A GREEN GYM MYSTERY

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It was 10.45 in the morning

In the woodland beside NuffieldPlace.

Diane poured the brew

For the hardworking crew,

But of Pete’s cake there wasn’t atrace.

He’d stowed it alongside the tool-bags,

Then it disappeared into thin air.

Freddie and Jules

Made a check through the tools,

But nary a cake-crumb was there.

We searched high and low for thatcake-box

(We need more than hot tea at thebreak).

Our heaps of cut holly

Were all fine and jolly,

But were they concealing that cake?

The fire trailer burned up thecuttings.

It was Tony who stoked it the most.

Had he thrown in Pete’s cake

By some dreadful mistake?

Was Margaret’s creation now toast?

Jill Kendal then gave us the answer–

We should have been able to guess.

Our two quiet mice

Had consumed every slice –

Robert Thompson, Mike Leonard:confess!

Julia Booker

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Had the phantom thief struck again?'Where is my bottle of water', cried a

thirsty Rebecca. 'I placed it carefully bythat tree. Whatever has become of it!'

'Ah!' replied a shame faced Robin, as hedelved in his litter sack,'Perhaps I was a

little over zealous in my tidying up'.

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WEATHER

We have worked in all sorts of weatherthis quarter but it never puts the GreenGym off.

A select band worked in the falling snowat Warburg raking dead grass off a field.As fast as we cleared a strip it would becovered with white flakes - as were theworkers.

Hedges at Clayfield Coplse were clearedin the mist. The group had to wait whilethe iron hard ground thawed out at OakFarm. That day ended in beautiful suns-hine (and an icy wind). Willows were cutback in a bitter wind that appeared toemanate from Siberia. A sudden sleetydownpour at Reading Golf Club did littleto dampen the spirits of the recordnumber that turned out at this newvenue.

DOUBLE SIDED HOLLY

ILEXAQUIFOLIACEAE

Lovely evergreen foliage with a realshine; berries conspicuous red,yellow even black that brighten thewinter gloom; willing to be cutpruned and shaped without compl-aining; not bothered by frosts orbiting winds; a deterrent if a hedgeto cats if not to badgers. In suchvariety too - Golden Queen (densemale), Golden King (bushy female),Wilsonii (bushy vigorous female)and so many others. (Propriety willnot allow me to provide the RHSdescription of Atlas!)

However in the last few months I'velearned of another holly, a hollywith a darker side - rampant, berryl-ess, one that obscures woodlandvistas and narrows and darkensfootpaths. Its name, invasive holly!Fortunately for society it has afierce local enemy.. A band of steelymen and women, all with the mosthonourable intentions who willuproot, lop, saw and burn the inva-der, thus relieving the gloom anduplifting the surroundings for allwho walk by.

Unfortunately, those enthusiasticpurchasers of holly plants charmedby the offerings of the gardencentre are generally ignorant of theinvasive brother (or was it sister ?).

Can we do anything to dispel theirignorance?I guess not, just carry onthe good work leaving others char-med to look only on the bright sideof holly!

Bert Gill

In spite of all the inclement wea-ther, numbers have been stead-ily rising with attendances of 15plus a regular feature and onceor twice there have been 20 wor-kers- the coffee never runs outhowever!!So much copy was received this timethat I have had to withhold some itemsuntil next edition Thank you very much.

But PLEASE keep the pieces rolling in -LET THIS BE YOUR NEWSLETTER.

Editor

Tony, thank you for the pageinsert about the work on theCommon, its such a splendidproject and everyone loves wor-king there.

SQUELCH

How about this for an int-repid group of mudla-rks?

The task was to clear thepond at Withymeadwhich was choked withweed and rushes andmake a good habitat forfrogs and pond creatu-res.

This will be an interest-ing feature when schoolgroups come to visit Wit-hymead

HEDGE MANAGEMENT COURSEby MIke Macleod

Hedges are designed for a specific purpose and the purpose determines the design. For instance, the Midlands methodwhich we learned on the course, is designed to keep bullocks in. It is therefore particularly robust.

2. The pleacher is cut near its base and bent overat about 35'. On the far side of the hedge the brushis left, forming a an additional barrier against graz-ing animals. The heel is then removed.

4. Heathering or binding thetop of the hedge secures thepleachers and forms a furt-her barrier against waywardcattle. a simple weave wouldwould involve a single rod ofhazel ash or willow but theMidland hedge requiresthree rods which are wovenor twisted like the strands ofa rope.

7. Job done.

3. Pointed stakes aredriven into the hedge byFred about a cubit (lengthof forearm) apart tosteady the pleachers andto form a base for heathe-rings.

6. Diane saws off the topsof the posts at an angle.

5. Claire trims the ends ofthe hazel rods.

1. First the hedge is trimmed on one side by Claireand Jules, then around the base of each stem-thepleacher.

Magazine contact; Jill Kendalkendalwoodbury@supanet.com

Tel 0118 972 2201

The Green Gym

C/o Health Centre, 39 Wood Lane,

Sonning CommonEnquiries - Robin - 0118 972 3528.

WHY I LIKE GREEN GYMThe A to Z of a confirmed BVAPWe come to the all important G socentral to a confirmed (like me)BVAP. To newcomers, if any, that’s‘biovertagoraphiliac’ or a lover of allthings green growing in wide openspaces. To include closed but openspaces like woods of course.Well of course G is for Green and thatcovers everything from green wellies,to green grass, to green hedge clippi-ngs, to green waste disposal bags, togreen plastic wheelbarrows, to greenygold tool handles. All indispensablypart of the double G of GG. I reallylike green things, I like wearing green,I like eating green vegetables and I didhave at one time a Kielder Green colo-ured car. If you want to come alongand enjoy GG you have to enjoy yourgreens even though you may be a bitgreen and work possibly a bit too hardon a steep upland slope and go slightlygreen. It’s ok just green and bear it.Green is also for Gathering in Gloves.Funnily enough if you did a frequencyanalysis of GG activities over 4 or 5sessions, gathering would come outhigh. This means raking cuttings,twigs, branches or vegetation together.Dragging a mass of thorn and wild roseprickly bits down a hillside or fromaround hedge roots. Building a big pilefor a warming fire in winter. It is sooo-ooo satisfying!!!!!!! Like nibbling away around the edgesof a dark mass and inexorably makinga wider and wider piece of clearedground then raking and scraping tomake it as ‘clean’? as possible. So niceto look back and say, see what it waslike when we started and now look atall that cleared space. Somehow thesatisfaction is the contrast of done andto be done and the feeling of achieve-ment when you can see what a differe-nce your efforts have made.Gathering and gloves go together. Pri-ckles and gloves love each other. Andwhen I say gloves I mean not those softthings with leather patches for wearingdown town or for a country walk butthe all-encompassing GG gloves,huge, rough, green and red, unconque-rable and death to all stinging nettles,thorny growths, sharp flints and errantsaw blades. So satisfying towear andjust right if your mug of tea is a littlebit hot to hold. I sometimes wear and

and just right if your mug of tea is a littlebit too hot to hold. I sometimes bring myown but quickly cast these aside in favourof delving into that pile of gloves for alloccasions in the blue plastic box. There’salways more than enough for all in thatone size fits all so astute is the SonningCommon GG Glove Purchasing OfficerG is also for Gardening. Some of ourtasks are a little bit like gardening, a littlebit of thinning out of a lavender border orsome weeding round a hedge. More to thepoint is doing our gardening back athome. What is so strange is that many ofus say, what am I doing here on a Satur-day morning when I have my own garde-ning tasks piling up at home? Maybe GGcould come round to my place for acouple of sessions. So strange that its afar greater satisfaction for me workingon a GG site or project than mowing myown lawn. Why should that be? Maybeworking in a Group, maybe the Gossipand the Gas. The Gastronomy of thecake break? Well whatever there is a sortof Happiness…?..but that comes underH, also Henry in my next twittering!

Mike Saunders

New Year Resolutions!

Not a favourite subject of mine,but this year I decided to maketwo. Oh what folly, I hear you cry,all in the heat of one day – gone by.

I vowed to get fit and to eat lesscake, to set my heart racing andwhittle my waist. Well the firstone was easy for I joined the Sonn-ing Common Green Gym, thesecond not so – the homemadeand wonderfully scrumptiouscakes provided for us when westop for elevenses are not to bemissed. Goodbye dear waist fortomorrow is another GG day.

I have found a new life with theSCGG, such wonderful people whomade me feel welcome and usefulon my first and every day. Thearduous task of cutting backshrub, clearing ponds and genera-lly helping to keep the Hawthornin check is an ongoing task, withsatisfaction at the end of the dayon seeing the results.

Oh and have I mentioned the clim-bing? No? how remiss of me….. SirRanulph Fiennes would have been

proud of us, no ropes or fancyclimbing gear, nor oxygen to befound. We are like the short-legged sheep that you hearabout in the Welsh hills, there weare gently going about our busi-ness with one leg shorter thanthe other, in order to stay upri-ght on the slopes.

So may I say to everyone that Ihave met and still to meet, I amhaving a great time with lots offun and laughter, I have madesome fantastic new friends andof course those fabulous cakes.Zeah

IMPORTANT DATEAGM

The Annual General Meeting ofthe SonningCommon Green

Gym will take place

on Mon 24 April

at 7.30pm

in RotherfieldGreys ChurchRoom

Please make sure you are there.

(A 3 course dinner will be servedby Gordon catering ---no, notreally Diane, Unless of course

you feel like it!!!)

FIRST AID

REMINDER

If you have any allergy or othercondition that needs medication- i.e. asthma, you are remindedthat it is your responsibility tocarry the necessary medicationwith you and to inform theleader in case of emergency.

No 7 April 2006

BTCV GREEN GYM AWARDSCEREMONY 2006

This is being held on 30 March tocelebrate the eighth birthday ofthe Green Gym. To celebrate thisBTCV have decided to hold thefirst English Green Gym AwardsCeremony.

Sonning Common entered in vari-ous categories and at the time ofgoing to press had heard thatTony Chandler had reached thelast three in the Voluntary Leaderaward, and Robert Watson hadbeen similarly selected for theVolunteer Commitment award.They will be going to Leeds for theceremony on March 30.

The group has also been selectedfor the Group Sustainabilityaward. (After all we were the firstand have been going from stren-gth to strength for 8 years).

We wish Tony and Robert the bestof luck but whatever the outcomethey have done brilliantly and weknow what a debt the group owesthem both..

Ewelme Feb 2006 (Thanks to Henley Standard)

A VISIT TO THE GARDENISLE

Ten of us took a trip to the Isleof Wight to do a joint sessionon 15th March with the localGreen Gym. We worked in theexotic surroundings of Vent-nor Botanic Garden, which issited in the Mediterranean-like microclimate of thefamous ‘Undercliff’. They runa very large group, and wemade 40 all-told to help a deli-ghted Curator and staff clearand level an area in the Ameri-cas Collection, make a pathwith bark chippings and rakeout prunings from surround-ing beds.

The IOW group were very wel-coming, and we found theyoperate in a similar fashion tous, although we did wonderwhere the warm-ups went! Wehad all met up the nightbefore for a pub supper and atalk given by Ray of the Footp-rint Trust. Ray worked in con-servation in Reading when

Yvonne was setting up theGreen Gym.

We all thoroughly enjoyed ouraway-day, and we came awayreally pleased to have seenanother group continuing theGreen Gym idea so successfu-lly.

EWELMEThe Long Legged Wellington (LLW)Today of Ewelme, I began the daunt-ing task of donning a pair of waders,not to be outdone by this impossiblylong pair of Wellingtons . I proceededto hang on to the nearest rail andclimb in, one leg at a time you unders-tand. I am proud to say that I can nowwalk in the same fashion as a penguinon stilts, which requires waddlingfrom side to side and staying uprightat the same time. Actually it was notthat bad and I do exaggerate just atiny bit.

So to the deeds of the day: - oh boy itwas cold out there, the cress beds stillhad a covering of ice over the ‘pudd-les’ in parts and this I fear contribu-ted to the feeling of being even colderthan it was.

Lots of jobs to do today, first thewheelbarrow needed pushing to andfro, heavy work but enjoyable all thesame, I then swapped my barrow for arake.

The rake was quite a comfort for mewhen, getting stuck up to my anklesin silt the LLW decided it was stayingwhere it was! Here we go I thought - adisaster about to happen, me flat onmy back in the silt, one leg in the airand a Wellington silently laughing toitself. But no! A reprieve came just intime, the LLW decided to free itselfand me from the jaws of humiliationand hand me back to my ever-faithfulrake – phew!

The moral of this tale: is there one? Ofcourse - a great time was had by all.

Zeah.