Getting into the swing of things

This morning four GoodGym runners set off to Smallcombe Vale to help Keith and Tim out with another round of grass cutting at the community nuttery there.

This is just the most delightful setting for any mission - there's surely a good reason why Smallcombe Vale is the only place the Bath Skyline walk drops down from above (other than access from the town, of course). The Skyline footpath passes directly down the side of the nuttery.

The grass in the nuttery has been left to grow during the pandemic lockdown, so is pretty long by now and we were again cutting it with scythes.

This is one of those tasks which is simple enough to get going on, but commands your attention throughout. The feedback you get from the scythe action tells you whether you're doing it right on not - you just feel it. When it works well it's almost no effort at all (it's all in the hips apparently). And of course you have to pay attention because you're wielding an enormous sharp knife!

If there is any activity better designed for undertaking during a period of mandatory social distancing, I've yet to find it. When you're all mowing grass by whirling round enormous razor sharp (don't ask how I know) blades on the end of nearly 2 metre long sticks, you definitely want to give plenty of space between you and your nearest neighbours.

With that in mind we just kind of randomly scythed our way up the hill the nuttery is situated on, in a safely-distanced pattern. We've made good work of the lower levels now, but there is still scope for more work to continue all the way up the hill. Watch this space for more missions!

Behind us, Emily did a great job of raking up all the mowings into enormous piles between the trees.

At the end we were treated to the entertainment factor of Keith trying to offload an enormous crate of damsons onto every passing Skyline walker who'd listen to him as we packed up the equipment into his car. And there was one last GoodGym good deed for the day... pushing Keith's car back out of the field.