A grassy walk in Peterborough

Social media lit up in Peterborough last week and the topic was grass on a recreation field which had grown to one metre tall. So on Wednesday when Sue said shall we go for a walk in the Boardwalks? I thought: I really need to switch off and there could be some grass there! And indeed: lots of different kinds of grasses, with seed heads blowing about in the wind. You can watch the dance of the seed heads as the wind makes huge ripples across the meadow. 

This is the entrance to the boardwalks, I am wondering how high this grass is and how much is  reeds and sedges and which is which. I don’t know my grasses.

Recent very heavy rain has damaged the boardwalk, which was built in the 80s. This marshy area is a tiny patch of an important flood plain for the river Nene. By absorbing and retaining river and rainwater upstream soft squidgy places like this help to protect the city. Fit people can cross the boardwalk here, but please be very very careful.

Might be three quarters of a pint of water in there with all sorts floating in it.

Lovely fuzzy teasels. Here we say goodbye to the Boardwalk.

A large grey heron with wings spread out, presumably to dry. Looks like a weird sculpture from a distance. I was just about to get the perfect shot from much closer up, but pushing our bikes along, we startled it, and off it went. (We’d cycled to get to the boardwalks and were now back on our bikes.).

Found this not so delightful plant very close to the city centre.  This is Japanese Knotweed. It is on the verge of Henry Penn walk, north Nene embankment. I have emailed the council and Railworld to find out who this patch of land belongs to: I am guessing it belongs to the council.

 

 

Solar Eclipse in Peterborough

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“Three Acres and A Cow” at Chauffeurs Cottage, Friday, 15 November at 7pm

The Green Backyard and Metal welcome Robin Grey and Laura Burns to present an incredible evening of stories, song, sustenance and struggle as we delve into the history of the land beneath your feet.

Join us to explore the often forgotten past of enclosure, privatisation and dispossession of land-based communities, and hear the vibrant histories of struggle and resistance that emerged when people rose up and confronted the loss of their lands, cultures and ways of life.

These multiple histories go largely undocumented in the literature of the times, yet in the music and stories of the people they take on a different life. Join us for an evening delving into this history through folk songs and stories right up to the present day. Come and share in these tales as they have been shared for generations.

The evening will also feature words from local poet Keely Mills and Green Backyard Co-Founder Sophie Antonelli, focusing the tales of what has gone before on our present lives and land here in Peterborough.

Included in the entry price is a delicious meal of home-cooked and locally grown food, and there will also be a licensed bar operating from the venue.

Venue: Chauffeurs Cottage, St Peter’s Road, PE1 1YX  (behind Peterborough Town Hall )  Tickets: £12

You can buy your tickets from the The Green Backyard, Rams Fair Meadow Allotment Site, London Rd, Peterborough, PE2 8AT on Wednesday, Thursday, Saturday and Sunday,11am – 4pm, or from Chauffeurs Cottage Monday – Friday between 10am – 5pm.

All proceeds from this event will go towards the Save the The Green Backyard fund, saving our community green space from demolition and bringing it back into community ownership.

poster:   http://wp.me/a1os3R-k2