The only problem that we have with the track we live up is having to keep filling holes from the wear and tear of use. It's not something that worries us a great deal, as far as we are concerned it just comes with the territory. A hole comes, you fill it and that is how we have gone on over the years. The benefits of living here with the wild flowers, hedgerows and wildlife far out weigh what we see is a very minor inconvenience.
It worries many people though, especially those that are used to tarmac surfaces for their cars to run on. But our attitude is maybe a little anti social; if you don't like it, don't come up!
Periodically the owner of the fields around us will get a heap of some form of small rubble or stone to be put into the holes, which we appreciate. But this time he made a real boo boo.
The latest stuff is just a bit too small. It is fine in small holes and packs down well, but in larger areas where water collects, it just is not man enough for the job. In no time it reduces to a thick pudding like texture.
Unfortunately he got someone in over the weekend to spread it in the hole that collect the most water. We thought fine that's okay the machine will pack it down hard. Not too much damage. But by the end of Sunday we found the driver had gone mad and scraped up the area removing the centre grass and the small bank to the right and dumped it on top of the opposite bank.
So gravel some soil and turf from the centre and the left side in this photo has been dumped over the wild flowers on the right hand bank.
Dumped turf
Gravel and mud mix thrown on side
The whole of the bank was in a really sorry state and we just could not leave it like that.
So early on Monday morning, donning raincoats and wielding
shovels we got down there to remove and repair.
It took us over 2 hours to move everything off. We rebuilt the opposite side where it had been removed to an extent that is. Enough to allow us to replace turf containing wild flowers so that they could at least stand a chance to re-grow.
Narrow bank repaired
Opposite side after gravel and turf removed from it.
Using a manure fork we then teased up the growth to allow any remaining gravel and mud to fall down to root level, hoping now most of the damage has been averted.
Achillea ptamica
Achillea ptamica commonly known as Sneezewort remains untouched right at the back of the bank.
All this is down unfortunately to people who don't think enough of the environment around them. Ignorant destruction goes on like this everyday where small pieces of the planet are lost. The Earth is being destroyed not only in great swathes, but in tiny cuts, over and over.
If each of us can try to protect just a small area where we inhabit and try and repair any damage done, we may stand a chance of mitigating all out planetary destruction of the environment.
Hopefully.
