A-Maze-ment continued

We all made our own way to Escrick Sidings (http://www.yorkgreenways.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/Escrick-sidings-labelled.pdf) and met up with Peter of Greenways at the maze (Digby pulling Egg, Leanne, I, and Ellie I assume commuting by bike,) to continue work started in February; you can read A-MAZE-ing weather for February at https://www.goodgym.org/reports/a-maze-ing-weather-for-february.

Peter showed Egg and Leanne his plan of the new maze, showing where to dig, widen the channels, lay down gravel. Ellie got the edging tool and outlined what was to be dug up. Egg dug up turf with a pickaxe and placed it to one side to use around the edge, the picnic area. Leanne got busy at the top of the steps, shoveling gravel into bags then carrying them down to maze level. After my 12 k fast cycle ride I was tired so took photographs until Leanne suggested I help her bring the gravel down. I followed her example putting 20 shovels of gravel in a bag and managed to walk it down even though it was really heavy; two handed shovels are bigger than one; so from then on I just went on weight I could carry. At one point Leanne and I went to the car park nearby to meet one of the group making the noticeboard and helped carry its legs back, formerly parts of a railway sleeper.

Passers by asked who we were (Goodgym) and what we were doing (we volunteer and donate monthly to the charity if we wish, to get fit, and help with projects in the community, or befriend the elderly; in this case we are helping to restore the Sustrans gravel maze) and asked if we were unemployed (I work said Leanne, I'm on holiday!); there are many people who have time in the day to volunteer, part-time unpaid carers, people working from home, part-time employees, people who volunteer in lunch breaks, students, retired....

I took a break and thought I recognised Peter, and found out I had (a connection with the University of York). I found out Peter is one of the creators of the solar system https://www.york.ac.uk/solar/ no less! I found the link Solar System Greenway http://railwaytogreenway.org/solar-system-greenway/ when writing up this report.

I explained to Greenways volunteers working on the noticeboard that part of what we did at Goodgym was to write a report with photographs and suggested they look for Goodgym run report entitled 'Forget Pluto let's talk about Uranus', which got a laugh, and I said I noticed Uranus for the first time on the way to this task and was surprised how small it was, and was told the reason why.

Goodym session finished so I brought out my walnut, date and summer fruit scones, and offered them around. Goodgym will be back to finish the York Greenways project later in the year.

The full set of photos can be found here https://www.facebook.com/christine.cockett/media_set?set=a.1427662730710290&type=3