Glasshouses verge: 18-09-2018

Apparently this week is National Cupcake week in the UK. You would have expected, then, that the NCVs had cupcakes at coffee time this Tuesday but you would be wrong. Instead they had the much more healthy option of Audrey's flapjack - thanks Audrey! It was a welcome bit of sustenance given our task.

And what was the task? Well - you can probably guess if you read last week's blog. We went home at the end of the day with only half the verge at Glasshouses having been cut, so this week we had to finish the job. Whilst 5 members of the group made a start, another 6 underwent scything training at the barn with trainer Joe Priestley. Once they felt ready they came to join in the fun.

At the barn the trainees were first shown how to put together their scythes.

Once assembled they were shown how to cut a swathe.

Nice straight backs lads!

Meanwhile, along the road, in very wet conditions, 

was a verge just waiting for the chop.

A quick sharpen of the 'ol blade....

...and they're off!

Once the trainees joined the others Joe asked them to watch the technique of old hand Tony. who was apparently leaving a nice even sward behind him and a good, straight windrow. (That's the cut vegetation to those uninitiated in the art of scything.)

The lunch spot was nicely sheltered from the 
gale force wind that blew up during the morning.

The afternoon weather conditions were much 
more favourable, thank goodness. 

Every so often nature threw up the

 odd obstacle to our scything

Some were quick movers...

 ......others less so.

Eventually there was only a little bit to 
do, on the bank by the road.

The final blades of grass were cut!! 

Now all that we had to do was to rake it all up.

These two shots taken from the centre of the cutting 
area show the extent of verge cut during the day.

In spite of maintaining a straight back whilst scything all day,
 it was clear that Anita was starting to relax her stance 
on the way back to the barn.

Finally Joe explained how to make hand tied hay bales 

from the grass we cut in future (no time to try it out today!).
These would make it easier to remove the grass from the verge entirely.

Footnote - 

The big green caterpillar that was found on the wall next to the verge last week turned out to be a Poplar Hawk Moth caterpillar. It took a while for the experts to agree, but here are the before and after photos....

What a transformation!!!

Also - Osian went on a site visit to check out an upcoming task - whilst he was there he saw these toadstools. Any suggestions as to what they might befrom the experts out there?

Update - experts have informed me that the fungus is a Shaggy Parasol.

Interesting as the one on the verge pictured earlier was a Shaggy Inkcap.

Obviously a day for shaggy fungi!