Editor's note: Today 13 NCVs joined NYCC warden at Scott Gate Ash Quarry to complete the footpath work and a further three joined Paul in Bryan's Wood to continue moving the fallen beech tree. As readers have already heard what happens with these two tasks on a number of occasions we've decided to just let the photos tell the tale today (although Anita has sent some interesting statistics from the quarry footpath for the end of the entry).
In Bryan's Wood:
First job - establish a seating area
for al fresco dining midday.
Tony gets stuck in and hones his discus throwing technique.
Paul gets kitted up in all the safety gear....
...and makes a start on the chain-sawing.
Will adds to the well established brash pile.....
....and starts a log pile of his own.
The logs seem to get heavier as the day goes on
but Ros E. grins and bears it.
Will and Ros play a giant game of 'Pick a stick' whilst trying
to retrieve branches that had fallen in an inaccessible place.
Will offers advice on how to shift the huge branch.
Paul goes his own way and tries a lever system.
Eventually a good shove sends the branch
sliding down the even bigger tree truck.
By 3:30pm there were piles of logs....
...everywhere!
The tree is eventually being conquered
but still some way to go.
Meanwhile up at the Quarry:
Up we go. Again. Come on folks - look lively.
Bucketeers - are you ready?
Angela practises her dancing steps
Small bucket back log. Hurry up - empty this gravel out.
Tamping down the top dressing.
Path or stream? More work needed!
One NCV is very sorely tempted indeed but, wisely, keeps his boot to himself.
Mr and Mrs Muffet sat on their tuffets....
Terry deep in thought.
What has he sat in?
Is this where we are meant to be?
The makings of a gravelly spiral staircase.
The end stretch with a good drainage channel at the side.
Finished! The team pose for a victory shot....
....before admiring the view across the valley
at the end of a hard day's work.
Everyone admires the cleanliness of Ruth's gloves.
It is clear that she uses Persil.
Quarry footpath statistics:
- Gravel shifted today – 2 tons (4480 lbs) not tonnes, which would only be 4400 Ibs.
- Number of steps – 112 +. Some are newly created wooden ones, others made of stone which we have cleaned and redressed with gravel.
- Weather – fantastic.
- Wild flowers – Wood Sorrel, Violets and Forget -me -nots
- Insects – a Carder bee, I think, busy collecting moss for a nest. Midges – none this week, hooray!
- Cake – none, sob!
- Ice-cream – yes, but only when we had finished for the day, hooray!
- Did we actually finish the path? Sadly- no. The water springing from the spring has defeated us for the moment, but Catherine is going to arrange for an engineer to visit the site and come up with a cunning plan.
Anita
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