Top Ranger Kit: their brew kit and lunch.

Wow, what a week and a bit. Apologies for the lack of posts the last week or two. I have been meaning to get on here for a while but work has been soo busy; my brain turns to mush by the end of the day and I find it difficult to even decide what I am going to have for tea!
We have had a lot of volunteer groups out recently. Two of which came out with us yesterday to Collard Hill. 
Butterfly conservation and the Somerset National Trust Volunteers came out to the hill to have a huge scrub bash - there was about twenty of us at one point!


Information about Butterfly Conservation and the Large Blue 
Information about the National trust Somerset Volunteers


It was a brilliant day, I love meeting new people so this kind of day is right up my street. I even got to try out the kelly kettle for the first time with a volunteer group. (A Kelly Kettle is a sort of chamber of water that sits around a fire that goes up through the center of the chamber - take a look at the picture.)

This might explain it a bit more...

I caused a lot of smoke and not much flames the first time and ended up knocking the kettle over - yep, water did go everywhere. The second time was a bit more successful only I managed to smoke the volunteers out of where they were working. (It was time to stop for a brew anyway!!!) I worked out that with the kettle, you can make five good big brews of steaming hot tea - not quite enough for twenty people so I had it going for quite a while.


Collard Hill is quite  very steep and my job yesterday was to drag the dumpy bags full of bramble from the top of the hill down to the bottom. Now, as rangers go, I would say I am the smaller type of ranger so in the end I think the dumpy bags were dragging me down the hill. 


As for tomorrow, We have got Osprey out who are a great community group that come out with us once a month on a Tuesday. We are at Sand point tomorrow doing some scrub cutting with another toasty fire.
Watch this space for more ranger adventures...I must start remembering to take pictures when I am out in the countryside working

Contemplation of the week just gone and the week ahead.

What a lovely weekend to be out and about in the Fresh Air. Took myself for a little bike ride this afternoon along the cycle track to Axbridge. I did have to look twice when I was riding as it runs alongside a football pitch then behind that is the reservoir. Whilst the guys were busy with a game of football, it looked like there were sailing boats on the pitch too. I stopped myself mid thought and realised that this is Somerset I have moved too and its flat... very flat. Meaning a) boats can't float on land and b) they were therefore floating on the 'Cheddar Pond' as they call it round here. 


The Friday just gone I was on the Polden Hills working with a chap from the Somerset Wildlife Trust and another chap from the Clarks Trust/ Millfield School. We were clearing a small area of scrub and doing a spot of hedge laying - this turned into tree felling and coppicing as some of the hazel was to big. I cant remember at all what the site was called but its very close to Walton and Collard Hill. The site is great for the white letter hairstreak butterfly and hopefully very soon; the Large Blue Butterfly. I had a great day as it gave me chance to use the chainsaw. I am not too keen to use it when we have loads of volunteers about as it isn't exactly a 'social, nice, quiet day in the countryside' when using it. However, we didn't have any vols out with us so I got plenty of practise learning different techniques and learnt loads from it. 




I think next week will be pretty full on again. Monday I am going to be doing the prep work for the hedgelaying that we will be doing on Wednesday, (cutting hazel stakes for the hedge.) If things go to plan, (sometimes as a ranger, things quite often don't go to plan may I just add) myself and George will be going to Glastonbury Tor to finish off the kissing gate in one of the Orchards - improving access for the public who walk around the Tor.


Tuesday I have got a really exciting day as we have the first of hopefully many days with the Autistic Society. We will be going to the top of the Cheddar Gorge to do some much need scrub cutting. Doing this will improve the quality of the Limestone Grassland - unfortunately  a declining habitat due to changing farming practises and ever encroaching scrub. 




Anyway, that's enough from me, I am sure you have had enough of reading about my adventures for the day. Lets hope the weather stays nice so we can complete the work at the Tor tomorrow.