Random holes, dinged gate, torn up tracks. 1st February 2020

On this most inauspicious of days, having left the EU, do we have any joy from the restoration of Manor farm. I have to say yes, but with a degree of perplexity.

I have mentioned, on a number of occasions, that I find the restoration process a little perplexing. As an engineering type, I normally progress through a build in a reasonably linear fashion. Any detours tend to be minimal, and occur near the beginning during the initiation phase i.e. set up a series of modules, which are bolted together.

Inert, by contrast, seem to flit about Eversley quarry, performing seemingly random tasks. Granted, over the past year or so they have settled down somewhat. Firstly by filling in Finch pond, and latterly concentrating on the south and east shores of Cormorant lake (south). However, even here there have been the odd excursions over to the ridge and Cormorant lake's east mud flats.

Thus it was, that this morning, I found that Inert had dug a dirty great hole in the vehicle track, halfway between the copse and the sewage works. It's a sizeable hole, and appeared quite deep. To my untrained eyes, it is a completely random hole, dug in the middle of nowhere, on a vehicle track that has been worked over and driven over for years. I don't remember seeing the hole on Wednesday. How strange.

My Wednesday stomp revealed two diggers aiding and abetting the bulldozer. Again, I am perplexed as to the variation in resources deployed on the site. Of course, this might simply be due to the number of tipper and grab loader lorries available for hire on any given day. My brief, Wednesday stomp does not give the whole picture of what goes on during the week, especially as my walk seems to coincide with a tea break.

Anyway, one digger was merrily at work on the north west shore of Cormorant lake (south), merrily shovelling stuff into it. The stuff was delivered by the heavy earth mover, which was not adding to its considerable pile of stuff on the land mass.  The heavy earth mover reversed down my nice new rubble track (well, that's what I call it), but appeared to be tearing it up.  The ground is still quite sodden.

There were signs that some ordinary haulage lorries may have dropped stuff as well. It was difficult to tell with the mud being what is was.

The second digger appeared to be working on the south vehicle track, the one I photographed last week with the dirty great ruts in it.  Well, if it was repairing the ruts it didn't do a good job of it.  The entire track was rutted by my Saturday stomp.  The whole area needs a good dose of heavy duty hardcore; made up of concrete and bricks.

Our bulldozer driver was working on the south east corner of Cormorant lake (south), as he has done so for the past few months. Only this time he appears to have churned up the vehicle track as well. This might be intentional. The south vehicle track almost follows the new south shore of Manor lake when it is joined with what is left of Cormorant lake.  Therefore churning it up is simply establishing the new south shore of Manor lake when it is joined with Cormorant lake (south). The map shows the approximate path of the south vehicle track and how it impinges on the new shore of Manor lake.

However, I have made such assertions before only to be completely and utterly wrong. Watch as Inert proceed to smooth and restore the vehicle track in the coming weeks.

Moving swiftly on. A vehicle appears to have crashed into the east gate across the footpath next to the bailey bridge. It's put a nice dent in the gate.  However, this appears to have been a fortuitous accident. Walkers can easily squeeze past the gate without having to open and close it.  You will not believe the number of people who are incapable of closing a gate. Many's a weekend I find one or both gates half open. I can't work out who is doing this: walkers, cyclists (who shouldn't actually be on the footpath) or both.

Our stalwart of a pump was inert, both on Wednesday and today. Not a good move, I feel. It has been raining, and more of the stuff is predicted in the coming week, if not weeks.

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