At the beginning of the Easter break, I got a WhatsApp message from a nearby woodland: Parc y Moch. It's the only Woodland that contacts me in that way! It is privately owned, and the owners like doing communal things with it. I've sometimes been to their Halloween bonfire, for instance. And this time they wanted to do a spring event: something with seed planting and wicker weaving. You could register for that, but they also asked for volunteers.
I really like that use these woods for such purposes. I wasn't overly keen on the wicker or the seeds, but they mentioned a campfire, and I decided to volunteer to look after it. I have plenty of practice! And if you want things like that to continue, you might as well contribute to them. So I got the slot of firemaster for the first round of workshops.
I showed up and I saw things were already moving. A bloke I thought I recognised from earlier events was already lighting the fire. I found Harri, my contact person, and he pointed me out where the dry firewood was. And it turned out that the bloke who was lighting the fire, Sam, was leading the seed planting workshop. He is a market gardener on Anglesey. And it turned out he is also the partner of one of our PhD students, Jyodee, who was also there! That was nice.
Sam then started to prepare his workshop while I found an old chair seat and used it as a fan to keep the fire hot. We wanted to use it make warm beverages, and then you need a good amount of embers. And this fire was brand new, and mainly just thin sticks burning.
Then it was about time to start. There were quite a few people with children there, and they all wanted to go wicker weaving. There basically was only one woman for Sam’s workshop. Oh well! She got private tuition. Harri wondered if a lot of people who had registered had then seen the weather forecast, and had decided to stay at home.
The lady got to plant peas and beans and beetroot and leek and whatnot! And I looked after the fire. And it worked out fine; it got nice and hot, and we managed to place a metal grill over the top of it, with a big old-fashioned kettle on it. Tea was being served! And coffee, and hot chocolate.
The idea was that after a while, the groups would switch over. So Sam was suddenly a lot busier. There also would be another volunteer to look after the fire. But that volunteer didn't show up! The fire didn't need much attention anymore now, though, so I looked after it for a little while longer, but then I went home. I said goodbye to Harri and Jyodee, and left. I had enjoyed aiding a lovely afternoon in the woods; I like a fire, and I love what Parc y Moch does, and it was a bonus to meet people I knew. And I'm sure some kiddies have had a day that might stay with them for the rest of their lives. But it was time to go home and do my own thing again! I think the woods will come calling again at some point over summer…
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