12th -13th June 2021 Thorney Lakes, Muchelney, Somerset.The aim of this gathering was to bring together SABI committee members, scythe event hosts and volunteers, scythe instructors and leading scythe competitors; to share their experiences and plan for future events. This workshop was restricted to 30 participants by covid necessity. Saturday started soon after sunrise with Read more about SABI Somerset Green Scythe Workshop Report[…]
Opportunities for scythe-folk around the country to meet up face to face are still somewhat limited by the pandemic. But please don’t despair, things are looking better for the summer! In anticipation of this we have organised two spring events that can still run and connect people remotely via the wonders of internet technology. International Read more about Opportunities to prepare for the coming mowing season and have your scythe questions answered![…]
This year’s SABI annual winter gathering was a most auspicious occasion as it marked 10 years since we first got together to organise ourselves into an association based around our (then comparatively new) shared passion for scythes. Our aim was to encourage others to join us and grow the movement. I am very pleased to Read more about Scythe Association: 10 years on – still here and still mowing![…]
The following is an account of my attempts to control the invasive alien weed Giant Hogweed in a small nature reserve I manage in Norfolk – using a scythe as a key component of an integrated management strategy
The last weekend of July 2019 saw the first ever Scottish Scything Festival take place at Blackhaugh Community Farm in Perthshire. 120 people, including 20 or so children gathered for a day of talks, demonstrations, taster sessions, scythe sales and of course a scything competition. The afternoon’s competition had 29 entrants and in spite of Read more about Scottish Scything Festival Results 2019[…]
Overall Northern open champion Time Quality (mins.secs) Andy Coleman 0.52 7 1st George Montague 1.53 7 2nd Kevin Austin 1.52 6 3rd Quality and veteran mowing champion Jim McVittie 2.23 8 Northern local champion Peter Blackwell 4.06 6.5 Ken Jaquiery 5.07 7.5 Local Read more about Northern Scythe Championship Results 2019[…]
5 x 5m Eastern Counties Trophy Time Quality Placing (min.secs) /notes Chris Riley Read more about Eastern Counties Scythe Competition Results 2019[…]
Mowers faced typical Somerset level grass at the Green scythe fair this year: lush and heavy! The grass cut easily enough, as shown by the decent times recorded by mowers in the 5 x 5 metre plots. The main challenge competitors faced was partially laid grass pushed in a variety of directions by the Read more about Green Scythe Fair Championship results 2019[…]
A regular topic of conversation at scythe meetings is how to engage more of the younger generation in scything, and indeed in practical rural activities generally. It is not difficult to see why the demographic for scything is biased to more mature users. It’s a fact, for example, that active participation in voluntary conservation and Read more about New generation scythers[…]
As a postscript to this year’s International Peening day (April 7th) I have been reviewing the wonderful diversity of peening pony designs. A number of scythers have kindly sent me photos of their many and varied set ups, (and I can add more if you want to send me your photos). Arrangements for peening of Read more about Peening day review 2019[…]