Sunday 25th May 2025

Mike Kushy, Mike Wise and John Cooper. MK and MW to begin with. With MW at the dig face and MK on the winch loads of mud removed. The pair swapped over and more mud removed. Once down to rock MW went back in to do some pf work. MK in the mean time made a mix and continued with the ladder pit wall. JC turned up and MW left around 2ish. JC took over from MK wall building and MK went to continue with the pf work, widening the dig face. JC did another 3 bucket mix in the meantime. The winch and mesh grid has now been cable tied down and the area around the winch levelled out. Ali Moody popped by on her walk and got a photo.  7 hours. Mike.

MK at dig face. Photo AM.

Ladder pit walls. Photo MK.

Dog tooth crystal vug 2 inch. Photo MK.

 

Dig face at end. Photo MK.

Friday 23rd May 2025

Mike Kushy. 3 mixes made and used to finish the retaining wall to the south (soil can go behind this now ready for bushes to be planted). Also started building the ladder pit entrance wall to the west. Once this is built the scaffold legs for the winch can be brought in closer and the angle for winching made steeper. 4 hours. Mike.

Ladder pit in construction. Photo MK.

Retaining wall to the south. Photo MK.

Tuesday 20th May 2025

Mike Kushy and John Cooper. MK to begin with. After sourcing some 2 inch steel I laid the floor for the winch and moved that into position. The scaffold legs were attached and some quick thinking to get it all up in the air. JC arrived and we did some fine tuning whilst hauling some buckets up, over a dozen buckets cleared I'd say. The winch needs fixing down to the steels. After JC left MK carried on wall bulding around the steels with a mix. 6 hours.

MK at bottom. Photo JC.

The bottom at the end. Photo MK.

Winch set up. Photo MK.

Monday 19th May 2025

Mike Kushy. Moving tipped rock pile from trailer behind walling. 2 hours. Mike.

Tipped pile. Photo MK.

Stone moved into dig. Photo MK.

Sunday 18th May 2025

Mike Kushy. Did a mix of cement and used it to prop steels in place. Spent the rest of the session attacking the bottom, several buckets of spoil removed. The vertical mineral vein to the south comes apart very easily with just a crowbar. It would be worth having a go at the dig face and clearing the spoil to backfill behind the southern wall. 4 hours. Mike.

Saturday 17th May 2025

Mike Kushy. Did some pf work at the dig face. Big lumps removed fairly easily. Several buckets cleared. Nice calcite layers sloping down to the South. 4 hours. Mike.

Looking down on dig face, northern end where the crowbar is. Photo MK.

Looking south, where the calcite layers slope to. Photo MK.

Thursday 15th May 2025

Mike Kushy and John Cooper. MK to begin with, got to site at 10.30. Wheelbarrowed a load of hardcore from the spoil pile around the back and tipped it behind the eastern wall where the winch will be going. Made a mix around lunchtime and started building up around the southern steel. JC arrived not long after and did some more wheelbarrowing of hardcore. MK chucked irregular shaped rocks behind the eastern wall to bulk it up. The pair then shifted a steel I beam to the dig to go on the northern end. We then concentrated on packing around the steel and checking levels. JC moved some mud from the top of the Templeton spoil heap down to fill the gap left from hardcore taken. MK laid grid metal sheet down to check heights. Left at 4pm. Mike.

Trial setup. Photo MK.

Trial setup. Photo MK.

Sunday 11th May 2025

Mike Kushy. Took winch apart at White Rabbit's Hole and moved it up to Templetwin with trailer. Moved a few buckets of hardcore behind the walls. 2 hours. Mike.

Monday 5th May 2025

 Mike Kushy. 2 mixes made and used setting out pad height for steels to go in. 3 hours. Mike.

Photo MK.

Photo MK.