It's a case in this blog of either being encouraged by the progress made during the recent fine weather, or down-hearted by our failure to get the big pipe removed out of pound 25.
On the good side, the fine weather has enabled us to progress rapidly with the concreting of the base of pound 25. On the Tamworth Road side the concrete now has reached the bywash of lock 25 and into the mouth of this lock. We have also extended the concrete pad along the towpath side, and this stretch of concrete will soon have reached the entrance wall to lock 25 as well. We were most fortunate with the weather when we concreted a large block within the mouth of lock 25 and established the height to which the lock cill will have to be rebuilt. Had it rained within 24 hours of this concrete being laid it could well have washed away the pad. Fortunately it didn't, and we now have a good base from which to work within this lock. On the down side, just as in pound 27, we have been unable to remove the big pipe for planning reasons. I've a horrible feeling that this situation is going to develope into the same frustrating situation that we had before in pound 27 with the big pipe again holding the job up.
We have been able to resume work just beyond the narrows towards the A51. We had been held up because a large pool of water refused to drain away. With the good weather in April and early May it dried up sufficiently for us to resume work within it. The 'brickies' are still going along nicely finishing off the top few bricks of the wall along the towpath side. A great volume of soil has been removed from the other side of the canal channel where we have uncovered a line of gabions." What's a gabion"? you may well ask. It's a wire cage, usually made of rust resistant steel, it measures about a 1 meter cube, size depends on where and for what it is intended, which when in it's position is filled with rocks. The finished item is very heavy and stable and makes a good wall. A concrete base will be laid adjacent to these gabions and a wall, constructed similar to the towpath side, built. That's about it this month.
As usual thanks to all who have contributed to our progress.
