Scything and Baling

Two years ago a friend of mine created a traditional hay meadow in memory of his partner. It's intention is to be for wildlife and education (she was an ecologist). In the short time that it has been in existence, the number of plant species has increased from 28 to 56. The invertebrates are due to be surveyed to attempt to count their number and type. There were certainly plenty of butterflies and insects around today.

It has been created and managed by volunteer work parties of people and today was scything and baling day.

We were taught to scythe by experts (I'd never done it before) and then the hay was put in a hand-baler (in the picture) that tied it into bales. Everything is done in the traditional way.
  
It was good fun and hard work, we took a picnic and were given the traditional cider (though I only had a taste as I was driving). The main photo is of baler and people scything. One extra is of the celebratory throwing of hay when this chap heard we'd finished and the other is of me with my scythe.