From boardwalk to wild flower meadow.

It’s been great to get stuck back into work with my regular volunteer group. We’ve been working on some repairs to the recycled-plastic boardwalk at the southern end of Derwentwater. It has been in for some years now and, if it had been timber, would have started to decay by now because the constant changing of the lake water level would have meant the timber would fluctuate frequently between wet and dry. Because it is plastic, it isn’t affected like that and it is still looking really good. Just one or two of the posts had sunk so we jacked them up and installed some bracing beams to give the walkway the support it needs.

It’s also great to see some of the things I see during my working days. One recent morning I saw mother and daughter roe deer. If you are alert or will sit quietly and wait patiently, you will be surprised what you can see. I was able to take photographs of these and walk away quietly and they didn’t move. Really nice to see.

Another good day was a ranger team meeting out on the Cumbrian coast with our coastal ranger Chris. He has done some fantastic work out there planting and reseeding wild flower meadows. They are looking especially good at this time of year.

After the meeting we all pitched in and did some re-pointing of an old stone wall that he is working on. We were using traditional lime mortar. Many hands make light work and we were able to complete a good stretch of the wall.

Daisy here,

I’ve cut my paw on Derwent Island. I’ve been to the vet and have three staples in it. I keep on showing Roy but he doesn’t seem to do anything about it.