Practicing scything and sharpening techniques before heading off to the field to mow, Wales
September has been an interesting month for scythe courses.
First off, on 8th September we taught a Beginners Scythe Course in Guernsey. It has been an interesting challenge, convincing the folk of the island to give the scythe a go. Here in West Wales, the Scythe Renaissance is going strong, but it is still at it’s early stages in Guernsey. In the end, four people joined us on the beautiful land of a permaculture project called WildGuernsey for a relaxed and enjoyable course. It has been fascinating meeting people who are doing land based organic/permaculture type projects in the island, and to hear about the particular challenges they face, be it the cost of land, the sometimes less then supportive attitude of fellow islanders or the difficulties of being separated from like-minded support networks in the UK. They also have some amazing advantages, not least of which is a great climate for horticulture.
Then it was time to return to Wales, and to prepare for an over-subscribed Beginners Scythe Course on 19th September. We have been amazed by the positive increase in interest in the scythe this year and this was another great course. The sun shone and a group of enthusiastic scythers set to work on the grass and bracken in one of the Trust fields. It was great not only to see people enjoy learning to use the scythe, but also making connections with other like minded people.
The scythe has been going from strength to strength here in Wales, and as another scything season draws to a close, we look forward to what the next one will bring.