amongst the ferns. 

We will claim victory over the ever present - bracken. 

Well - at least until this time next year.

The fightback started at 09:30 BST on the battlefield at Old Spring Wood. Weapons were restricted to hazel poles and grass slashers but there were many casualties. As the small army of 13 NCVs, working under General Liz's instructions, slowly made their way through different areas of the wood they left, in their wake, swathes of bruised and beaten bracken fronds. As the first stage of the battle came to an end it was clear that the NCVs were winning.  The fight will be taken up again in two weeks time.

Firstly any new recruits had to be shown the 

difference between a bracken plant and a fern.

We didn't want any of these shuttlecock look-a-likes 
being bashed into submission!

Meanwhile the more seasoned troops simply got on 
with the job of seeking out the enemy.

Private Dave favoured the grass slasher....

...whilst Corporal Graham preferred the hazel pole.

Up on this top plateau the situation was promising - 
lots of bracken free bilberry and some areas of bare woodland floor. 
Our years of bracken bashing is having a real effect up here.

Over by the perimeter wall things were not quite so good.

However - the invasive weed was soon brought to its knees.

This area of new birch saplings was a bit awkward 
but that, too, fell by coffee time.

Audrey's flapjack helped to sustain the troops. (Thanks Audrey!)
Paul did his 'I want to be alone' act.

After coffee it was down into the bottom of the wood 
where things looked promising at this side.

Less so over this side.

However-  Julia realised that many of the 'bracken plants' were 
actually ferns - so the situation was not as bad as we first thought!

Every so often a circle would form, 
as the troops moved in for the kill.

Rear gunner Anita laughed heartlessly as she 
knocked down the final fronds in this particular stand.

At lunchtime it appeared that everyone wanted to be alone!

By close of play the only real casualty of the NCVs' platoon 
(apart from Tom who developed a bracken bashing blister) 
was Ros E who, having been chased by a wasp all lunchtime, 
was later stung on the rear end. VERY PAINFUL!!

Two interesting finds from today....

A woodland fungus...

...and a wasp's nest up in the nearby shed.