After a manic week and a bit of family events, life returns to the medium slow lane. I didn't pay my normal Tuesday visit to Manor farm as it was very cloudy and then poured with rain. The mild, exceedingly wet weather persists. Wednesday, however, was bright, clear and cloudless. Wonderful for photographing birds...only they were somewhat sparse on the ground.

The Blackwater was bank full in places, possibly flooding in others - most notably sections of Fleet Hill farm (unless the banks have been shored up) - with plenty of standing water over the restoration. I reckon conditions on the recently restored areas will be lethally soft.

As you would expect, not much, if anything, has happened since the start of my short hiatus. The idea to to let the ground settle down and consolidate. Having one deluge after another 'may' assist this process slightly, as huge rain drops beat on the ground. Manor farm was as I left it, two weeks ago. Chandlers farm was eerily quiet - and I doubt it had anything to do with it being a tea break. Not a piece of heavy plant in sight or clank of machinery to be heard. Only the spider armed boulder crushers upper was to be seen, lurking silently on a hill of spoil

Water levels in Manor lake were not very high, despite all the rain and named storms of late. I feel there is a crucial sluice gate missing, one that was on the original plans, namely along the straight channel leading to the culvert under the Longwater road. A sluice gate is needed here to control the flow of water out of Manor farm in a westward direction.

I suspect that MGLG members have set about building a fence of brash and branches to stop access to the north bridlepath. It should stop all but the most determined of walkers, but there were a couple of points in the fence where very easy access is possible with minimal effort. The fence needs more branches.

Unfortunately, this effort is very much like barricading the front door of a castle, whilst leaving a back door wide open. Along the eastern side of the south bridlepath, large sections of fencing have collapsed, allowing walkers, dogs and horses to simply step onto said path.

The two sluice gates have not yet been fitted. Strange that, considering Inert were rearing to get on with the west sluice gate way back in June.

One worry with this break in work is that if it is left too long and work doesn't recommence until next year, then we are in danger of yet more postponements as construction stretches into the breeding season.

Though I do ask whether efforts will be made to provide plenty of pebbly ground for Little Ringed Plovers to breed?

​Needless to say, updates will be sporadic over the next few months.

At the risk of incurring the wrath of SWMBO, I thought I'd sneak in this update before family events begin.

I've heard that the opening date of the Manor farm part of the ex Cemex quarry restoration has been pushed back to summer 2024. A slippage in dates for a major project such as this is not unusual, disappointing, but quite normal.

Many tasks remain to be started, yet alone completed. Fencing the area, for instance, will take quite sometime; and this task cannot really start until the bridlepaths are completed. A number of snags to the path need to be fixed e.g. flooded parts north of the sewage works for one, crossing over the Colebrook for another. Further fettling of Manor lake might be  required after the surveyors were in last week. Add to all this, reduced day light hours, lousy weather and the fast approach of Christmas, and it is apparent that this restoration will not be finished this year.

Another reason for pushing back the opening date, which I completely agree with, is it allows time for the ground to settle and consolidate. A lot of the newly landscaped ground is, as I've often harped on about, lethally soft, with the consistency of quicksand - as my muddy wellingtons up to my knees can testify. And while most of the bridlepath is now quite firm, a few extra months will help the ballast it is made of to pack down solidly.

Right, I have to go off and be nice to people. See y'all in a couple of weeks; as all social media devices may be confiscated for the duration.