The first job for the day was to investigate a report from the Cutting 'Edge gang that someone had broken into Hotchley Hill signalbox. We found that someone had tried and failed to break our padlocks (ruining one in the process), and then proceeded to cut a hole in the rotten floorboards above. On gaining access to the locking room, they looked in our toolbox, and finding nothing of pecuniary value, proceeded to distribute the contents of our first aid kit around the site. They also destroyed two easily-replaced signs, but it could have been much worse. They touched nothing historic, and total damages come to less than £100. A lucky escape, perhaps.
After patching-over the hole in the floor, and taking a few photographs of the weeds that have sprung up in the ditch, we headed back to Ruddington for the real task of the day: clearing out the clutter behind Ruddington Fields relay room. Not all of it was scrap, but none of it should have been where it was!
There's not a great deal to tell about the job, save that we spent most of the day tugging heavily-loaded trolleys up the platform, and empties back down. That done, we turned to vegetation. Much of it had been gone-over with a strimmer last week. Now, we got out the lawnmower and cut the grass even shorter. A bonfire's-worth of brash was also carted away, and we think the area looks much better for it.
Next week, we'll head down to H.H. again for a day of cutting and weeding, as well as tidying-up the mess made by our visitors. If nothing else, they have underlined the importance of securing the building as soon as possible.
Thank you, as always, for your support and encouragement. It really does make all the difference!
