Mid-week up date and new theme to blog. 25th Sept 2019

You might have noticed, dear reader, that my website has changed its look and feel. The old theme I used had been deprecated by Weebly. This means that it is no longer being updated, and may be retired in the near future.  This meant further that certain features of the old theme (e.g. slide show) did not work properly on some smart phones.

The new theme offers more features and flexibility, and also renders properly in most browsers on most smart phones.  I will explore the new features over the coming weeks, and make tweaks to my website.

A further plug for this Sunday's open day walk on Moor Green Lakes, kicking off at 10:00am.  Though currently the weather report is looking rather dire. Heavy rain in the morning (stopping at roughly 10:00am) followed by thundery showers.  However, both the MetOffice and Beeb have been predicting thunderstorms this and last week, but nary a rumble in the sky was to be heard.

On to Manor farm and my mid week walk. There were a whole load of lorries, busily at work on Manor farm. I estimate at least ten; though I reckon more.

It has been some time since I last saw this number of lorries on Manor farm.  This is not to say this hasn't happened. I may not have noticed them as my mid-week stomp covers such a short interval of a week.

I have have seen this before.  A whole fleet of lorries arrive for a week or two, then vanish. We are then reduced to the two or three lorries. In defence of Cemex, they may simply not be able to hire that number of lorries on a long term basis. There are only a small number of haulage firms capable of carrying large quantities of spoil. They typically have a small fleet. And they have other customers to service.

Still, it was good to see that number of plant trundling to and fro. It is possible Cemex are making a determined effort to complete restoration. It is hanging like a millstone around their corporate necks.

Today the lorries were dumping loads in two places. Firstly across the middle top of what was Finch pond - where Inert has to increase ground level by up to 5' (1.5m) in places.  Secondly, around the channel between Finch pond (as was) and Cormorant lake (south).  I reckon the feature I called the inlet has now gone, and who knows, perhaps the channel itself.

I never did manage to cross the channel when it was a proper channel, connecting the two former bodies of water.

The photo of the Black-winged Stilt was taken from the 'viewing point' on the bridle path between Manor farm and Moor Green Lakes.  The Black-winged Stilt is still on the fen, totally unperturbed by the lorry traffic trundling very close to it.