The final session at Picking Gill and goodbye to the pesky ponies, although we did manage to keep them away this week. A bit of rain but better weather than elsewhere
It was back to the ponies at Picking Gill. Six of us, Andy, Rob, Duncan, Rod, Barry and Graham took another section down, up to the neighbouring field fence boundary. Barry spent most of the morning mining stone and the early afternoon recreating the cord fencing to keep the ponies away. They were very persistent and took a very keen interest in us and the wall. By mid afternoon they had moved on but were a real pest for quite some while. Whilst the new section had nearly been rebuilt, Barry, with the help of others, finally managed to do some real walling completing the topping out on last week's section. This week's nature comment - tiny frogs in the undergrowth 1-2cm long. Find of the week half a dozen squashed cans of John Smith's Extra Smooth dated 30 June 2011, buried in the wall. Hopefully the drinkers have since learned the error of their ways and moved on to something more palatable.
Graham D.
No. wallers: 6
Andy & Barry kept the Walling Group flag flying again this week as
other group members continued their various holidays. Andy’s productive
dismantling and rebuilding of the next stint contrasted with Barry’s
slow raising of last week’s section to topper height, but the discovery
of a buried ‘cache’ of stone further along the wall took time to dig out
and carry to the workplace to supplement the meagre supply.
With still more to do at 3pm we plonked some large stones along the top of the wall and placed the pallet to deter the
horses & ponies which thankfully kept their distance this week.
Barry S.
No. Wallers: 2
Holiday season for team members so just Andy & Barry resuming the restoration of the Picking Gill perimeter wall. A two-week absence at Menwith plus recent rain had transformed the site to a forest of bracken with occasional foxgloves in full flower. Evidence that horses in the adjoining field had found their way past the flimsy rope ‘fence’ suggested that we should dismantle just a limited section of wall in order to maintain a stock-proof boundary by the end of the day: the point was reinforced by the close attention of inquisitive ponies in the afternoon, obstructing Andy’s efforts and necessitating a realignment of the rope fencing to try to keep them out. Oblivious to our coaxing and gentle prodding, their persistence was eventually diverted by Palovian psychology in the form of a shaking bucket that they followed away from the work area, anticipating some food: their disappointment at the mean hoax was stoically borne. A short section was topped off at lunchtime and sufficient height gained in the next stint to have some confidence that the beasts would not invade the reserve.
Barry S.
No. Wallers: 2
Rod, Duncan, Andy, Barry and Graham this week. A very pleasant day, cool to start off with but a good day for walling. New foundations were not required and although most of the wall needed rebuilding, excellent progress was made. We needed to make the wall horse and donkey proof before we left so there are some interim toppers which will be replaced. Its Menwith Hill for two weeks so back in three weeks.
Graham D.
No. Wallers: 5
Summer has arrived and the site is a lovely setting when the weather is pleasant.
A warmer walling day at Picking Gill with a sunny start. Andy, Barry,
Rob & Rod made the best of the available stone to bring the next
stint up to level and topped it with some hefty copes. The fragility of
the wall in the next section through the corner will probably mean a
full dismantling as we move from the incline into more even ground.
Rain showers coincided with a convenient time to stop at 2pm, Rob
needing to pedal back to Leeds for a celebration and the rest of us
preferring to stay dry.
Barry S.
No. Wallers: 4
Four wallers this week , Barry, Rob, Duncan and Graham. Once again the weather was better than forecast and good progress made. We had the added attraction of horses in the field, a couple of which watched from a distance but soon lost interest!
Graham D.
No. wallers: 4
Four of us for our third week at Picking Gill, Barry, Andy, Duncan and Graham. A pleasant day punctuated by a cool breeze every now and then. The patching job is ending up as a rebuild and although there is a limited amount of stone it is proving to be a reasonable wall to work on. Visiting wildlife was limited to one toad and the normal ducks and geese plus curlew and buzzard.
Graham D.
No. Wallers: 4
A second week at Picking Gill with just three of us , Val, Chris and Graham. The forecast proved to be pessimistic and the cool morning became a pleasant afternoon instead of the expected rain. The section of wall that Barry and co had started the previous week was completed and looks significantly better than when we started! Liz paid us a visit including biscuits to make up for the cake we had been getting at Low Wood Farm.
No. Waller: 3
Duncan, Rob & Barry formed the pioneering team at Picking Gill, a small nature reserve managed by the local community near Sawley. A brief survey of the perimeter wall persuaded us that commencing alongside the road afforded the best shelter from a cold easterly wind, and we partially dismantled the mainly retaining wall in a tidying-up of the disheveled stint to a firm corner. It took the morning to restore this, finishing with flat tops for want of more material. The afternoon’s work began the steep uphill section at right angles to the corner, the fragility of which was exposed by a collapse while removing some stones and leaving more of a gap than we had planned at the end of the day. A satisfactory consolidation of the corner however and some sound lower courses put into place.
Barry S.
No. Waller: 3
Resources were split this week with Andy, Rod and Graham finishing work around the gate at Low Wood Farm . There will be a separate blog for the start of Picking Gill involving Barry, Duncan and Rob. A fine day at Low Wood Farm, with the completion of the right-hand cheekend linking into a buttress to match up to the adjoining walls. This represented the completion of the job and by all accounts it has been an enjoyable wall to work on. Once again, but for the final time cake (almond and cherry) was provided by Sally who also came to view the final result and thank us once again.
No Wallers: 3
