Well, my days of removing Himalayan Balsam are over - today we had a particularly good haul, even if it was only me and Ofek there. We were sent to sweep the ditch on the borders of the farm, meaning that we have cleared it all. I found some massive ones today - lots over four feet tall! The flowers made them easy to see. I managed to avoid the nettles better today, which was good. My waders sprang a leak, so my whole right leg was soaked! At the end of the session, we got into a dry section of ditch that was full of Himalayan Balsam, and with our sticks we beat it all down to the ground! It was very fun. I learnt more about HB today - turns out that competition for space with native plants is only half the problem - because it is only annual, when it grows on river banks, removes all the other plants, and then does, nothing is holding the soil together, so it erodes, thus dramatically altering local geography over time. It is good doing work for a charity, because, not only am I completing my DofE, but I am also helping a charity, and I think that's pretty good, as it is rewarding for me, too.