Day off no.1: My wonderful day on the canal
My return to work didn't go quite as I expected as 4 days before my return I developed vertigo which was particularly unpleasant. This meant that I ended up returning to work on the 6th rather than the 3rd of September as planned and to get everything back on track again I decided for the first two weeks to just work a regular pattern of hours. Anyway, just as my vertigo was clearing up, I went on to develop a sinus infection which brought it back again and so for a while it was touch and go as to whether or not I'd be well enough for what I'd planned for my first compressed hours non-working day. However, luck was on my side and on the 26th September I did my first day of volunteering on the canal. I was so excited when I saw that the day I'd be off, there was a Towpath Taskforce planned within London. It was going to be between Acton Lock and Mile End Lock which to me was one helluva long way... until I discovered that Acton Lock is at Bow! Which makes much more sense. For those who don't know London, Acton is in West London but Bow and Mile End only one tube stop apart in East London!
It was very easy to arrange the volunteering, just by signing up on the Canal and River Trust website and they sent me a really detailed email of what to wear/expect. The recommendation was for wellies or boots. Wellies I have and boots, well I still have my Salomans from my trip which survived the washing machine but I just couldn't decide as the weather is a bit messed up over here at the moment (I suspect we're not alone!) and it was forecast to be way warmer than you'd expect at the end of September. So I vacillated between the wellies and walking shoes for a while before opting for the wellies and multiple layers of socks! We were recommended to wear clothes that we didn't mind getting dirty and for such a situation I had saved all my travelling clothes! It felt somehow strangely reassuring wearing them again. Similarly, I'm really enjoying wearing my 3in1 waterproof and fleece so fully kitted up, with my packed lunch in my rucksack (from my travels which also survived the washing machine) I headed out to Acton Lock.
Well we couldn't have chosen a better day for it, it was so warm and sunny. Around 15 of us had turned up for session. Four people were long term volunteers and the rest of us were first timers. After filling in our registration forms, Ross, the volunteer leader, gave us a briefing on what to expect for the day, safety etc. and the best bit, pointed us in the direction our high-vis jackets we had to wear! In the morning we were to fix up some planters, followed by a tea break then a session clearing the footpaths, lunch for those of us who were doing the afternoon session and then bulb planting and clearing in the afternoon. It was really well organised. They had a boat that stayed with us for the whole of the day
and where we could leave our stuff and they provided tea and coffee and biscuits for us. They'd asked us to bring our own water bottles to avoid generating plastic waste.
So I teamed up with Leigh and we spent a pleasant couple of hours getting to know each other whilst sorting out three of the planters. They'd been installed by the council the previous year but had been left and not maintained. Because they're next to the canal, people think it's the Canal and River Trust that has left them there unloved and so they agreed with the council to take them over and a couple of weeks previously, volunteers has repainted them.It was a such a shame that a couple had already been graffitied, and unlike like in South America where people are far more likely to graffiti an actual picture, it was usual rubbish writing that dominates UK graffiti (which I discovered that day tends to be the marks of gangs... how sad :-( ). Anyway, here you can see us all in action. The view along the canal...
This is Leigh
One of the big planters after we'd cleared it and planted it with bulbs...
Me in action!
Once these were all done, we had our cup of coffee and enjoyed sitting in the sun for a while - I was really glad I'd thought to put some sunscreen on before leaving the house that morning - it was soooo hot!!!
During the break I sat chatting with Steve and his colleague from work (whose name I didn't get). They worked for a company that paid their workers for a day to go out volunteering. It wasn't compulsory, but if they didn't do, they wouldn't receive their company bonuses!
After coffee break, we started working along the canal bank clearing away all the overgrowth, cutting back ivy and generally tidying up the place. This is a really busy stretch of the canal and used by lots of people on their commute and then throughout the day so it felt nice to be improving the area for them. This was my patch that needed clearing...
And this was my patch after I'd cleared it!
This bit we tended to do more on our own and so at lunch I sat back with Leigh and chatted about our respective travels and also with a new volunteering leader from Oxford who had come to London to learn more about the activities that we do to take them back to Oxford.
After lunch we started trying to plant bulbs along the towpath but it quickly became obvious that this was going to be a futile exercise as the grassy areas were clearly walked and ridden on and so we decided it probably wasn't worth it and concentrated on clearing the paths further along the canal instead.
The day was due to finish at 3.30pm and so around 3.00pm Ross came over and asked us if we wanted to have a trip on the canal boat. They were taking the boat back to their boatyard along with all the plants and weeds that we'd cleared and we were given the opportunity to go along with them. Which of course I jumped at! It was beautiful gliding along.
We got to see some coots going about their business...
And it was lovely seeing the little architectural features on bridges we went under.
Quite coolly we had to go through a lock!
These really are amazing feats of engineering.
And then we arrived at the boatyard and that was the end of my day. We were about 10 minutes walk from Mile End tube station so I headed there and made my way home.
It really was a wonderful day and I can thoroughly recommend volunteering for a Towpath Taskforce if you have the opportunity. Those in Oxford - they're particularly looking for people in that area!
My next day off is on Tuesday. I've been trying to decide what to do and I had been thinking of doing a Meetup Group Weekday Walk. However, I'm really struggling with being back at work and finding it mentally more challenging than I imagined for a range of reasons, both internal and external. I'm finding it difficult to keep my focus on my personal goals for this year and decided this morning that I need to go to my spiritual home in London, the wonderful Kew Gardens to give solace to my brain which is working overtime right now. And so that is where I will be found on Tuesday and I'll tell you about it soon!
It was very easy to arrange the volunteering, just by signing up on the Canal and River Trust website and they sent me a really detailed email of what to wear/expect. The recommendation was for wellies or boots. Wellies I have and boots, well I still have my Salomans from my trip which survived the washing machine but I just couldn't decide as the weather is a bit messed up over here at the moment (I suspect we're not alone!) and it was forecast to be way warmer than you'd expect at the end of September. So I vacillated between the wellies and walking shoes for a while before opting for the wellies and multiple layers of socks! We were recommended to wear clothes that we didn't mind getting dirty and for such a situation I had saved all my travelling clothes! It felt somehow strangely reassuring wearing them again. Similarly, I'm really enjoying wearing my 3in1 waterproof and fleece so fully kitted up, with my packed lunch in my rucksack (from my travels which also survived the washing machine) I headed out to Acton Lock.
Well we couldn't have chosen a better day for it, it was so warm and sunny. Around 15 of us had turned up for session. Four people were long term volunteers and the rest of us were first timers. After filling in our registration forms, Ross, the volunteer leader, gave us a briefing on what to expect for the day, safety etc. and the best bit, pointed us in the direction our high-vis jackets we had to wear! In the morning we were to fix up some planters, followed by a tea break then a session clearing the footpaths, lunch for those of us who were doing the afternoon session and then bulb planting and clearing in the afternoon. It was really well organised. They had a boat that stayed with us for the whole of the day
So I teamed up with Leigh and we spent a pleasant couple of hours getting to know each other whilst sorting out three of the planters. They'd been installed by the council the previous year but had been left and not maintained. Because they're next to the canal, people think it's the Canal and River Trust that has left them there unloved and so they agreed with the council to take them over and a couple of weeks previously, volunteers has repainted them.It was a such a shame that a couple had already been graffitied, and unlike like in South America where people are far more likely to graffiti an actual picture, it was usual rubbish writing that dominates UK graffiti (which I discovered that day tends to be the marks of gangs... how sad :-( ). Anyway, here you can see us all in action. The view along the canal...
During the break I sat chatting with Steve and his colleague from work (whose name I didn't get). They worked for a company that paid their workers for a day to go out volunteering. It wasn't compulsory, but if they didn't do, they wouldn't receive their company bonuses!
After coffee break, we started working along the canal bank clearing away all the overgrowth, cutting back ivy and generally tidying up the place. This is a really busy stretch of the canal and used by lots of people on their commute and then throughout the day so it felt nice to be improving the area for them. This was my patch that needed clearing...
After lunch we started trying to plant bulbs along the towpath but it quickly became obvious that this was going to be a futile exercise as the grassy areas were clearly walked and ridden on and so we decided it probably wasn't worth it and concentrated on clearing the paths further along the canal instead.
The day was due to finish at 3.30pm and so around 3.00pm Ross came over and asked us if we wanted to have a trip on the canal boat. They were taking the boat back to their boatyard along with all the plants and weeds that we'd cleared and we were given the opportunity to go along with them. Which of course I jumped at! It was beautiful gliding along.
And then we arrived at the boatyard and that was the end of my day. We were about 10 minutes walk from Mile End tube station so I headed there and made my way home.
It really was a wonderful day and I can thoroughly recommend volunteering for a Towpath Taskforce if you have the opportunity. Those in Oxford - they're particularly looking for people in that area!
My next day off is on Tuesday. I've been trying to decide what to do and I had been thinking of doing a Meetup Group Weekday Walk. However, I'm really struggling with being back at work and finding it mentally more challenging than I imagined for a range of reasons, both internal and external. I'm finding it difficult to keep my focus on my personal goals for this year and decided this morning that I need to go to my spiritual home in London, the wonderful Kew Gardens to give solace to my brain which is working overtime right now. And so that is where I will be found on Tuesday and I'll tell you about it soon!
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