Monday 9 October 2023

Rhody bashing at Lyme Park on Sunday 8th October 2023

Seven of us met Issy in the main Lyme Park car park. As we were borrowing her tools for our rhody bash in Lantern Wood we walked to the Stables to collect them before climbing up the slope to the large patch of rhody that Issy had in mind.

We started building a fire, which got going very quickly because Jack had a telescopic blow tube to use as mini-bellows - they were amazing!

As we were thinking of stopping for elevenses, Sue D came walking through the woods towards us. Although she was on duty as a Lyme Park volunteer today, she is also a member of MNTV and she had kindly offered to bake a cake for us - it was delicious, as were the homemade biscuits she also left with us, iced by her grandson.

After our coffee break, we cut down more rhody, dragging it to the fire, cutting it smaller before it was burnt on the fire.

The weather was dry, even sunny at times, which was a bonus.

After lunch, while working near the fire, we disturbed a frog. It tried to get out of our way but then we saw it again (or was it a different frog?) as it sat on a branch watching us for a while.

Towards the end of our workday we stopped loading the fire so it could die down a bit then, once it had, we put orange ‘fencing’ around it so it wasn’t a danger to anyone walking in the woods after we’d gone.

We managed a group photo shot before gathering our tools to carry back to the Stables.

We had a great day, great company, great cake and and biscuits, and a great Ranger working with us:-)

Sue B

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