Clearing leaves

Leaves
Originally uploaded by davidjennings.

After the hot weather yesterday there were strong winds in the night and the site looked almost autumnal with the number of leaves blown down. Thankfully the new trees don't seem to have suffered.

In this photo the yellow generator-trailer is being used to blow air through the hose for clearing up the detritus, which you can see in the bottom right hand side of the playground. Another wonderful day, but not quite as hot as yesterday.

New trees

New trees 1
Originally uploaded by davidjennings.

This must be the hottest day of the year so far, and definitely shirt-off weather if you're working outside.

The new trees have been planted, the first bit of green that has been added to — rather than taken away from — the site.

No further developments on the CEDEC, but some more soil was ferried to the Meeting House Garden (though its final destination is out of site of my window).

Quiet Garden bench

Quiet Garden bench
Originally uploaded by davidjennings.

Some of the old benches from the Quaker Gardens are being retained, but this one is new.

Throughout the last week or two, there has been daily activity in the Meeting House Garden, but — apart from the new paving — it's been difficult to spot significant changes. Today the surface was hosed down.

Preparations for CEDEC Hoggin

Rolling 1
Originally uploaded by davidjennings.


Rolling 2
Originally uploaded by davidjennings.


Preparing the Quiet Garden path
Originally uploaded by davidjennings.

The printed site plan shows several areas designated with CEDEC (hoggin). According to this source, "CEDEC™ self–binding footpath gravels and traditional hoggin are available for low maintenance surfaces. The gravels give a porous but firm surface, and are suitable for pedestrian or recreation areas where grass would be subject to excessive wear." (Though how our eyes cry out for some grass on the site now.) Here are pictures of CEDEC footpaths and gravels.

In the top photo the area under our window is being rolled and prepared, and in the second one — an hour and a half later — the base sand for the CEDEC is being spread and rolled.

The third picture shows the same process in action on the Quiet Garden path.

On the right of this picture you can also see the cubes, which I've referred to before. They've been unwrapped, and — pardon my pedantry — they're not exactly cubic.

Macadamising the thoroughfare

Macadamising 4
Originally uploaded by davidjennings.

Having missed the macadamising of the ball court, I took plenty of photos of the process today. It's characterised by slow build-up — tipping the black stuff into the dispenser and so on — followed by rapid and labour-intensive laying of the black slug's trail. One guy is shovelling the black stuff to spread it to the hard-to-reach spots, one is raking it to make it more even, one is rolling it, and another is hosing water onto the newly rolled surface. So they have to all wear luminous waistcoats so that the slug-driver doesn't lose track of them and run one over.

The new trees were delivered, but not planted; and the paving was extended to the side of the Meeting House Garden.

Excavating and surfacing

Excavation and pipes
Originally uploaded by davidjennings.


Rolling the surface near Chequer Street
Originally uploaded by davidjennings.

You may have spotted some long pipes in previous photos and wondered, as I did, where they were going to be used. Here you can see one of them buried in a trench, which was filled in later in the day.

Lots of piles of soil, sand and gravel here as well. And you can see that the paving round the George Fox memorial is complete. This photo shows the paving inside the Meeting House Garden.

While I was away the surface of the Chequer Street end of the site was developed, with the beds for the new trees clearly marked out, and gravel spread around them. Today the gravel was rolled — see the lower picture to the left.