Our place of work today was in the old quarry, where I had previously been to help with the unloading of fence posts. Acting on a directive from on high, in reaction to an incident in the south where an intrepid and intruding youngster had got his foot tangled in some submerged wire and subsequently perished, we are required to make safe any ponds under our care.
The quarry floor now houses a caravan park, empty and forlorn looking at present, but no doubt ready to spring into action at Easter. At one end of the site is a fenced off grassy hillock, on the other side of which is the remains of the last bit of quarrying. Here, a large area of flat limestone slab slopes gently down to a shallow pool where the water has collected. The pool is full of old tyres, wire netting, barbed wire and other lovelies.
Now the exciting thing about this pool is that it is the spawning ground for a large colony of frogs, toads and newts. Again, we are faced with maintaining a balance between protecting the public from its own foolishness and preserving a wildlife habitat. We needed to remove the discarded fencing materials with a minimum of disruption, at the same time leaving behind the old tyres. These are not regarded as dangerous. Apparently, the amphibians like to place their spawn on objects like this. The spawning season is not far away.
I had the thrill of donning a brand new pair of thigh length waders. "These rubber waders make me feel very sexy", I exclaim. "My heart is all a tremble", is the lightning response of Mr. Head Ranger. This banter peppers the proceedings for the next half hour. A little later, Mr Deputy Ranger is pulling hard on a piece of wire, trying to extricate it from some submerged obstacle. Suddenly, it breaks free, and he falls backwards, but manages to regain his balance to avoid falling in the water. We all laugh at what might have happened. Our days out always provide some opportunities for merriment. We are a happy crew.
Who could imagine that an old quarry could be so lovely? It was a rare, absolutely still, sunny day. Not a sound could be heard. Above us, some kestrels were chasing away some crows against the bright blue backdrop of sky.
We finished our task, which resulted in a largish pile of scrap, and included a bicycle frame that had had to be hauled up a small cliff which bounded one side of the pond. The lads will come back tomorrow with the trailer and load up the rubbish.
We had a little time to spare, so we were taken on a little excursion to a nearby cliff in an area that is not open to the public. Down behind a large boulder there was an inbotrusive metal plate, about a metre square, against the rock. This apparently is a back door to one of the cave systems that riddle the hills hereabouts. How exciting! My imagination galloped back to children's adventure stories I had read long ago. Behind the door is a sheer drop. If anyone came across it accidentally it could clearly constitute a danger. The door was checked to ensure that it was secure. It was.
A bit of tree pruning completed the jobs for the day.
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