All Quiet at the
Western Depot
by: Buffs
The summer holiday rush
has had quite an effect on Western Depot this week. The passing of
the summer term break has seen many of our regulars disappear off for
some quiet time away from the routine.
Monday started slowly
with less than half a sheet filled with names by 09:00. Jobs were
allocated: one group to Skew Bridge to start the repair of the
towpath fence under the bypass, another to collect a picnic bench
with a broken leg and work on Patricia going on. More names appeared
on the sheet and work on the old Mess resumed.
But still the yard was
un-naturally quiet. The syncopated cacophony of grinders, other power
tools and hammers was replaced by the silent swish of paint brushes. Patricia’s digger parts and her leg irons were flowering into the
bright yellow of JCB under gentle caress of Jill’s paint brush. The
rest of the yard was garlanded with muted red checker plates from
Patricia’s decks slowly turning a dusty rose pink under the first
coat of grey anti-slip paint at Leonie’s hand.
Stuart, the first of
our depot produced work boats, now back in the yard to be finished
was being stripped of her gunwale timbers in preparation for
repainting and the fitting of the dragon’s teeth. The dragon’s
teeth form the lashing points for the green weather cover seen on her
sister Jasper and are welded to the hull. There will be other welding
to do on this boat to bring her up to the same standard as Jasper.
With sun rising ever
higher the picnic table with one of its legs splintered into two and
showing signs of many years of service to the user of the towpath was
brought back and gently laid at rest in the wood yard. This was soon
followed by the broken fence timbers from the Skew Bridge. The
cunning plan to dig out the rotten timber from the concrete thwarted
by the way it was fitted. A different solution is required.
Lunch was taken in just
one sitting.
The dragon’s teeth
were being cut on the reciprocating saw. There are 42 to be cut. The
metronomic beat of the saw as it worked through the steel became the
accompaniment to a slow, hot summer’s afternoon. Leonie applied the
second coat of anti slip to the deck plates which matured from rose
pink to a soft glowing grey.
And as the afternoon
cooled the tranquillity was cut by the roar of a newly cleaned and
maintained trimmer being brought back to life ready for more work on
the canal.
Reflecting on the day
the signing in sheet was almost full, many of Reg’s tasks had been
completed, Patricia is becoming more colourful and some long
outstanding little jobs had been finished. Almost a cue for Dvorak’s
Symphony No. 9.
