Daisy (and me) on TV.

I can start the blog this time with some exciting news.  In the list of good links, there are some new ones. They take you to information about a new ITV series of 20 programmes that follow the work of the Trust.  The series begins on Sunday October 6^th at 12.25pm and Daisy will feature on a number of occasions – there might even be a space somewhere for me!

Meanwhile, change is afoot for Derwent Island House which will soon have new tenants.  The current tenants are leaving so we are looking for new ones.  We are taking this opportunity to make some changes.  As part of that process I recently spent a very pleasant morning with John Hooson (The Trust’s Wildlife & Countryside Adviser) doing a macrophyte survey of the vegetation on the lake bed around the pipe-line that conveys the amenities to the island.  Macrophytes are aquatic plants that provide cover and food for fish and also oxygenate the water so it is important that they are not threatened. We are planning to upgrade the service pipeline so next week I’ll be back out there with our Buildings Adviser and various contractors.

I have also been busy with the Mountain Rescue team.  We have recently been having training sessions using the newly-installed anchor points on Sharp Edge. This is an initiative that has been two years in coming to fruition.  There has been extensive consultation with the landowners, with user groups including the British Mountaineering Council, the Mountain Liaison Group, various climbing groups and also Natural England.  These anchor points are not intended for general use by walkers and climbers but are for use in mountain rescues.  They have been sited very carefully so that they do not detract from the experience of mountain users but they will make mountain rescues from the ridge or the gulley safer endeavours.  Over my years of being involved in rescues, I have seen that some of the cracks in the rock that we have used for safety anchorage have been widening and there was a real concern that soon there would be a failure that would result in an accident for the rescue team.

On a recent joint rescue with the Langdale team, after the missing person had been found safe and well, a colleague and I continued on up the fell.  We had been searching in thick cloud with about 10 metres of visibility but at 11 pm we emerged at the summit of Great End and found ourselves above a temperature inversion.

The valleys were shrouded in thick mist with just a few of the higher peaks rising above it.  We were treated to clear skies with a big moon plus countless stars and satellites.  So a successful search was topped off with a memorable experience.

Hi, it’s Daisy here.

I’ve got another new friend.  It’s Mollie.  She’s one of the Recruiters’ dogs and she’s really new.  I’ve been teaching her how to play with sticks.