Glasshouses verge: 13-08-2019

Something new for the NCVs to do!

The cropped photo above may well ring bells for regular readers - it was taken a couple of weeks ago when the group were out pulling balsam, while tool meisters Jan and Phil got busy preparing our scythes. They were getting them ready for the first day of the NCVs' big grass cutting job on Glasshouses verge. 

Oh,  the joy of not having to pull balsam!

The first job, course, was to adjust the scythes to the scythers....

Jan cast a beady eye over Osian's adjustments.

Andrew did a Poldark impersonation whilst Alistair looked on 
wishing he, too, could have a scythe.
Sorry Alistair - you'll have to wait until the change over at coffee time.

Then it was time to go down to the verge.....

The vegetation was very high....

...and the verge looked very long.
(This is only the half of it!)

Finally the NCVs started cutting some swathes.

"2 men went to mow, went to mow a meadow..."

Where's Spot?

Osian had a mighty swing that laid the grass to rest within seconds.

Ros K. did a grand job on the 'horrible hump' that borders the road.

New NCV, Tom M., took to scything like a duck to water.

Every so often an NCV would take time out to sharpen his scythe.

 Of course, all this scything created an unlimited supply of cut vegetation.

This had to be raked up...

...and pitch forked onto ever growing hay stacks.

Occasionally an NCV would manage to lift great quantities of vegetation.

"EEEK! There are biddies running down my back!"

Anita used the Basil Fawlty method of tamping down this stack to stop it falling over.

Ros E. decided to use a more active approach to this job.

(If the video doesn't work for you then click HERE.)

 Every so often Liz would appear with the trailer, which was dutifully filled before being driven away to take the vegetation to its final resting place.

The local picnic area provided an excellent place for coffee and lunch.

It was the kind of place where one 

could remove boots and give socks an airing.

In one corner the monster from the Blue Lagoon 

emerged from one steamy pair of wellies.

By the end of the afternoon the verge was looking very different.

Still a section to do on this half - and all the other half to do next week.

Time to go home folks!

Hang on - what happened to all those trailer loads of vegetation?

Well - they got transported to the barn where this patch of nettles had been bravely slashed down by an elite group of NCVs.

Sally forked it out of the trailer and onto a board...

...where it slid off - to be received by Angela, 

who spread it around the whole area.

In addition to all of this Will did an excellent job 

of cutting up a pile of rotting tree posts for kindling.

Summerstones Estate: 06-08-2019

The NCVs were back at the Summerstones estate on the Scarhouse road this week to do....

Drum Roll....

....yet more balsam pulling. 

Unfortunately, despite the best efforts of the army cadets last week, some of the dratted weed still remained. However - this was a visit with a difference - they had a helping hand.

They were joined by a group corporate volunteers, from Hammerson PLC, who had travelled all the way from London in order to do some volunteering. Thanks guys!!

Now - as you know - pulling balsam does not always lend itself to very interesting photography, but let's see what we can muster......

This was the situation on Sunday when the cadets got to work.
They were a well disciplined crew who knew how to hold a line.
The balsam stretched ahead of them but they moved forward as one.

By the time they stopped work on Sunday the slope was looking much better.
However - there was still a lot of balsam beyond the reaches of that straight line.

Fast forward to Tuesday when the NCVs and their assistants continued with the job.
Hmm. Not quite so disciplined. More of a diagonal approach this time.
Still - heaps of crushed balsam lay in their wake.

Hold the line you lot.
HOLD THE LINE!

This NCV has no sense of discipline what-so-ever.
He went completely off piste and ended up shoulder high in bracken.
You, soldier, are on potato peeling duty tonight.

And here's the team for a final photo.
At least some of them are still smiling.

Greygarth: 30-07-2019

BEAT THE CLOCK!!!

This week the NCVs were starting a race against time. In many parts of Nidderdale the dreaded balsam is fast approaching the time when it sets seed and the pods start to ripen and burst. Luckily for them a large group of army cadets were out to help at the top of the dale - so that was the uppermost affected reaches of the River Nidd catered for. Phew - thanks lads and lasses!

This gave the NCVs the chance to re-visit last week's task area at Greygarth, Dallowgill to try to eradicate the balsam that remained standing. This would assist with the upper reaches of the River Laver. (It's important to try and work from the top of the river down.) Luckily any pods that had already formed were not yet quite ready to burst.

Just on the cusp...

Here are a few pics from the day. You will probably feel a sense of déjà vu when you look at them. There are only a certain number of things that happen on a balsam day (unless something very out of the ordinary comes along....)

All round the pond there were stands

 of the pink stuff just asking for trouble.

Now then, thinks Andy, what's the best way to deal with this?

Why - slashing of course. 

Mind you - we'll have to be quick. There are thunderstorms due at lunchtime and being caught holding a slasher on an open hillside would not be wise!

Around the edge of the pond a weird conservation panto 

was enacted to ensure safety.

Either that or someone of a vintage age was delving into a gentleman's trousers.

Sally set off, determinedly, through the elbow high rushes in order 

to reach a couple of bits of balsam that were growing on the far side of the pond. 

She likes to do things thoroughly.

As the morning wore on the slashing action started to slow down.

Time for coffee!

And cake - thanks to Alwin!

Ahhhh. That's more like it.

Everyone was feeling rather warm and clammy.

This NCV was wearing a boiler suit over his clothes and it was clearly doing a good job, as evidenced by this very damp tea shirt that was revealed when he peeled it off.

 All of a sudden everyone joined in the peeling process.

Over-trousers just had to go.

And then it was back to the grindstone.

Andrew wondered about taking this specimen home for his Christmas tree.

As Tony got deeper into the vegetation he had to turn back, 

reporting that he was 'up to his oxters in water'.

This sounded livestock related but it turns out it means up to your armpits.

Tom The Divine demonstrated his ability to walk on water 

as he used rush rafts to reach the balsam.

No worries about him getting his oxters damp!

(If you look closely you can see the open water at the bottom of the picture.)

Like Sally, Osian went the extra mile to do a thorough job. 

He ventured into the next field to nab the outliers.

This teeny tiny frog was spotted by an eagle eyed NCV who had to get 

so close to photograph it that he could almost hear its heartbeat.

And then - all of a sudden - the job was complete.

By 12 noon.

The only pink left was on these thistles.

Mind you - there remained an under-story of very short balsam plants.

Let's hope they don't come to fruition before the end of the season.

We couldn't stay to even attempt to remove the mini-plants 

as thunder was starting to rumble during our lunch break. 

Luckily we all managed to get on our way home before 

the heavens opened and enormous hailstones rained down.

These were seen at Kirkby Malzeard - not far from Dallowgill.

Two other NCVs were working hard this week - peening the scythe blades and assembling them ready for use in a couple of weeks time.

(PS Peening means to hammer out the irregularities that gradually appear in the blades.)

And what did they use to peen those scythes?

Why, a bespoke peening block, expertly made by tool meister Jan.