Good start to 2014

Although New Year's Day was horrible, 2nd January was glorious, and the Common looked in excellent order. This is the view across the area where the main populations of orchids, cotton grass and bogbean grow.

On my brief walk across the Common to take my monthly record photographs I managed to find 16 species. Some have started to sing already, including robin, wren, great tit and song thrush. I was also pleased to find a tree creeper and coal tit on Jubilee Boardwalk, and on the main Common there was a female kestrel. In the sky in the distance a buzzard was soaring.

Not bad for a start! Let's hope for a good working party season, so we get all the necessary maintenance work completed.

Another great turnout and a good day with the winch

Once again we were blessed with a great turnout of volunteers, who were also lucky with a fine, mild morning. The new winch is really coming into its own: here's what it looks like.

And here's an example of what it can pull with ease. The two people holding ropes are merely keeping the leading edge of the tarpaulin tight - not actually pulling the load.

Unfortunately a mechanical failure on the mower prevented us from finishing the area we had wanted to cut completely, so there may be a smaller working party to finish it once the mower has been repaired. Here is Chairman John's traditional message:

Hello All

 

Thank you and congratulations everyone for a job well done this morning. 

The cheerful and purposeful atmosphere which characterises our working parties these days is a joy to be part of. 

You have all helped develop new ways of working which make best use of the winch whilst not leaving us all completely exhausted and wrung out, as so often happened before.

It was a shame that something as small as a broken clutch cable meant the cutting had to stop as we were on course to finish the whole area, which would have been some achievement and a first.

 

We always build in a good long break over Christmas and New Year in recognition of all the commitments people have at this time of year.  Consequently, the next Working Party is scheduled for Sunday 5th January.  But several people today suggested we have an extra unscheduled session when Grizzly is repaired, just to complete what we couldn’t do this morning.  This makes sense as otherwise we will have to relocate everything to the other side of The Beck mid session which will be an inefficient and awkward exercise.

 

So if I don’t see you before Christmas, let me wish you all the compliments of The Season and look forward to your pleasant company and energetic labour when we reconvene.  I will arrange an ad-hoc working party as soon as Grizzly is mended.

 

Kind regards and many thanks

 

John

First outing for the new winch

Today's working party was the first one to use our wonderful new winch, purchased for us by the Edith Murphy Foundation. We had a great turnout of 19 volunteers, most of whom are in this picture showing the Health & Safety briefing before getting stuck in (and I got well and truly stuck in some very gloopy mud!)

The winch itself is a fairly small petrol engine, but once it is attached to a tree has enormous pulling power.

With all this power, and the ground being so soft, we reverted to using our old tarpaulins rather than the cart. With just a couple of people required to stop the front edge of the tarpaulin from closing up, it meant that everyone else could concentrate on loading the cut reeds onto the second sheet.

So strong was the winch in fact that whilst it was quite capable of pulling very heavy loads, it discovered a weakness with some of the webbing straps attached to one of the tarpaulins, and on the very last load these snapped. We therefore need to repair them before the next working party on 1st December, so as can be seen in John's comments below, we are looking for help from anyone with an industrial sewing machine.

With Grizzlie keeping a steady supply of cut material, everyone had plenty to do.

This short video clip gives an idea of how easily a large load slid across the ground, with just a couple of people helping keep the front edge tight.

Here is Chairman John's message:

Hello All

 

If the old hands were dismayed at the thought of dragging tarpaulins again, imagine how I feel about our fine, even iconic, cart being made obsolete. It seems we’ve gone full circle as we would have truly struggled with the cart in today’s conditions; and you thought I was joking when I said no weight was too much for the new winch. 

 

The day was undoubtedly a success on two counts, not just the winch but the record turn-out of nineteen volunteers, marking a real upturn of our fortunes.  Thank you everybody for your hard work and the way you all recognised what needed to be done without being told.  We simply worked out new ways of working as if by magic in a way that was a joy to see.  This is why SCT won the Queen’s Award.

 

I have two weeks to get the sewing needle working on the tarpaulins.  Whilst I turn my hand to many things (if it can be done with wood or rope, it will be!) sewing is NOT my forte, so if anyone feels able to help, perhaps with access to an industrial sewing machine, I would be more than grateful.  I just want some webbing loops sewn so that hauling ropes can be attached.

 

Thanks again to every one of you.  Next working party will resume on Sunday 1st December at 10:00am where we left off.   

 

Kind regards

John

Working party 3rd November

A great turnout today: 17 volunteers, including four very welcome newcomers to our happy band. The weather was kind, and we got through an impressive amount of work.

Towards the end of the session we treated to a brief prospecting fly-over by a wonderful red kite, though sadly it wasn't in view for long enough to get a photo.

Here's Chairman John's message:

Dear All

If “The Big Society” has gone out of fashion in Westminster, it certainly hasn’t here in Southrepps.   I think what we are achieving on The Common this year is impressive by the standards of any community, and this morning was yet more of the same.  I extend a very warm welcome to our more recent friends who are making such a difference, whilst the old hands are no less appreciated. 

It always amazes me to see how work seems easier and output increases as more people join in.  This proves that everybody makes a valuable contribution.  Thank you very much.

 

Kind regards

John 

Working party 20th October - thanks from John

Hello All

 

Thank you one and all.  Yesterday was an encouraging turn-out and a fine display of British pluck in the face of all that the weather gods could throw.     

I had serious anxieties about how we would manage another winter like the last one, or indeed any winter at all.  But with the sudden appearance of three new volunteers and such enthusiasm from all of you, it seems our fortunes have turned.  We must now work hard to get nicely ahead before a well-earned break through December, Christmas and the New Year.  The next session is Sunday 3rd November.  I know you can’t wait.

 

Thanks again

Kind regards

John

Bullrush clearance at the Pit

Today was the day allotted to thinning out the bullrushes at the Pit, to prevent them from choking the pond. Despite a dreadful weather forecast, five hardy souls turned out, and were rewarded with two hours free of rain, during which time the job was accomplished.

As can be seen, it was even enjoyable!

Here's what the Pit looked like from the road before we started

And this is how we left it

Working party 6th October 2013 - thanks for the turnout of volunteers

Hello All

What an encouraging start to the season we had this morning thanks to all of you.  With several apologies in the bag, I was expecting to have to make the best of a small turn-out but the opposite happened and we achieved a lot.  All in all a great start thank you everyone.  Reacting to popular demand, all working parties (except special ones) will be on Sundays starting from 10:00am to 12 noon, with a coffee break which is growing more and more elaborate – wet wipes today, what next?

Regards from John