December 2013
The winter weather and our works at the entrance have combined to create our own lake in which to reflect.
This is the third year of works at Colt Hill and at the end of each we have paused to reflect on our progress.
Please use the menu to select the items of interest, or just browse through the entirety of my ramblings.
Our main priority this year has been to ready ourselves for construction of the clubhouse, we hope in 2014. Much of the work has been in the background: preparing tender documents; finalising funding; liaising with service providers (electricity and water); going through the tender process; and converting the Club from an unincorporated association to a company limited by guarantee registered as a charity. However, we have found time to undertake some physical work on the land.
The boundaries of the site continue to provide "good sport". In January we erected two more fence panels at the wharf end. This has made the site look tidier as the green metal fencing blends in better than the bright metal of the temporary fence.
In February we planted a further 100 or more saplings in the hedge, removing a lot of brambles in the process. These have generally taken well.
Looking at the hedge this winter it is quite impressive how it has grown over one or two seasons.
The bulk of the area at the east end of the land has now been sown with meadow mix. Despite the atrocious growing conditions last winter, the seed sown in autumn 2012 germinated well ensuring we has a good display of cornfield annuals once more this summer. We also started to see some of the perennial flowers beginning to show this year.
We have had two digger days in 2013 during which we have removed over 80 cubic metres of unwanted subsoil. The first was in June and the second in August. We have removed all the heaps of soil that were leftover from fencing, drainage and creating the hardstanding. We have excavated inside the main gates so that the vehicular hardstanding can be extended.
The main vehicular entrance has been a focal point for activity:
- We have laid drains and service ducts across the entrance;
- We have constructed a catchpit on one side of the entrance and an inspection chamber on the other;
- Most of the hardcore from the former agricultural buildings together with the best part of 20 tonnes of crushed limestone now form an all weather access, well at least it gets you 6 to 8 metres on to the site.
There have been opportunities for good honest manual graft:
- At the west end of the site the area within the root protection zone of the ash tree has been lowered to the level of the wharf by hand digging;
- All the topsoil that will be needed for final landscaping has been bagged up on the hardstanding: all dug by hand and moved by wheelbarrow.
