Walling Report November 2022

Date: 13 November 2022

Location: Ridge Farm, Diggle

Conditions: Dry and mild with a fog rolling off Stand Edge.

I feel certain that the opening words to John Keats’ poem ‘Ode to Autumn’ were written in anticipation of a day such as today and consider myself well blessed to have witnessed it:

“Season of mists and mellow fruitfulness…

Close bosom-friend of the maturing sun;”

It was an absolutely glorious day with banks of cotton wool clouds drifting down from the moors and a hazy Winter sun pushing valiantly to be noticed across a gorgeous green, gold and emerald Saddleworth landscape. At the risk of being accused of hyperbole this day was one I will never forget for the sheer beaty of the Autumn / early Winter colours. A day to lift the spirits.

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Members Attending: 11 across two locations:

Location 1. –  The now infamous ‘Wall up the Hill’, or even our ‘Summer Love.’ The job continues and the “cake eaters” – so called because they snaffled all the chocolate chip banana cake provided by John Stevenson – took down a further 8m section of damaged wall on this inclined site. Foundations dug out and the re-build started.

Location 2. – “The Grafters,” wilfully abandoned without their mid-afternoon rations bravely battled on at this Summer’s principal Ridge Farm Training Wall, the Huddersfield Road Field Wall.  The end stages are coming in to view and another ten yards were built to the mid-point.

A wonderfully productive day in a glorious location and in great company.

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