Overwintering

Jó estét!

So, thanks to my lack of updating since the start of October last year, I am now faced with summarising the past four or five months. Contrary to my previous post, I'm departing the chronological summary in favour of an ordering by theme. I'll begin!

I've been keeping busy working at the Nature Reserve with Essex Wildlife Trust, so I'll talk about some of that work to start with. October saw the start of the winter works programme, so we progressed from haymaking to hedgelaying, woodland maintenance and construction work! Myself and my boss had planned a big project to renovate the car park area, and we got stuck into this in October. We resurfaced the car park itself, and also cleared back some blackthorn encroachment, laid a hedge along the bank that was thus exposed, and planted up some primrose on the bank. We rebuilt the steps going up the embankment from the car park, which had been rotting away as well as getting overgrown; this meant constructing heavy-duty (and durable!) steps, backfilling them with material, edging with wood, constructing a handrail, and planting up trees for a hedge alongside. Quite a big project, and this kept us busy through until recently - we finished the majority of the work a few weeks ago, and officially re-opened the path going up the steps! (The path closed around Christmas while the steps work was being carried out).

Finishing off the steps, which re-opened to the public on Feb 1st 2012

Besides that project, we have been tackling a variety of other jobs around the reserve with the volunteers, including cutting back blackthorn encroachment in some of the fields, planting trees, hedge maintenance... We had some fun on the reserve with the snow, and we still had a good turnout of volunteers for the work parties - this just goes to show what a great bunch of volunteers we have!! My boss and I have also been furnishing the new office, getting to grips with a Green Flag Award application for the reserve, updating our website, and other things that I can't even remember off the top of my head. I also have my own personal project - setting up an Education programme on the reserve. We intend to bring in local school groups to the reserve for field trips this year, so I have been working out what is needed, how to run things, what to teach, etc.

Snow on the reserve - brrrr!

In other news, we moved into an office in November, in the newly-opened Grange Farm Pavilion building next to the reserve. There were no facilities for reserve staff here previously, so with the hire of an office and workshop and toilet facilities in the new building (managed by the Grange Farm Centre Trust) things have improved dramatically! The building was officially opened to the public later that month by HRH the Earl of Wessex (Prince Edward), so I also got to shake hands with royalty. (see a page about it here) Another "achievement" was getting an article published in the EWT magazine, Essex Wildlife!

The Grange Farm Pavilion, where EWT now rent an office and workshop

Apart from work, what have I been up to? Well, Volunteering. I've still been volunteering a little (infrequently) at Epping Forest Field Centre. So more work! And in early December I took some time off to... head out to France for a week, with my father and a couple of friends, to... work! We went out to work on my dad's property and make the grounds and lake look a bit neater, and being conservation-minded we also put in a hibernaculum and did some wildlife-watching. Although I've been working a fair bit, I've been doing enjoyable work with fun people, so what's to complain about?

Graham, Jenny and Dad by the lake in France, Dec 2011

It hasn't been all work and no play however, I have had down-time to recharge over the past quarter-year. Watching films, playing computer games, going for walks... A friend's Halloween party, fireworks at the King's Oak, orienteering on the Rodings Rally, a trip to Richmond Park, and some time off over Christmas catching up with family and friends. I met my fantastic girlfriend Natasha back in October and we've been getting on really well. Natasha and I are going away to Hungary for a holiday next month, and spending three days in Budapest then three days in Aggtelek National Park - should be fantastic!

In a hollow tree at Richmond Park! Natasha and me in top, and my friends Jenny and Jess in front, Nov 2011

Right-oh folks, that's all for now!