A Busy Day
by:Buffs
In life we come to dread some
phrases when uttered by the boss or the spouse. “I’ve got some little jobs for
you, they won’t take long” is one of my bêtes noir. So when Reg sat down with
his little book open and uttered the blessed phrases there was a rush for the
door. Last one sitting got the reading from The Book of Reg. After teams were
despatched to continue digging out for the new concrete floor in the bar, to
repair some steps at Dudbridge lock, to find the edge of the clay lining of the
cut above Ryeford locks the little tasks remained.
The first little task was at
Newtown to find and dispose of two remains of wildlife. Here were found the desiccated
carcase of a muntjak deer and sadly the very recent remains of one of the swans
which have graced the pounds between the roving bridge and Pike Lock. There was
no evidence of foul play so it was left discretely pending any further action
required by our environment advisers. While there the lock was operated through
one cycle to clear the floating weed which had grown in the lock itself. The
effect of the exceptionally warm weather on the decomposition of green matter
in the lock was very evident as the water level fell. The waters of the lock
effervesced with the release of methane formed during composting which was
trapped in the sediment and held there by the press of the water when the lock
is full.
Task two was to find the
underlying cause of the locking difficulty at Ryeford swing bridge. This was
readily indentified but would take three trips to clear. But before returning
to the depot time for a spot of arboriculture or tree pruning if you prefer. Reg had identified a small branch which might become an impediment to safe passage along
the towpath. “Only take a minute to clear…”
45 minutes was spent using just a bow saw and a pair of
loppers wielded in turn by two volunteers. The potential hazard was cleared with
deft and sometimes acrobatic use of the tools. The simple task was extended as
the clearance revealed more potential hazards in the large willow tree. Extra
branches were trimmed and reduced to much smaller pieces on the ground and left
in the undergrowth to decay naturally. This particular tree will require more
extensive work with a larger and better equipped team soon.
After lunch back to Ryeford to remove a piece of the hasp
for reworking in the yard. Back again to try it and like Cinderella’s slipper
it fitted. But now the other piece of the hasp needed adjustment so off with
the nuts and back to WD for adjustment with an angle grinder and back again to
the bridge. It fitted with no difficulty and the lock now locates perfectly
every time. All this effort because the new lock is slightly smaller than that
which it replaced.
One of the pleasures of being out on the towpath is the
interaction with the users. We gave directions to a group of American walkers.
We spent time discussing the future development of the canal, the flora and
fauna around the cut and of course we said thank you to all those who offered
praise for the work done, work we are doing and the work yet to come. And we
thanked the cyclists with bells who rang them and called “Ting Ting” after
those who did not have one or use the one they did have.