With a feeling of Deja Vu, 7 volunteers, NYCC Ranger Catherine and Steve, the NYCC Volunteer Task Leader set off to finish the Scott Gate Ash Quarry footpath...(again).Wishing us well, Paul and Tony headed for Bryan's Wood to deal with a wayward beech tree (see below).
Containing a particularly generous tonne of stone from the supplier, the Landrover screeched up the track, and could be heard even above the screams of Catherine shouting that it wasn't going to make it. Soon the well practiced chain gang were hard at work and within no time (I'm lying here) the Landrover was empty and many more of the steps built in previous weeks were filled in.
Steps are well on the way now.
Bucket backlog.
Following a brief, rainy lunch stop work continued to reinstate stone steps and put in a cross drain.
Lunch - before the rain arrived.
John feels the need to distance himself from the group.
Audrey's flapjack goes down without touching the sides
- only crumbs are left.
Roger and Steve wonder what to do next.
Dry stone step making in the rain.
Catherine decides to make mud pies as the rain really sets in.
"Oh no - you didn't take my photograph looking like this did you?"
Ros K. tests out the new steps and John makes his way home.
At this point the rain got serious and your author and another fair weather volunteer ran for the hills.The rest of the team assured us of their commitment and their intention to stay until darkness fell. However, I suspect that the task requires yet another tonne of stone. Those of you who missed it (or hoped you missed it) will be pleased to know we will be going back again soon.
(Editor's note - a reliable source informed me that rain stopped play at 1:30pm!)
Joanne
Meanwhile - over in Bryan's Wood......
We have always been multi-taskers, dividing into separate
groups to undertake different work in different places but we now often
multi-task by doing the same jobs in the same places for consecutive weeks,
though working in different groups in different places as before. How do you
describe this? Poly-tasking? Whatever the answer, this week’s choice was
between footpath work as before, or beech tree work as before. Paul with three volunteers chose to go to
Bryan’s Wood to continue cutting up the fallen tree.
The work started in intermittent sunshine and while Hannah
concentrated on the brash pile started by Ros E, capo dei capi, the previous week
and did her usual superb job, Paul
worked on the bigger branches with his new, longer blade and new chain. Hot
knife through butter but with the occasional hiccough when the wood failed to
cooperate and seized the blade in a vice-like clamp. A certain amount of
leverage and the use of an old fashioned bow saw soon sorted out these problems.
Meanwhile Dave attacked the thinner branches and Tony kept Hannah supplied with
brash and shifted cut timber out of the way into piles over the wall then,
succumbing to exhaustion, the near side of the wall.
Bryan's Wood chain saw massacre begins.
Slowly the beech tree succumbs.....
... and the logs get stacked.
It started to rain as we stopped for lunch and got heavier as we started again. Perhaps we should have been
called the Wet Quartet even though no-one was singing? That went on for an hour
or so before easing, then Paul decided he had to go at 3 o’clock. By this time
there was a lot of clearing up to do so three of us stayed on for another 40
minutes to tidy up the site.
Hannah, happy in her work.
The brash pile grows ever bigger.
It was at this point that Hannah identified an
English elm near the fallen beech which gave a lift to the spirits. We didn’t
know the wood had elms.
How many more days of poly-tasking? One more week of
footpath work may complete the job, probably two more of beech tree work,
depending on the availability of NCVs. We usually go home at the end of each
work day in a state of exhaustion and frequently plastered with mud up to the
eyeballs, sometimes higher; so why do we do it? Well - where else can you enjoy erudite conversation in the fresh
air? Hyde Park Corner?
Tony
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