End of another cutting season

A very wet working party finished off the cutting season for another year; the conditions underfoot were as wet as anyone could remember, and several people got very wet. The Grizzlie got bogged down a couple of times, and needed some ingenuity and brawn to rescue it.

Nonetheless, the 10 brave souls who tuned up worked with a will, and we completed the programme for the year, to our great relief. We all needed a rest at the end!

But at least we had the satisfying sight of a whole new vista opened up; at least, until it all grows again!

Here's what Chairman John had to say:

Dear All

 

Well that’s it for another season, and today’s stoic stalwarts deserve their thank you to be as public as possible, which is why I am writing to the whole volunteer group.  After the dreadful winter we’ve been through you would have thought the weather gods would cut us a bit of slack on this last working party of the 2012-13 season, but not a bit of it.  This morning dawned grey and wet, with no promise of improvement, whilst the conditions underfoot have never been worse.  You all knew we would struggle to meet the requirements of the programme but everyone went to the work with a will and the end result is truly remarkable.  I am hoping for some great photos from Duncan and Tim showing the impressive and beautiful view from the corner of the boardwalk, looking right across to the boundary, a vista that has never been seen before in its completeness.  Thank you all once again, and remember the provisional date of 5th May for our non-working party.

 

Best wishes from John

Good birds lately

We've been very fortunate to have had a couple of really good birds flying over the common in the last couple of weeks. First we had a rough legged buzzard, with its characteristic habit of hovering briefly in mid-flight. That stayed around for a couple of hours, but I suspect has moved on. And then a flock of 45 whooper swans flew over on the morning of 2nd March, making a wonderful sound. Perhaps they are gathering together to fly back to the wild north.

Working party 3rd March

I wasn't able to take part in today's working party, but by all accounts it was a great success. Here's Chairman John's message:

Hello All

 

Well you really did respond magnificently to my rallying cry, the closest to a plea for help that I have ever allowed myself.  Thank you very much for working this morning and helping to achieve so much.  With one more session, Saturday 16th March, it is clear that we will come jolly close to meeting this year’s target which, given the hardships of weather and sickness, is a splendid achievement.  Remember that without your sustained effort the Common would quickly revert to rank scrub and the rare plants that the place supports would soon disappear.  Then we would lose the reason for its SSSI status and the legal protection that goes with it.  Remember also, that without you Southrepps Parish Council would inherit an impossible liability for upkeep which it couldn’t possibly afford, and another precious piece of  nature’s wonderful tapestry would vanish.  So, all in all, you can be justifiably proud of giving something back for the benefit of not just Southrepps but all the visitors who enjoy the fruits of your labour. 

 

Thank you and best wishes from John

A select few

After a slightly dull start, the morning developed into a warm, bright and lovely harbinger of spring. Sadly, there were fewer of us to enjoy it than usual, which made the work harder than we like, but we still achieved a lot. This picture shows Chairman John deep amongst the reeds, with our faithful Grizzly hard at work.

And here's his now customary message:

Famous oratory praising “The Few” comes to mind today.  Thank you very much ladies and gentlemen for your sterling effort.  Whilst we might struggle to finish the whole programme in just two more sessions, we’ve certainly done the most important part, and in the spring sunshine this morning it looked great.  Thanks again, next session is Sunday 3rd March.

Working party 2nd February

A good working party in decent weather, until a sharp snow shower near the end of the session. At least we got a lot done, which always helps you see the light at the end of the tunnel. Here's what Chairman John has to say:

Hello All

 

There’s a danger of my thank you sounding a bit cliché because I’m always so fulsome in your praise.  But that is not the case at all as today, like every day, you’ve earned all the plaudits that can be heaped upon you.  None of us is getting any younger and each can be justifiably proud of what was achieved today.  Thank you very much.  The next working party is Saturday 16th, same place at 9:00am, when we will easily (a loose interpretation of the word, for Duncan’s benefit) finish the Central Area and move across to tackle the front half of the reedbed which is more rewarding and lighter work.

 

Regards from John

Ready for the thaw

A beautiful morning today, if a dripping one as the thaw set in after another fall of snow last night. Nonetheless, the conditions are such that the working party deferred from last week has had to be called off again. Here's what Chairman John has said:

"I suppose it was always unrealistic to hope that conditions would change quickly enough to permit tomorrow’s working party to go ahead.  John D. and I have just carried out a pitch inspection and conclude that, even with a fast thaw, there will still be snow on the ground and the rest will be unmanageably wet.  There is also the question of the damage that we might cause by trampling all the plants before they are properly thawed.  So, reluctantly, the working party for tomorrow, 27th. January, is cancelled and you can look forward to a bit longer in bed. 

We will of course resume next Saturday, 2nd. February, at 9:00am, come hell or high water.

 

This brings me on to the measures we must take to catch up.    We really have two options, i.e., work longer or insert extra work days into the programme.  I am very aware that many of us are flagging after two hours and there should be absolutely no dishonour in stopping when you’ve had enough.  With that very clearly understood, I propose that we should work till 11:30 next Saturday and discuss the way forward during coffee break.  It would help me to know your thoughts on the subject so you can email me with your views if you like.  I will run with whatever is the majority view,  I just think that myself as Chairman, and the people of Southrepps, are very lucky to have you working at all!

 

We all know that every individual’s contribution is valuable and appreciated;  never more so than now.

 

Kind regards from John"

Anyway, I was able to take a few photos. School Common looked nice in the snow:

 

Scouts' Pond was still well frozen, but looking pretty.

The dog enjoyed the snow, as dogs tend to do - here on the recently cut area G.

I was hoping for more birds than I found, but I was at last rewarded by some good long tailed tits that for once were not hidden by twigs and branches. I quite like the cross formed by the tails of these two:

Snow stops [play

There was meant to be a working party yesterday, but the recent snow put paid to that. The following are   the revised arrangements:

Saturday 19th January, cancelled.

Sunday 20th January is ruled out as a substitute.

The next working party will be Sunday 27th Jan. at 9:30am.

Working party of 3rd. February brought forward to Saturday 2nd February at 9:00am

 

I wandered across the common this morning in the hope that the bad weather would have produced some unusual birds, but in fact there was very little about. I did find this pied wagtail at the Pit however, wandering about on the frozen surface in the probably vain hope of finding something to eat.

Also at the Pit I found a snowman has taken up residence on the bench. I like his profile particularly:

Her has a good view across the pond, so should be able to report back on anything interesting that crops up.