Sunday 31 January 2016

Hayfield workday on Sunday 31 January 2016

Six valiant (some would say foolhardy) stalwart MNTV members braved the appalling freezing rain to meet up with the rangers in the Sett Valley Trail car park at Hayfield this week.  After some deliberation Shane the head ranger decided the conditions were too extreme for us to make the trek up onto the moors to fell rhododendron so the group decamped to the base camp at Edale.

The task awaiting the group after the drive through the rain and snow was the sorting and processing of firewood.  Though the task was inside a barn the temperature was still below freezing.  An old fence had been broken up and the rails needed de-nailing, cutting into six inch lengths and the four-inch wide pieces splitting into three.  The resulting kindling was then bagged up.


At the end of the day there were 31 big bagfuls, a record number for any group.  We also moved logs in the log store to different bins depending on their respective dampness.

Breaks where taken in the barn with some of us incongruously reclining in deck chairs more suited to a sunny beach than a freezing shed in the Peak District.

Thanks to Shane and Miles for looking after us and providing an interesting and productive workday.

Tim

Monday 25 January 2016

Rhodybash at Lyme Park on 24 January 2016


A clear, dry day and plenty of enthusiasm for the task saw quite a bit of rhody cut down. The group was working just below Paddock Cottage. Any time someone wanted a breather they could see Alderley Edge and gaze over the Cheshire plain to the Welsh Hills.


A vigorous fire consumed the rhododendron cut down by 13 volunteers, for whom there was just enough cake to go round without breaking out the Sloppy Kisses (they were supposed to be Coffee Kisses, but I think I got the proportions wrong).


The Rangers, as ever, were supportive and grateful for the group's contribution (and the cake).


Mick

Sunday 17 January 2016

Hedgelaying at Mount Farm, Alderley Edge Sunday 17th Jan 2016

Eight of us met up in the Alderley Edge National Trust car park on a snowy, freezing cold morning! We even had 3 newcomers on such a cold, cold morning!
We parked up and moved the tools into 2 of the cars, then drove to the yard at Mount Farm where we left the cars and walked along the lane to the stretch of hedge where MNTV had previously been working.

Last time we visited, it was so wet that we couldn't get the fire going. We hoped that things would be different on this visit.

It was still very wet and boggy underfoot in the field and we were really glad that we were all wearing wellies. It was so cold that it was difficult to begin doing the work. Neil was a star with getting the fire going, so we were able to burn the pile of branches that had been left from previous visits and also managed to burn everything that we cut during the day.
Although we stopped for our usual mid-morning drink and, a while later, had a lunch break, we were very quick to get back to the task in hand, before we got too cold. Sue brought along 2 different home-made cakes to give us energy:-)
By the end of the afternoon, we were pleased with what we'd done. It wasn't quite as cold as it had been in the morning but our boots were muddy from continually walking across the field. We think we'd managed to lay another 30 foot or so of this hedge, but there's still more to do - maybe another 2 or 3 visits yet before it is complete.

Sunday 10 January 2016

Housekeeping at Victoria Baths, 10 January 2016

After an absence of two years we returned today to Victoria Baths in Chorlton and helped Chris, Neil and Simon clean and prepare the Gala Pool surrounds ready for the filming of The Drowning of Arthur Braxton.  The film is crowdfunded:
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/fireflight/the-drowning-of-arthur-braxton

Before we began Neil gave the seven of us an in-depth tour of the main areas of the Baths (the three pools (Male 1st Class, Male 2nd Class, Females), Committee Room, Superintendent's Flat, Clock Tower, Aerotone (early jacuzzi!) and Turkish Baths), referring to photos from the early 1900s to shows us how the pools/rooms looked in the Baths' earliest days.  The stained glass windows in the front walls were dazzling in the morning sunshine.


The worktasks were to remove the metal rail barrier from around the pool (Neil/Tim/Phil), clean the metal railings of the gallery (Tricia/Louise/Karin/Daniel) and vacuum the cabins around the pool (all of us).  Next week United Utilities will fill the pool with 400,000 litres of water!


Wednesday 6 January 2016

Hedge laying at Alderley Edge, Sunday 3rd January 2016

We usually begin the year gently, with a short walk around one of the local NT properties, but this year we’d been offered some hedge laying at Alderley Edge. And with an offer like that, what’s a conservation group to do?
 
After weeks of awful weather, the day dawned dry and cloudy, but as we were gathering at 9.30am the rain duly started falling, and would continue steadily for the rest of the day, accompanied by a chilly easterly wind. Undaunted by the abysmal forecast, eight of us had turned up with an impressive array of waterproofs, woollies and wellies.
 
The wellies were certainly needed, as we were laying a hedge that was beset by thick mud and several inches of standing water. Plenty of squatting rather than kneeling while working today!
 
A field that's about to get brown, and a hedge that's about to get down!
 
 
Mud, water and wellies, with a bit of hedge laying
Neil manfully struggled to get a fire going, but had to give up after a while as even the use of a blowtorch couldn’t overcome the water that had soaked through every bit of the wood pile.. He was effectively trying to set fire to a puddle.
 
There was smoke, but sadly not much fire
 
After a brief and chilly break to enjoy some warm drink and Lisa’s brownies, we pushed on with the task, but very soon the cold started to seep into everyone’s bones. Just before 1pm it all became too much, and we tidied up the bits of hedge that we had laid, knocked in a few stakes and packed up to head home to a warm bath and hot food.
 
Hopefully one day soon, the rain will stop and we’ll be able to enjoy a normal workday for the first time in about 2 months!