Cuckoo

In April,
Come he will.
In May,
He sings all day.
In June,
He changes his tune.
In July,
He prepares to fly.
In August,
Go he must.

The Cotswold cuckoos may have arrived in April, but it was the second week of May before we heard one singing. That was at Bishops Cleeve. The same day we sighted swifts for the first time this season. All we need now is one swallow to make a summer!

Thursday 2^nd May

The heavy overnight rain on Wednesday night/early Thursday morning, coupled with a reduced attendance, meant a slight alteration to the day's plans. Five of the team arrived at Winchcombe in pouring rain, at which time working indoors seemed preferable. But within an hour, the rain stopped so we headed to Gotherington Yard. However, we did not take the excavator as planned.

The first task of the day was to repair a down side boundary chamber on the low mileage of culvert 33B. This involved removing a small ash tree - it was dying with ash die back. The rebuild of the top two courses was achieved mainly with the original bricks. The left over mortar was then used to repoint a down side cess chamber and the up side exit chamber of cross drain 33A.

Repaired boundary chamber at Gotherington; stump of ash tree shows how close that was to the structure.

In preparation for the re-excavation of the down side boundary ditch to take field run-off back to the inlet of cross drain 33A, we cleared some overhanging vegetation (ash, hawthorn, bramble and elder). Also we began cutting a shallow trench to take a pipe from this ditch into the 33A inlet.

Martin digs the trench for the pipe to take the water from the ditch into the entry of cross drain 33A.

Finally whilst at Gotherington we checked on the condition of the up side slip in Dixton cutting. All posts upright and inline and no obvious signs of further movement.

The Dixton slip (Malvern, up side). A couple of miles away there is a much bigger slip in one of our neighbour's field.

35006 P&O SN Co. approaches Gotherington Yard.

 After lunch we carried out an explorative trip to Millham Park at Bishops Cleeve. This is on the up side, and the southern boundary is where the stream which flows through culvert 38A exits. The parish council have given us permission to take a vehicle across the playing field upto the railway boundary so that we can clear the stream and view the outlet of the culvert. The objective of the trip was to determine the best vehicle access and to see what is going to be involved in clearing the stream. It certainly is a job for wellies - and best when the water level has dropped.

Milliham Park before clearing - the extension to the exit of culvert 38A is under there somewhere.

Wildlife report: Gotherington - woodpecker heard (but as usual not seen); crows and rooks. Blue-grey worm (Octolasion cranium). In the undergrowth near the boundary hedge/fence we identified Snakeshead (Arum maculatum), and Solomon’s Seal (Polygonatum multiflorum).
Bishops Cleeve - flock of starlings.
River Isbourne - wild garlic  (Allium ursinum) in flower (and aroma!)

Thursday 9^th May

Six of the team enjoyed on the warmest and sunniest work day so far this year. An ideal day for working near, and with wellies, in water courses.

Jonathan, Dave and Martin initially headed to Millham Park, Bishops Cleeve to tackle the clearance of the exit of culvert 38A. At some point in the past this culvert was extended beyond the railway boundary and the garden of the last house on Oxmeads Close constructed on top. Bishops Cleeve Parish council have granted us permission to take a vehicle across playing field from the parking place at Bootenhay, off Millham Road. The task was to clear vegetation from around the exit and to visual inspect the extension. Also obstructions downstream alongside the park were removed and partial clearing of the area between the boundary of the park and a gate which leads from Oxmeads Close. This exit is now accessible for external and internal inspections, however a close inspection of the original headwall is not possible without entering the extended culvert.

Milliham Park after clearing - the garden is over the top of the extension of culvert 38A.[Photo by Dave]

Looking inside the extension of culvert 38A.[Photo by Dave]

Meanwhile Polly, Nigel and Andrew went to the Rive Isbourne bridge to complete the replacement of the coping stones on the low mileage up side wing wall. Also undertaken was re-pointing of some cracks in the wing wall - at least as far as could be reached. Measurements for the missing portion of safety fence were take - this is the part that was left during the flood alleviation works a few years ago. Apart from installing this section of fence; the wing wall repair here is now complete.

The gap for the last coping stone to be replaced.

All complete.

 

Chief bricklayer Polly (l) and chief mortar mixer Nigel with the results of their labour.

After lunch the combined team worked on removing silt and debris from the River Isbourne adjacent to both banks on the exit (up or Malvern) side. Also we improved the steps down from the vacant track bed to above the up side headwall. And finally we tightened the bolts and grub screws on the fence around the end of the down side bay platform at Winchcombe station (by the Father Christmas coach).

Thursday 16^th May

Seven of the team in attendance, split into two groups either side of Gotherigton Station.

2807 on a down train at Manor Lane.

Jonathan, Roger and Martin used the mini-digger to excavate a boundary ditch on the down side high mileage of culvert 33A at Gotherington. This will take the run off from the field into the inlet of culvert 33A. The final connection is a length of 225mm twinwall pipe - completion of bricking around the exit of this to be done next week.

The new (or rather reinstated) boundary ditch on the high mileage down side of cross drain 33A.

Nigel, Polly, Stuart and Andrew went to Manor Lane at Gotherington. First task was to effect a repair to the top brick course of the roadside chamber of cross drain 36A. This is on the up side by the corner in the road and the field gate. This is where the ditch flows into and joins roadside gullies in a pipe under the corner of the field. Two blue mesh lids were added - with the old thick concrete ones on top as weights.

Roadside exit chamber of cross drain 36A with repaired top course.

Blue mesh covers deployed - with the old concrete lids as weights.

The rest of the day was spent rodding the under railway section of cross drain 36A. This has got an obstruction - somewhere! The inlet chamber on the down side has standing water to over half of the bore diameter - so this prevents use of CCTV unless pumped out first. We rodded 11m from the down side entry (12 lengths of our black rods); before hitting an obstruction. This is approximately underneath the down side rail. On the up side we rodded 27m from the exit (30 lengths of the black rods); this gets to inside the current fence line. Potentially there is a bend and/or join at that spot; as we believe the bore was extended some time in the past. (Location approximately at end of rods in photo below).

Nigel holds the drain rods to show the approximate location of the obstruction on the up side of cross drain 36A.

Wildlife report: Small toad at culvert 33A; Wild roses in bloom at Manor Lane; and yet another woodpecker heard but not seen!

Toad - but not a GWR brake van! [Photo by Martin]