In somewhat adverse conditions, well all right, in driving rain, the Work Party girded its loins, took a deep collective breath and soldiered, or rather ‘navvied’, on to do a number of important preparatory jobs prior to the visit of Virgin Media staff next Tuesday. CRT delivered stone dust by the lorry load. We filled the concrete mixer with any number of different mixes at the command of the building squad on the front line beside the new wing wall below Lower Trebanos Lock. Then we filled sand bag after sand bag for yet another protective dam for the wall. Meanwhile, drag forks and grappling irons at the ready, an advance party was sent out along both sides of the canal to clear the encroaching vegetation from the channel. This was so successful that the flow of water positively sped down the canal. Whitethorns Day care centre, undeterred by driving rain, emerged a little later from some very low cloud and proceeded to work north of the lock on litter picking duties. So the site has been made ready for our visitors.

Let us hope the weather will relent on Tuesday for real progress to be made on the two new walls.