Millennium Green: 23-08-2022

I think that we can now sleep soundly in our beds as this week's task brought to an end the 2022 season of pulling balsam and bashing bracken. This final sortie was a second check along the banks of the River Nidd - from Millennium Green to Pateley Bridge itself. Everyone crossed their fingers and hoped that the wasps and bees would be kinder than they were on 12th July. 

Here are the highlights of the day....

Men (and women) at arms.

The sergeant major split them into two smaller units, 

each of which worked their way down either side of the river.

Some balsam was easy to spot and to reach.

Better still - it did not seem to be in large swathes.

That was a good start.

Hmmm. Hope there isn't any down there. 

I didn't bring my water wings.

Just as the team on the caravan site side of the

 river came into view of the end point at coffee time, 

so they hit a rather more extensive site.

On the opposite bank it was also a variable situation.

However, when Andy had a stern word 

with the subject of the search  it ran off and hid.

At coffee time, on the scout hut side, Andrew 

sat down for a rest - only to discover he had

 sat on a red ant colony. He swiftly moved 

to an alternative sitting place as

 ants started to invade his pants.

A disgruntled Andrew continued the task very gingerly,

hoping against hope that he wouldn't be attacked by wasps too,

Anita multi-tasked - the bag gives a

 clue as to what other job she did.

Ros E. lent a hand at the bandstand.

Here there was not only copious amounts

 of litter (within 3 m of a littler bin)

but also a number of balsam stems!!

The bandstand benches provided a perfect spot for lunch.

They also provided front row seats for the impromptu 

concert by the Pateley Bridge amateur operatic society.

This included old favourites such as 

'The hills are alive with the sound of bashing' 

and ' Climb every ant hill'.

Lunchtime brought an early end to the task.

Time to celebrate the end of the balsam season 

with a tasty ice cream from the nearby van.

Osian demonstrated a different form of multi-tasking.

Anita focused on just the one objective....

....as did everyone else.

Alistair was allowed a 99 flake in his having been stung

by no fewer than 5 wasps.

Having climbed over this wall to go to 

the bandstand, everyone then needed to go back 

over it. Why not just walk along the road 

back to the cars? You may well ask.

Brenda thought she had lost her phone, 

so the search was on along the river bank.

Everyone was phoning the phone by the minutes

as they searched high and low.

It was found, ringing away in the boot of the car!!

🙈

Next week - a week off for the NCVs as it is the August Bank Holiday week.

See you on the 6th September!