Wed 17th Dec 2021 - Shide Quarry, Newport. GG # 865.

Team GG hard at work...even on party day 😀

It was pretty muddy underfoot.

The bit everyone was waiting for Geoff's potatoes ..!

True to GG tradition, our final session of the year was held at Shide Quarry, Newport. Being Green GYM, we can't just have an end of year celebration without getting involved with WORK..😀. As is often the case at this site, the work involved cutting away at the plentiful undergrowth that springs up again every year and disposing of it on a bonfire.

With the hard work done, it was time to erect the tables and tuck into the party food that people had kindly brought along. The jacket potatoes were absolutely delicious so a big thanks to Geoff for those 👍. In light of current Covid regulations, everyone used disposable tableware and social distancing was observed at all times.

Well, 2021 has certainly been a "different" year but we have managed a few real GG sessions (along with the Zoom virtual ones..!). All that is left now is to wish you all a ....

And we hope to see you all in 2022..!

Wed 8th Dec 2021 - Munsley Bog, Godshill. GG # 864.

A whole lot of raking and pitchforking needed here..!

A rather sad looking board-walk.

After repair.

Tea break and team talk.

Looking much tidier now 👏.

It has become something of a tradition for Green Gym.... the session held before the annual festive dinner is at Munsley Bog and then everyone pops around to the Griffin for the Christmas lunch. We were tasked with giving the area to the north of the board-walk a good makeover which included raking up all the pre cut material, cutting down the ever growing willow and repairing the planks on the raised area. After yesterday's horrendous storm, the weather was dry, warm and even sunny at times, can it really be December..??? Numbers were down a little but plenty was achieved in those few short hours before they all departed for lunch.

Next week's session will be the last of 2021 and held at the Shide Chalk Pit. There are rumours of jacket potatoes but, because of the Covid regulations, you might want to bring along your own fillings and cutlery. 

Wed 1st Dec 2021 - Shanklin Cemetery. GG # 863.

 Terry's Photographs.

"Now...where should I plant this one?"

It looks like the moles have been busy 😂

That's what you call getting down to it...!

Tea break and chat time.

Back to work.

Little and LARGE.

There is ALWAYS litter to pick.

All packed away and ready to roll.

A job well done.

This week were were at another new spot although we have worked on a site adjacent to it, Copse Mead, back in 2017/17. 

The task was very simple, to plant the saplings that were left over from the Appley job - two weeks ago. Once the positions were carefully plotted out it was just a case of digging the hole, planting the tree then fitting a protective collar made from recycled drain pipes..! This was then surrounded by with wood chipping mulch which will hopefully hold back the growth of the surrounding grass while feeding the new saplings. Around 40 trees were planted across the unused area of the to the norther boundary. The weather was warm with blue skies and light winds, amazing considering we are now into December 👍.

Next week we will be out at Munsley Bog, Godshill - the annual GG Christmas Dinner will be after this session (Covid regulations permitting..!). The following week will be the last session for 2021 and will be held in Newport, possibly at Shide Quarry, hope that everyone will be able to attend.

Many thanks to Terry for his excellent photographs.

Wed 24th Nov 2021 - One Horse Field, Totland. GG # 862.

Terry's Photographs. 

Meeting up in the car park.

Details of where we were working.

Let the 'Great British Rake-Off' begin..!

That other good game ' Bag and Drag'😀

Time for tea and a Mark Chat.

Then back to it.

Looking GOOD..!

The compost heap.

Nicely trimmed oak tree.

This is the weather that greeted me as I left home for the GG session this week....freezing fog!

De-iced the windows, got the heater warmed up and found where the rear fog light switch was before setting off to the wilds of Totland. It has been some time since we last visited One Horse Field but nothing much has changed over there, except may be in the car park where the brambles seem to have reclaimed all the areas we had cleared in the past. 😏. Our task was very simple, collect all the grass and bracken that had been cut earlier, bag it up and remove to various compost heaps around the perimeter. A rather overgrown oak tree was given a good pruning to lift the crown.

The weather did improve during the morning and once the sun had chased the mist away it became pleasantly warm.

There are a couple of prospective venues for next week so please keep an eye on your email in tray for further details.

Many thanks to Terry for his photographs.

Wed 17th Nov 2021 - Appley Park, Ryde. GG # 861.

 Terry's Photographs.

We all love a new site and this week’s is one so familiar to many of us as it is a very popular Park indeed for a seaside stroll adjacent to the beautiful Appley Beach and Ryde Esplanade.
The weather has been so mild for November and again today is no different. Thankfully the leaves are almost all shed from the tree whips which have done well in their nursery bed over the summer. They are becoming dormant. So today is the day for them to be transplanted into their final positions as feature specimens. The Park is such a fabulous green space, and we hope that these trees will grow to maturity, look fabulous themselves and provide valuable habitat and amenity to the area. We had some positive feedback from those enjoying the Park while we worked.
The other very noticeable this about the session was the way in which the sward which hadn’t been cut this summer (partly because of the trees) has become a space for wildflowers to flourish! Great to see and shows how resilient nature can be. I guess throughout all those years of ‘Appley Pitch and Putt’ and the hard and frequent mowing regime on the greens, the seeds remained in the margins, the ‘rough’ if you like! What a result! This will influence the management going forward, and what a great thing it would be if the wildflowers were allowed to spread further.

We hope to be back!

Many thanks to Terry for the photographs and Mark for the editorial.