Gimswood

‘Twas the week before Christmas and all through the wood
Our friends were helping as best as they could.
Weasel, fieldfare, kestrel, field vole and crow
Watched as they walked up and down each long row
Taking off tree guards because, don’t you see,
They’re not needed now to protect every tree.
The trees are quite big now, with strong bark quite hard
Not now little whips that need rabbit guard
Which served in the past against crafty voles
That love making runs and digging small holes.
Rabbits and hares too came to make their mark
Hungry in winter and chewing the bark.
So the guards served their purpose helping each tree
And now has come time for redundancy.

But inside some guards something yucky is seen:
Algae so slimy, revolting and green.
So off with the plastic, give the trunks some air.
Let them be as they want to, standing quite bare.
Stand, bend, kneel, bend, taking off each tree guard,
Walk, bend, kneel, stand, bend, the work is quite hard.
But these wonderful people work happily
With the prospect of soon a hot cup of tea
And a sit by the fire to warm up cold toes
And chat with the others, how the work goes.

The sun goes down and it gets hard to see,
So let’s all stop now to drink some more tea.
To cook jacket tatties, baked beans and cheese
Followed by chocolate cake – oh what a wheeze!
Friendship warmed by the fire, hearts all aglow,
It’s cold in the world, we don’t want to go.
But leave we must, time moves on, so let’s say
“Wasn’t it a lovely Gimswood Work Day?”

Fantastic work, chaps! Only 3 rows of rabbit guards you didn’t manage to do in that field. What a superb effort! And again, many, many thanks.