Abbey Meadows Wild Flower Maze, 19th August 2017

By Andrew -
This Saturday, we were at the Wild Flower Maze at Abbey Meadows.  It was only our second visit to this site, having first joined Abingdon Carbon Cutters here back in May 2015. On that occasion we pulled thistles, but this time, cutting and raking of the meadow was on the agenda.

 A small group of just ten Green Gymmers met with Lucille from the Carbon Cutters group. Some of the area had been cut before our arrival, while other areas had yet to be started.  Some of us therefore began raking while others took slashers and began to scythe.  Lucille was armed with a strimmer and she was able to make good progress while we stuck to our hand-tools.

 In the warm sunshine, we quickly found both tasks to be hard going, especially as the ground was still damp and our cutting utensils required regular re-sharpening!  Nevertheless we persisted, and while progress was slow, it was good to see that we were advancing through the job.

 A couple of us had to get going at the mid-morning break, but not before taking refreshments and enjoying Lucille's excellent cake. The remainder soldiered on until the end of the session, trying to make the most of the nice weather while it lasted!
-Andrew

Assembling adjacent to the Wild Flower Maze.

Raking begins.

The area is home to many insects and small creatures.

Kevin and Rosie cut back the wild flowers.


Lucille with her strimmer.

Margaret raking.

A common toad.

Cake at the break.

Reflecting on our hard work!

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