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Here we are back at West Challow again: this time we are working on the eastern side of the footbridge. At the last workparty (which I missed) a huge amount of scrub clearance took place, and our task today was to get rid of the evidence: and that means bonfires! Hooray! OK the sun was shining, but the wind had a real nip in it, so we were all glad to get the fires going.
Here's Malcy trying to work out why James appears to have grown a third arm. 
"Jim! What're you doing up there?!" Jim gets sent tree-climbing with machete in hand. 
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Meanwhile, nearer to the bridge, there was this stump..... a nasty old crack willow stump, hollow, barely clinging on to the towpath, due for removal. "Right!" says Roy, "Let's get rid of it then." Graham and Jim observe while Roy and Malcy tie a rope around it's top, just in case it floats off downstream.
Roy gets the axe out and starts chopping. Won't take long. 
"OK, Malcy, you have a turn:" 
"Er, it must be nearly through?" 
"Huuumph!" 
Jim the scientist suggests poking it with a big stick: 
And Roy tries the faithful old bowsaw: 
Until finally it gives way. 
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And that's the end of the old hollow stump, forming the basis of our second bonfire of the day. This was taken at lunch break, thought you'd like a change from the usual photo of everyone sitting around scoffing.
And finally for today, I went on to the footbridge and had a look at the western side, which was dredged and profiled a couple of months ago: and what a difference! Lots of light, no more man-eating brambles, easy to walk along, and nice clear water. 
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