After a chilly night, it was quite hard work getting going this morning and we only just finished breakfast in time to join the volunteer working party at ten. Our reward was that, rather than the snow flurries in the forecast, it was a superb winter's morning, cold, admittedly, but clear and with not much wind.
The team divided into two halves; Sheila, Jo and Ellie worked on a further clearing of the copse we cleaned up last time, whilst Wynne, Nigel, Bob and your correspondent went into the Heritage Field to clear the undergrowth away from the ditched stream that runs down its west side.
This took up most of the time; by the end, we'd got it pretty clear and could see how the water was backing up at the culvert which leads under the canal into the copse beyond the towpath, the one in which Sally likes to play copse and rompers.
Nigel, Wynne and I went over there and did a bit towards clearing out the stream bed on that side. By the time we'd finished, we'd got some flow going and the level was dropping on the Heritage Field side. On the other hand, the culvert is well choked with mud and silt and to make a big difference would require some serious input with bigger tools than we had.
A session with a mini digger deepening the stream bed on both sides would have a major impact, too.
After lunch, Sheila and I went shopping at Still Waters, buying veg, mostly, and ordering another couple of bags of solid fuel. Since Grahame and Chrissie took over the shop, the stock of fresh veg has noticeably increased. As that's the kind of thing that needs regular shopping, it's a welcome change.
Tonight, I'm going to roast a piece of turkey breast that Elanor got for us at the Moy Park shop and serve it with mashed spud and steamed cauli and broccoli from Still Waters.
Although the toilet tank is only about three quarters full, we plan to get a pump out and fill up with diesel tomorrow; looking at the forecast, I wouldn't be surprised if we were frozen in by mid-week.
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