Wed 26th May - GG Virtual Session #046.

 Those attending today were...

The excitement of last week's outdoor session was somewhat short lived...this week we reverted to, yet another, online Zoom meeting 😞. Mark pointed out that suitable venues are difficult to find at the moment especially as we are in the middle of the bird nesting season. The positive news is that there may well be some outdoor work coming up soon but the dreaded words Ragwort and Himalayan Balsam were also mentioned...👎. Then again, I am sure that we are all so desperate to get out that even Pesky Plant Pulling sessions would be well attended..!!!

The topics of conversation were, as per usual, wide ranging - everything from traffic information to dead whales and bonfires. In light of the expected work along river banks and the problem of locating the exact spot, it was suggested that perhaps the phone app "what3words" might be handy. Some time was then spent laughing about the three words used for our home locations 😂. Apparently a dead whale has been washed up on the beach at Fort Victoria (although I was there yesterday and didn't notice anything). It seems that bonfires are the next things to fall to the "green" legislation - we wondered if that might change how we dispose of "arisings" in the future?

Talking of things green, I have recently collected my contribution to reducing my petrol car milage.. a new    E-bike. I have always been amazed at Viv's determination to use her bike at every opportunity so hope that I can, in a much smaller way, achieve something similar. Firstly, I have got to remember how to ride a bike...lol.

Take care, stay safe and keep an eye on your e-mail in tray for details about  upcoming REAL sessions.

Wed 19th May 2021 - All Saint's Church, Freshwater. GG # 838.

 Terry's Photographs.

I have just looked through the blog archives to find out when we had the last scheduled session prior to today....(although we have squeezed in a few sessions as the ever changing regulations allowed)

Tue 17th March 2020 - IMPORTANT MESSAGE...PLEASE READ....!

Hello Everyone,

We have come to the decision in the light of the latest guidance on public health. We feel it sensible to suspend the sessions starting this Wednesday and for the foreseeable future until this all passes. I don't think I need to go into detail as to why this is happening but we all know we have to be careful and look after our own health and those of loved ones.  It hasn't been easy thing to do though, as we all love the group of course. I suggest perhaps you all continue to do something of a Wednesday morning in your gardens or in your home which makes you feel good. Meditation, yoga, call a friend, chat on social media, gentle exercise. There are lots of suggestions online.  😊👍

We'll see each other again soon when this blows over. 

Look after yourself and keep smiling. ❤

Mark.

Who would have thought that it would have taken so long for us to get back to our regular Wednesday morning sessions...??? Well, some 45 Zoom meetings later, we have (hopefully) turned the corner and back to doing what we do best - tackling countryside. 

We all met up ( keeping good social distancing of course ) at the church entrance and the instructions were very simple "clear out anything that shouldn't be growing there" so we were soon spread across the church yard and doing our own thing. It is astounding how nature has reclaimed everything with just one year of free growth, it will take a good few sessions for us to get  back to where we were before.

This was a well attended meeting and although we did have a few rain drops, the heavy rain held off until we had finished.

Mark did mention at the tea break chat that he is looking at suitable venues for future weeks so hopefully we will have a full schedule again soon 👏.

Many thanks to Terry for the excellent photos.

Wed 12th May - GG Virtual Session # 045.

 Your representatives at the AGM were...

The meeting started promptly at 10:00 and it was straight into the formality of the AGM agenda. Mark stated that he had received no apologies from those not attending. The minutes of the last AGM had been circulated and they were no questions. This was followed by a report from the treasurer and a statement from Mark as the chairman. To summarise, the IoW GG is financially secure and looking forward to getting back to some sort of normality once the present Covid regulations allow. Mark did thank everyone for their support during what has been a difficult year for many of us and remarked that, although Zoom has been something of a challenge at times, it has allowed us to stay in contact. You will be pleased to know that there is enough money left in the kitty to buy biscuits for the tea breaks..!!! 😃👏.

Unfortunately, my door bell went at this point and I had to leave the meeting.

In light of Boris easing some of the rules, it is likely that we will be able to hold outdoor sessions some time soon, albeit with social separation..... so excellent news 👍.

Take care everyone and stay safe.

Wed 5th May 2021 - GG Virtual Session # 044.

 Those attending this week's Zoom session were.....

Once again we find ourselves back in the virtual world of Zoom for our Wednesday morning meeting. The constraints still imposed by the present Covid regulations are restricting the venues we can attend but we are still ever hopeful 😏.

There was some discussion as to wether we, as a group, should be investigating any "loss of earnings" grants that have become available. Yes, we have lost revenue over the last year but it seems the finances have been well managed and we are still solvent. More details of this will be revealed at the AGM which is now expected to be held on line, using Zoom, on next Wednesday morning at 10:00 hours.... everyone is welcome to attend and to make their views known.

There was a lengthy chat about tree planting and the various groups who will provide saplings. It seems that there is presently a government backed scheme to plant millions of trees across the UK, details of which have been broadcasted on the BBC's Countryfile program. If you have a suitable amount of garden or the odd acre of land going spare then you might want to look at this link 

https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/14KG5D14vHxHGvch64YnqNc/take-part-in-plant-britain

I am sure we will be actively engaged in this project once we get back to "real" GG sessions.

For those of you who get out and about walking, apparently the blue bells at Mottistone are particularly good this year although some were damaged during the bank holiday Monday storms.

Don't forget that the AGM is next Wednesday...!

Stay safe everyone.