A change is as good
as a rest!!
Well, that's how the saying goes. Whether or not the NCVs would agree, I am not sure. The announcement that, after three weeks of holly removal, they would be working in Hackfall woods sounded positive. The details given on what they would actually be doing instead were somewhat vague, so they couldn't be sure about the change being for the better unil they arrived. "Some work to do in the car park and around the fountain" was mentioned. Well - that could mean a number of things.
Shall we see what actually took place and then you can make up your own mind about the change being resful or not?
The main task at the car park was to reveal this section of wall for the wallers to work on.
Wall? What wall?
I think it is under here.
Oh great. Holly.
No change there then.
And blackthorn.
And hawthorn.
Prickle central.
Mountains of brash
were removed and the wall
was exposed ready for the wallers.
And what about the brash?
Let's dead hedge it in this
corner shall we?
Just for a change.
Ok - car park job
number one done.
Meanwhile, Paul was getting on
with CP job number 2 -
clearing the overgrown road sign
and giving it a bit of a wipe.
Not much change there either.
CP job 3 - litter picking.
Ooops. No litter picker.
Will skillfully improvised to
transfer a dog poo bag into a
bin bag with a grass slasher....
....whilst Osian slashed his way
to the wall with a spade.
What a topsy turvy world we live in.
Then it was a walk down to
the sandbeds for coffee and
home-made fat rascals.
Thanks Liz!!!
Osian sat quietly,
inwardly fuming about having
to use a spade instead
of a slasher.
So unprofessional!!
The next big task was to clear the path to the bench at the sandbeds 'hut', and all the vegetation from below it.
somewhat hidden.
However - after a good deal of hard work
by some members of the team
it was revealed in all its glory.
The rest of the team were required to
clear encroaching vegetation.
It was adversely impacting on one of
Turner's famous Hackfall views - namely
that across to Mowbray Castle from
the fast appearing bench.
They had their work cut out.
There was a lot of hazel
and sycamore in the way.
At least there were very few prickly
stems. That makes a change!!
Let's take these big boys out.
Now - that looks more like what
Turner would have been looking at.
(There are trees in front of the castle
that contractors will need to do.)
Uh oh. Here we go.
Brash to deal with.
As usual.
Never mind - this old section
of dead hedge has all but
disappeared. Bring it here.
At lunchtime the flies were starting
to make a nuisance of themselves.
However - this trio had come well prepared.
Now - back to that brash.....
THAT looks more
like a dead hedge again.
Well done team.
The gang wound their weary
way back to the CP.
However - there were some steps
that needed cleaning en route.
That made a bit of a change.
So - what do we conclude? Is a change as good as a rest?
Given one member of the team was heard to say that he was 'cream crackered' before we got as far as lunchtime, I think we can safely say probably not. Mind you, apart from the change of venue the tasks were not much different to the last three weeks!!
Apologies - next week there will be no blog published. The editor will be away on a remote Hebridean island without internet access, so you will need to find something else to read until she returns!! What can be revealed in advance is that the gang will be working up at Stean, doing 'woodland maintenance' on Low Riggs Farm. Tree tubes may figure in the day.
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