Two men went to mow

June 2023. I recently mentioned about the Victorian pond being littered once more. I'm sure that many of you are aware of the tremendous amount of continuous work that is required to maintain this park, and it would be really useful if our time was not spent clearing up after thoughtless others.

However, armed with our pond clearing paraphernalia, we set to work once more. After a general litter pick, we turned our attention to the pond edges, removing as much as we could with nets. Unfortunately, there were a lot of branches/logs which were too far in for the nets to reach. Unperturbed, we soldiered on with various gadgets at our disposal, until...

Above picture illustrates the amount of wood alone that was recovered from the pond! 

On a brighter note, I had the opportunity of another session on the ride-on mower. Once again, it was to maintain previously mown paths and edges in the picnic area but also the grassed area alongside the main drive from the carpark.

We finished the day fitting canes and guards around some young damaged trees, probably made by deer whipping the woody plants with their antlers.

            Poppies in full bloom by the picnic area.

When I arrived the following week, I noticed that a large area of meadow grass had been mown flat. This was the wardens work in preparation of the arrival of the fair.

All of this mowing had provided piles of grass cuttings for mulching, and this was part of our next task. In only a couple of days some of the larger piles were turning into silage. We scattered one pile into the woods where it had been shunted, and the next pile was scattered in and around some bushes, and also used to mulch a few surrounding trees.

A smaller pile had been left by an overgrown Rowan tree bed. The idea was to tread down the overgrown areas before surrounding the trees with the mulch. However, some of the nettles and grass was so tall that they needed pulling up.

Before....

                    Transformed........

It was a very hot day, so we were relieved that it was ending on a less energetic note.

The wooden sculptures were in need of cleaning and a new coating of oil. With the time we had left, we chose to start on Sir Humphry Repton and the Green Man. After a brush down and wash, we moved to the second one for the same. By the time we returned to Sir Humphrey, we were ready to apply the oil. It is important to brush the oil into all of the cracks, as the effects of heat and cold can open them up. 

I think we managed to put a smile back on his face....

One man went to mow

There is quite a range of tools necessary in order to maintain the park, some of which require a short demonstration before use, like power tools. So far, I have become accustomed to work with strimmers, leaf blowers, pressure washers and the wood chipper. Volunteers do not handle chainsaws as this requires specialist training. However, I can now add 'ride-on' mowers to my list!

A quick run through the basics, and I was off! Previously mown path edges and walking trails were in need of a further trim. First off was the picnic area. This was followed in the afternoon by going over the main pathway edges and other walking trails in the park.

Such fun!

    

Just lining up for the right hand side.

In between, there was another planted bed which had become overgrown with nettles, grass & weeds. It was now so tall that we could not see where the shrubs were. Using shears, we carefully cut back bit by bit until we spotted the marker canes. This can be quite painstaking, as one wrong snip could be damaging for the shrub. 

Thankfully, our trained eyes ensured that the task in hand was successful.

The last couple of months has been a busy time for the birds. Many beaks with nest building materials have been spotted, and with that word in mind, we have been very lucky to observe the comings and goings of a Spotted Woodpecker family. They have made a nest in the top of a dead tree, and I was fortunate enough to hear the tweets of their young. 

The pictures below have captured the parents.

Greater or Lesser Spotted?

 

♫  Ho-ho-ho, ho, ho-ho-ho, ho ♫

For those who remember Woody Woodpecker!

Weather wise, May 2023 has been a bit 'hit & miss', and June hasn't started any better. On the up side it's good for strenuous outdoor working.

The pond by the lodge was in need of a makeover, so I set to work with the strimmer. Amy and I then lopped & sawed some branches to provide more light for other plants.

Before.....

And after.....

We then started dragging out the pond weed and thinning out floating plants. The level of the pond was a bit low, so this was topped up using a hose from the lodge.

  

We finished by painting the top section of the lodge to match the rest, and tidying up the overgrown bushes along the front of the lodge.

Whilst we were there, we received news that the Victorian pond was once again littered with bottles, cans and branches (even a football). You can imagine how annoying this is, when the actions of a few spoil the look of this beautiful place.

We headed over there and took photos. Unfortunately, this will not be a simple task and may take some time to arrange a proper clearance.