Hackfall Woods
On a mild
morning in May 18 NCVs gathered at Hackfall for
one of our regular visits. One group
took on the most physical job of clearing out some of the silt from the pool at
Alum Springs while also redirecting one the springs on the tufa rock to prevent
water flooding the foot path.
James gets ready to kick the bucket.
It's not easy shovelling silt into a bucket
when the shovelful is 90% water.
James passes the precious cargo to John...
...who, like Terry, barrows it off to the silt cellar.
The silt shifters ponder the tufa problem by the side of the pond...
...then Maggie and Josh take a closer look.
Time for a nice cup of tea!
A trio of
ladies took on the task of cleaning all the signs, so with buckets and
scrubbing brushes they set off on an amble around the woodland.
Julia gets busy with the wet wipes.
The rest of
us took on the very pleasant task of inspecting all the foot paths - trimming a
little bramble here, an overgrow branch there, clearing a gully here and another
there.
With a snip snip here and a snip snip there....
...here a dig there a dig...
Oh blow the digging and snipping.
Let's just have a stand in Mowbray Castle.
Best of all was being able to see
and smell the banks of bluebells and wild garlic mixed with wood anemones and
wood sorrel. Such a busy day!
Digital Modelling Training:
Yet more training was on offer this week - how lucky are we NCVs? Four of us opted for 'Digital Modelling' training at the council chambers in Pateley Bridge. I wasn't sure what this involved but it sounded interesting and, sure enough, it was!
In the event Richard Stroud led the day and we turned up armed with digital cameras, tripods and laptops, fully loaded with the software "123D Catch" by Autodesk. The software is available free, to anyone who registers with the Autodesk site via http://www.123dapp.com/catch Their website also provides a demonstration of what digital modelling is and some tutorials on how to use the software.
Using the software was very straightforward. The key to success lay in the quality of the set of photographs you used to build the model. I had some success with part of a gravestone and an unusual tree but total failure with an apple core.
Osian did a wonderful job on this grave - these are only photos of the computer screen. The software allows you to swivel the images around so that you can view the object from every possible angle. If you click on this link you can see it in action. All you need to do is drag the image around and it will move.
Osian gets to grips with the software with Richard's expert help.
Out and about in St. Cuthbert's churchyard.
Using the software was very straightforward. The key to success lay in the quality of the set of photographs you used to build the model. I had some success with part of a gravestone and an unusual tree but total failure with an apple core.
Hmm. Yes, well. Shall we try again?
Osian did a wonderful job on this grave - these are only photos of the computer screen. The software allows you to swivel the images around so that you can view the object from every possible angle. If you click on this link you can see it in action. All you need to do is drag the image around and it will move.
If you looked underneath this grave you could see the inside of the box.
Luckily there was no body there!!
Thanks to Richard for a well organised and really enjoyable day. We can't wait to use our new found skills on some of Nidderdale's heritage - for example, the carved rocks in Guisecliff Wood and the Toft Gate Lime Kiln.
Ros E.
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