Journal of a volunteer
November 2009
| 4th |
Five of us worked with Chris between the two Marbury fields. Some of the cattle had damaged the fencing whilst being loaded onto a truck. We replaced the broken rails and strengthened the fences with some additional nails, which someone complained were bendy. The saw was no good either. Chris thought that the repairs would last another year. The cattle kept an eye on us throughout. John, Jim and I had to manoeuvre our way through and around them as we walked back across the field to the Play Area. Meanwhile Chris, Diana and Ian drove to the yard to exchange hammers and nails for rakes and shovels. Chris arrived at the Play Area in the tractor with the first of four loads of chippings, which we spread under the climbing equipment particularly in the high impact areas. There was enough time left before lunch to go around the car park litter-picking.
Three rangers and six volunteers set off down the lane to Witton Mill car park. Chris and Pete took four to Carey Park, whilst Jim and I remained with Steph at the car park entrance. It was time to test shepherding skills. Chris appeared like the pied piper followed by about thirty Hebridean sheep, Pete and volunteers bringing up the rear. Jim and I cut off possible escape routes and Steph headed up to the entrance to Ashton's Flash. By the time I had put my camera away and walked up to the flash, the sheep were safely in their new enclosure and feeding on the vegetation. Back in the yard, Diana, Ian, John, Jim and I equipped ourselves with the appropriate safety gear for chipping and walked to the car park to wait for Chris to bring down the last of the dead elms that we had worked on a few weeks ago. The day had been dry until then, but, just as it did last time we were there, it rained, only heavier. Chris started to look around for offending branches obscuring the view for drivers, at the junction for example. Jim, Ian and I discovered that the banks had become muddy slides, but luckily I had put my camera away. |
| 5th |
The charcoal burner was back from its weekend break in Bollington. We had sold the last bag of charcoal a couple of weeks ago and there was still a demand in spite of the weather. Joanne and Liz helped Dave to prepare the kiln and then began reducing some of the smaller logs to kindling. Dave reduced some of the Turkey oak with the chain saw. Jim and I manned the tractor-mounted log-splitter. There was a brief shower, but not enough to stop work. The charcoal burner was full, complete with a tin of willow sticks for artists' charcoal and ready for firing tomorrow. The yard got a bit of a tidy up before we moved to the next job.
Dave didn't think that I would like to work on the steep slope, in the rain, at Anderton, so I got into Chris' van with Diana, Ian and Alan R to go to Big Wood. Chris had identified a line of dead elms that needed to come down close to the bridle path. We met Pete and followed Chris on the tractor, which he positioned amongst the trees. A quick survey and three possible courses of action were planned. All involved strategic cuts with the chain saw, but, in order to minimise damage to other trees and the fence, some pulling or pushing was required. We were unsuccessful in our attempts to throw a rope high, or accurately, so Pete was the one to go up the ladder and secure the strop. Diana received training in operating the winch on the tractor, so improving her pulling power. Three of us used brute strength on a rope to pull a tree to the ground with some nimble footwork to avoid the impact. Even I managed to push a tree over once the chain saw work was done. We only had to ensure that the path was clear before we left an untidy heap of dead elms to create habitat in the wood.
|
| 11th |
Ian, Vernon, Jim and I worked on The Flashes with Steph. On Ashton's we removed trees painted with her red splodges and made brash piles. Those remaining were mostly fruit-bearing or bushy varieties. We left stumps a few inches high to deter campers, but they created trip hazards for us. Later we moved onto Neumann's, leaving the central bund and picking a route between the trees down to the fence. We climbed over and made our way onto the lime bed. I had the additional weight of the chain saw in one hand and the fuel in the other, which was my justification for leaving the deepest footprints. Steph wanted to remove the trees and bushes, so there was more dragging to create brash piles. At times we were working on limy slurry and it was difficult to stay upright. After the third descent to his knees, Jim gave up and returned to the main path to do a spot of litter-picking. Our boots and clothes needed a good soak at the end of the day.
|
| 18th |
It rained heavily all morning whilst we were on Haydn's Pool, so we were sloshing about in the mud. Liz and I were helping Dave and Ian to erect fencing by carrying posts and rails to the back of the sand martin bank. When Vernon arrived I went with him to the bird screen to start work on turning the screen into a hide. I was the gofer whilst he measured, levelled and banged posts into the ground to mark the position of the front of the hide. I held the marker posts as he hammered and got splattered with mud as it sprayed off the wood. He got the bow saw to remove hawthorn branches above our heads that were hindering his swing, so giving us both an extra shower.
It had stopped raining when Dave began removing trees along the bottom path in the afternoon. He had previously identified squirrel damage on trees adjacent to the path and marked them with a blue splodge. Vernon, Alan, Ian, Liz and I ensured public safety with warning signs and personal advice before dragging the trees clear of the path and building brash piles. Before our evening cuppa, a few of us nipped down to the Mere Hide at Marbury to watch thousands of starlings preparing to roost. We were treated to a spectacular aerial display, although they chose to come down into the reeds further along the mere. Three sparrowhawks tried their luck amongst the flocks, but we didn't see any of them securing a meal.
|
| 19th |
Four of us followed Pete in the tractor out of the yard . Armed with brooms and shovels, we tidied up piles of leaves that had been left by another group of volunteers earlier in the week. We filled the tractor bucket a couple of times over. Chris took us to remove a dead lime tree from the avenue in the field. First we had to break into the protective fencing that surrounded it, untwisting the wire and removing staples, not easy when standing almost ankle deep in mud. It was at least dry in the yard as later we unloaded birch logs from the trailer. With Joanne's support Dave cut the logs with the most attractive bark into appropriate sizes for Christmas table decorations. I fetched and carried as Alan split logs and Dave trained Joanne in the use of the drill to make holes to take candles.
|
| 25th |
At Marbury Dave and Liz took the Landrover and trailer; John and I followed on foot. We collected branches with berries from the ivy, holly and yew trees between the yard and the nursery to put into the trailer. John and I drove to Anderton to park his car, then we walked down to Marshall's Wood where Dave was preparing for the felling of a Scot's Pine. Liz and I stood guard on the path as John and Dave brought down the tree. Having measured roughly eighteen feet from the top, they removed the lower trunk and branches. Liz and I could only stand and watch as the two men heaved the tree onto the trailer on top of the greenery. John and I reached the car park first and then introduced ourselves at Anderton Boat Lift reception desk. Carly unlocked the gates so that this Christmas tree could be unloaded and taken to the picnic area. The greenery with berries will provide seasonal decorations for the lift.
Dave used the hedge-trimmer under the crab apple trees on Anderton car park, whilst Jim, Liz and I worked with loppers and bow saws. The trimmings with the long thorns were difficult to handle, but we found places to stow them out of the way. We didn't reach the end of the hedge until after the sun had set, giving the few remaining clouds a pink hue.
|
Mary - Volunteer
|
|
Fence repairs
The pied piper of sheep
Brash piling up
Xmas tree for the Boat Lift
Drilling for candles
|
