Happy New Year.....!!!!

Wishing all you GGmers the very best for 2018.

Mark has published a new schedule so hope to see everyone at Mill Copse

on Wednesday, 3rd Jan 2018.

(A great opportunity to work off those extra pounds we have all gained

over the festive period!)

Wed 13th Dec 2017 - Shide Quarry, Newport - GG # 715.

Terry's Photographs.

Trying to get the fire underway in damp conditions.

Processing the branches prior to burning.

Yes, there were some reasonably sized trees to cut!

A wood elf, hard at work.

A well earned tea break and shelter from the rain.

The fire did eventually become established.

A bit soggy underfoot.

More rubbish to be re-cycled.

The post session Christmas Party.

The best way to describe the weather for this session was damp....VERY DAMP...! It all started of reasonably well but by 11:00 the rain started coming down steadily and really didn't ease up. All a bit of a shame because, not only was this our last GG session of 2017 but it was also our "office" party. We were tasked with clearance along the northern boundary of this old chalk quarry and then to dispose of the "arisings" on a bonfire. In spite of the inclement weather, excellent progress was made with a wide swathe of the undergrowth cut all the way back to the steep chalk bank. Considering this whole area is chalk, it was very wet underfoot and a few people found that they had holes in their boots...! On completion of the work, the food was laid out and the "party" began. Many thanks to all those who contributed to the excellent spread and supplied the tables, gazebo etc.

So....all that is now left to do is to wish you all a VERY

Thank you all for the sterling work that that has been achieved by the group in 2017 and we look forward to seeing you all in the NEW YEAR.

Once again.....many thanks to Terry for taking the photographs this week and at many of the sessions throughout the year.

Wed 6th Dec 2017 - Munsley Bog, Godshill. GG # 714.

As with many things in life...if you do them for long enough then part of it becomes "tradition". Green Gym is no exception to this so... as it was the second to last session of the year we were at Munsley Bog in Godshill for a workout before going off to the GG Christmas lunch. Things were a little different this year as the "Big Lunch" was at the Dairyman's Daughter in Arreton rather than somewhere local in Godshill.
This year we were working at cutting back and raking on the area to the north of the boardwalk. It is always surprising just how much grows in just one year but it is no match for a band of GGmers..! Everything that was cut down or raked up was transported to the perimeter of the land then carefully piled up so all is left looking neat and tidy.
Although it was a grey, overcast, day it stayed dry throughout and the temperature was a bit higher than the average for this time of the year. Pleased that we are not working there later in the week as storm Caroline is forecasted for then....gale force winds and wintery showers - yuck.

Next week will be our final session of 2017 so, as tradition dictates, we will be at the Chalk Pit in Shide. Please can all those who have agreed to bring food and utensils along REMEMBER TO BRING THEM.

Photographs will be added as they arrive.

Wed 29th Nov 2017 - Bouldnor Forest, Yarmouth. GG # 713.

Terry's Photographs.

All the "runners" at the starting gate.

Ready...steady...GO...!

Clearing an area for the fire.

At last...we start to get warmer.

It is a long time since the coastal path came this way!

Cutting everything down to a manageable size. 

Above and below...a REAL fire.

What a difference.

In this blog, over the last few weeks, I have referred to the weather as being un-seasonably mild - not so this week..! The car thermometer was reading 2.5C as I pulled into the car park...brrrrr. We were to continue the cut and burn work we started a couple of weeks ago here but this time it was trees and shrubs rather than gorse. After a bit of a trek along the costal path we were shown an overgrown area and given the instruction "Take it down" - music to a GGmers ears! As this whole area is prone to costal erosion and is basically yellow clay underfoot, everyone had to be very aware of their footholds as the land dropped away steeply. As shown in the photographs above, we soon had a roaring fire underway which helped to keep the cold northerly wind from chilling us too much. Considering the temperature and difficult work site, we managed to achieve an extraordinary amount in one morning.

Many thanks to Terry for taking the photographs and we hope Mark is feeling better soon.

Wed 22 Nov 2017 - Merstone Station. GG # 712.

Terry's Photographs.

Now, where were we working today..?

The old station area with lots of cut grass.

Better get to work with the rakes then.

Giving the platform a haircut.

Loading trailer number 1.

Raking into piles ready for collection.

Pitchforks at the ready...go...!

Unloading trailer number 2.

If you can't find a trailer anywhere nearby then use a sack.

Down in the composting area.

A much needed tea break - WITH birthday cake..!

Now, which way is north?

The piles of grass get bigger.

The Boss keeps a beady eye on the workers.

The lengths some people will go to collecting the

last blackberry of the season!

The area down by the stream is looking clearer.

Collecting the last bits.

Compost mountain.

WOW - What an amazing job we all did.

I am sure that most GGmers look at the weather forecast before heading out on a Wednesday morning? If you did look this week then the weather warning for gale force winds might have been a bit perplexing..! The wind didn't seem that bad at the start of the session but, for once, the weather guys had got it right and the grass we were collecting was soon blowing everywhere. Never mind, the unseasonably warm weather and blue sky more than countered a gale.

A simple task for us to perform, just gather all the cut summer growth and pile it up into a compost heap. The photographs above show just how that was achieved by using lots of man/woman power and a couple of trailers. Hopefully this old station will look good over the winter months for all the recreational people that frequent the area and that the wild flowers will benefit next summer. Well done everyone!

Many thanks to Terry for taking all the above photographs.

Wed 15th Nov 2017 - Bouldnor Forest, Yarmouth. GG # 711.

Terry's Photographs.

The usual pre-session brief.

HI HO - it's off to work we go...

A "wall" of gorse to eradicate!

Gorse mountain.

Gorse burns VERY well.

One wall of gorse - cleared.

A kestrel keeping an eye on our antics.

The weather forecast for Wednesday morning gave a cloudy but warm day so, we were pleasantly surprised when the clouds parted and the sun shone through. As with our previous visits to this site, we were asked to help with the removal of large thickets of gorse that have grown up here over the years. The particular area that we were working on this session had the added "delights" of having huge brambles growing up through - wonderful...! As the photographs above illustrate beautifully, it did not take Team GG long to start cutting their way though what can best be described as a solid wall of gorse and bramble. The cut gorse soon had the bonfire roaring away and by the end of the session the particular area we were tasked to work on was cleared away. The arrival of the sun plus the beautiful views across the western solent made for a very enjoyable session.

Many Thanks to Terry for being our photographer this week.