All quiet on the restoration front. 17th November 2022

Both Manor farm and Chandlers farm looked silent, when I arrived yesterday morning. It was only while I was getting close to the Bailey bridge that I espied diggers and haulage lorries at work on Chandlers farm. They were working around the big mound that has been occupying a spot just south of the Bailey bridge. As for Manor farm. I'm not sure if anything major has happened since my weekend visit.

Some work has been done. The deep ruts by the bailey bridge have been filled in with hardcore. This should make the going easier for the heavy plant trundling across the bridge.  I reckon the hardcore had been freshly lain. Hardcore formed a low ridge (say 6" high) along the edge of the track, preventing gates from shutting properly. Indeed, the west gate was off its hinges, propped up to the side of the track.

I don't think the infill of the current Manor lake has been added to. A digger bucket, left to the west of the infill, seem sat in exactly the same place as Saturday. Our old faithful pump was pumpfully pumping away, desperately trying to empty the current Manor lake. It's got its work cut out. We've had lots of heavy, persistent rain. Indeed, it is raining as I type, after raining for most if not all the night.  The Blackwater was running bank full yesterday and may well burst its banks today.

One interesting sighting on the south vehicle track, about 75m east of the copse, was what looked like a dredging bucket. I could be completely wrong, mainly as I had to peer through vegetation (I was on the south footpath) and thus could not see the implement in its entirety. If it were a dredging bucket, it does suggest Inert digging out Manor lake. Very curious.  There was a largish digger bucket next to it.

Other than that, there were no exciting birds. Though I did see a heard of four Roe deer feeding just south of what was Cormorant lake (north).

And now, the funniest news. Donald Trump, loser in the last three election rounds in the US, has announced his he is running for president. He doesn't stand a chance. He needs to retire, disgracefully, and play golf.

On a grimmer note, Hunt presents his budget today, while the guv'nor of the Bank of England has blamed Brexit for many of the financial woes we are currently facing. Brexit has added 6% to inflation. More importantly for me and my daughter, it has endangered UK's access to EU science projects. Sigh.