Usually before work parties I am anxiously watching the weather forecast, hoping it won't have to be cancelled, but we have been enjoying a prolonged dry spell recently and there was no doubt that we could go ahead on Saturday, 26th March.
17 volunteers were on site to do a lot of barrowing - timber and slate chippings. The timber is for the new boardwalk and the slate chippings had been kindly donated for use on the paths. The idea is to firm up the muddy surface and to raise the height a little. While most of the volunteers were going to and fro with barrows or armfuls of timber, Ian meanwhile, with a little help, was mixing concrete (or was it mortar?) in his own barrow and getting some slabs down as foundations for the new boardwalk. This job has been severely set back over the winter by the area being constantly flooded but finally some progress was possible.
The slate chippings were finally in situ, raked along the pathways and trampled in as best we could (where is the mud and soft ground when you need it?) Richard meanwhile was doing a splendid one man job digging out some vegetation along the front of the reed bed while I was on "light duties", being convalescent from a heavy cold and still not feeling up to pushing heavy barrows. I did manage to carry a few slates down to "the building site" though and finished off my list of minor jobs later in the week after a recording visit.
Many hands do indeed make light work and somewhat to our surprise we had finished all the major tasks by refreshment time and were able to leave earlier than usual. All except Ian, that is, who continued to work on long after everyone else had gone. Thank you Ian for your perseverance with this tricky task.
We had two new volunteers this month. Hannah from Wales, who thought she was visiting friends for a holiday but somehow got roped in! Likewise Heidi who had donated the unwanted chippings from her own new garden and came along to lend a hand getting them down along the paths. Many thanks to you both for your hard work and for the donation of the chippings, Heidi.
As always there was a splendid array of cakes to revive us after our exertions, thoughtfully provided by Margaret and Janet. I think we did them justice!
Then came a surprise! After 7 years of organising the work parties this was my final one before handing over to Karen and Angie in future. I was presented with a beautiful rose bush, (and other goodies hidden in the bag) as well as cards with lovely messages. So I found myself making an impromtu speech, something I'm not very good at, but my thanks were nonetheless heartfelt. All the Committee members and volunteers are lovely people to work with and we have become friends over the years. I leave the Reserve in very good hands with Angie and Karen and will enjoy volunteering at Ballachurry in future under their direction.
Here are a few photos from the morning:
I was doing a minor job by the new dragonfly pond when suddenly this procession came by!
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Richard meanwhile doing sterling work
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then suddenly the timber procession came from another direction
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while raking of chippings still continued
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timber galore
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the last few planks?
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a pause for breath and to take stock
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Ian working on the boardwalk site
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and Chris lending him a helping hand
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definitely a two man job
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the slabs are heavy
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Hey, guys, it's time for tea!
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tea break time is always enjoyable
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especially on a sunny day
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time to get aquainted
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Thank you everyone for my beautiful rose & thanks to Christine for the photo
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Rob lends Ian a helping hand after tea
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finding slabs of the right size and thickness can be tricky
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all the hardcore is recycled material
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at the end of the morning we had some very smart paths
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the chippings should improve winter conditions
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Dare I say it? We now need rain to put them to the test!
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And just for the record....
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Small Tortoiseshell
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So, the end of an era for me! Thank you everyone, not just for your efforts today but for all your support and hard work over the years. I shall continue as a volunteer myself and will also keep going with the regular biodiversity recording . In fact my latest recording visit will be the next Blog post.
please click on photos to enlarge them
