Jarn Mound and Wild Garden, 4th January 2020

By Andrew -
Happy New Year! We must have missed each other over the Christmas break as a good twenty of us turned out for the first session of the year – or in fact, decade - including two new members, Henry and Helen. The session was led by James, under the guidance of Lindsey Priddle of Oxford Preservation Trust.

 We took up tools and tea things and made our way to the shelter in the middle of the site where we were given our various tasks for the day. These were three-fold.

 First, we had brought buckets, water and scrubbing brushes in order to remove moss from the stone benches that are placed around the Wild Garden. In a similar vein we were also to clear the stone steps of built up mud and debris.

 Secondly, we were to clear the paths of fallen branches and these were brought to Graham who was put in charge of the bonfire.

 Thirdly, the steep steps leading to the top of Jarn Mound have become overgrown with brambles, blackthorn, ferns and other foliage, so we were to clear the steps and either side of them.

 Having caught up with each others’ news we set to work. It was a gloomy day but there was no rain and by break time it had brightened considerably. Tea was taken around the shelter and Dieuwke offered round some delicious stollen she had received from previous green gymmers, Berndt and Ursula, who have long since returned to Germany. We took a group photo of everyone to send back to them.

 For the second half of the session the winter sun was out transforming the wild garden into a place of real beauty. But then we heard cries of ‘Charlie! Charlie!’ – a family had lost their dog, a spaniel which had dashed off after a muntjac or perhaps a roe deer. It took quite some time for family and dog to be reunited but we all breathed a sigh of relief when he was finally found.

 Leaving the fire to dwindle down, we collected up the tools and made our way back to the parking area, happy with our first session of 2020.
-Joanna

Photos by Andrew, Joanna and Margaret:
The first meeting of the new year!

Lindsay instructs the group.

Work begins on the mound.

The sunken garden at the start of the session. (photo by Margaret)
 
One of the freshly cleaned benches.

'The scrubbers' at work! Petra and Sally.

Margaret and Joan in the sunken garden.

Work on the mound from below.

'Witches' Butter' fungi.

Jarn Mound and workers in the winter sunshine.
Tea break at the shelter.

Dieuwke and the delicious stollen cake.

New Year, new group photo.

The sunken garden 'after' shot. (photo by Margaret)

The clean but slightly wonky steps down to the sunken garden. (photo by Margaret)

Graham once again on bonfire duties.

Helen and Henry.

The bonfire from afar.

One of several mushrooms of this type in the garden.

Winter sunlight through the trees.




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