Ty Powdwr working meet

Working meet report June 2024

Members: Duncan Lee, Sue Brooke, John Castick, Caro Churchill, Steve Lopacki, Dave Wylie, Andy Stratford, Rory Marsden, Kate Harvey

Prospective Members / Guests: Pete Attwood, Phil Dawson, Elaine Yip, Natalie Lacroix.

A turnout of thirteen over the four days on which people worked meant a lot was achieved.

Duncan painted on Thursday and Friday with the full height of the back hall to the dorms being mould-treated and fully painted. It’s a big space, and a tricky bit of work with much of it off ladders – so big thanks to Duncan. Sue tackled the dingy short hallway (from the main entrance hall) past the gents and to the lounge, including a thorough prep and triple undercoating the green doors so they could get glossed on Saturday which Phil made a first-class job of.

Other painting included four coats of sealant on the new table bench in the paddock (Elaine) and the exterior and interior treatment of Ty Beisicl (Nat and Phil). Steve added shelves in Ty Beisicl and fastened a new pin board / chalkboard / mirror / coat hook creation he’d made in the workshop at home in the main hallway.

John started on the track and ditch strimming on Thursday and worked steadily through it over three days with Rory weighing in on the Saturday. The last vestiges of bracken clinging on were also strimmed from the paddock, which was part mown for camping, with over 70% left as set-aside for wildflowers, grasses, insects and bees. We have done so well with the bracken clearance over the last three years that the long-dormant bluebells have come back, which along with the hundreds of daffodils, many of which were planted by Iain MacCallum many years ago, bring so much colour to the outside spaces.

Dave fixed two broken slates – one on the gable end and one on the gas store before helping out on the Ty Fuse clearance. The day before Andy and Dave had loaded a car to the roof with items for the tip. This helped with the re-organisation on Saturday.

Elaine declined the offer of painting, confessing she was ‘’messy with paint’’ – this proved true as even the paint tins declined to cooperate – her mere touch ‘’disintegrating’’ one of them in the clear-out and creating a small paint pond in Ty Fuse.

Kate Harvey (eight months pregnant!) and Pete Attwood worked on the fourth course of steps to the knoll, which is now almost ready for its bench seat. I’m interested in hearing from any tree surgeons or wood carvers or chainsaw artists in the club – we have a big pine tree in the paddock plantation at the side of Ty Powdwr that needs taking out (to allow an oak and birch more light) along with a couple of other tree surgery jobs (I think these involve proper three climbing surgery, rather than pole mounted ground surgery). Does anyone have the skills and motivation and experience to design and make a seat / bench / table type thing from our own timber at some point next year. If you are interested, please get in touch.

Caro provided excellent catering on Saturday with a feast of baked spuds, homemade slaw, cheese, beans and tuna mayo and a homemade veggie chiili, with lots of snacks and extras.

Saturday evening was glorious and despite the eight- or nine-hours hard graft everyone had put in, we had a good group (Steve, Caro, Rory, Phil, Andy, Elaine) climbing in the quarries after work, and Steve, Caro, Rory and Andy even managed an early start on Sunday getting a quick route done before the rain set in.

It was another great working meet, thanks to all who came.

 

  

Andy Stratford