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.

Wed 8th Nov 2017 - One Horse Field, Totland. GG # 710.

Terry's Photographs.

Site information.

Lots to rake and transport.

"One man went to mow...went to mow a meadow"

Just one of the MANY compost piles.

The two areas that we cleared.

It was a long drive for most of Team GG this week, all the way out to the wilds of West Wight. It has been ages since we last visited this venue but little had really changed. We were tasked with raking up and clearing the grass, brambles and blackthorn that was being cut by the G2N ranger. This was then placed in huge piles to the side of the cleared areas and will hopefully become protection for the smaller wildlife over the winter months. It is really hard work trying to keep areas such as this clear of undergrowth so they can thrive as meadows. As can be seen from the photographs above, we had a beautiful blue sky but the chilly wind reminded us that we are now approaching mid November. Hard work but very rewarding when you see what was achieved in just one morning.

Many thanks to Terry for taking the photographs this week.