Today’s workparty was based at the Swansea Canal Centre site in Hebron Road. There were several main jobs, both inside and outside the building.

Outside Alan T, Duncan and Mike F began laying paving slabs as coping stones on the 37 metres of perimeter wall. With the shorter wall being a little narrower, Gordon and Lance took turns to cut them down to size. Lance, Rowan and Phil manned the mixer and Rowan ingeniously used an old shopping trolley to deliver the heavy slabs to the wall. Around two thirds of the length was finished during the morning and the result was quite impressive.

Inside the building Gordon was jointing and fixing the kitchen counter in place, fitting cupboard doors and installing the sink and tap. Connection of plumbing and drainage are jobs for another day. He was aided and abetted by Gareth, who has vast practise in leaning on counters!

In the green oasis away from the noise of cutting and mixing, Chris M, Sharon, Moira and Martin agreed that as No Mow May was now over, some old style strimming was acceptable around the stone barge. As soon as Chris could get the strimmer to work, that is!

The wild flower garden was out of bounds to strimmers, but grass was fair game for trowels and judicious weeding. Fennel, wild geraniums, oxeye daisies and buttercups are in full leaf and flower just now and what a show they make!

Two different, but just as attractive, gardens have been lovingly tended by Ronnie, Chris, Moira and others outside the Canoe Store in Coed Gwilym Park. They have been entered in the Clydach in Bloom annual competition this year and they certainly look worthy of a prize!

Meanwhile, James Daley and his men continue to push on with restoration at the buried lock site. Moira and Martin walked up from weeding the Canoe Store gardens to see what’s been happening. The bywash is taking the canal flow, allowing work to progress around the chamber in fairly dry conditions once overnight accumulations of water have been pumped out. Some of the large concrete blocks are now in place which will form the walls of the canal channel, and more are being positioned daily as the rebuilding gains pace.

We all met up at Hebron Road for coffee and cake baked by Andy and to reflect on another day of multi-tasking with some great outcomes, well done everyone!