Advance Warning

I had the best day at work today.  We had a Divisional away day which we spent volunteering in Holyrood Park.  Not everyone came along, which is a great pity, as it was a lovely day away from our desks and very rewarding – much more so than the type of work I do sitting at my desk!

We met at the office and headed down to the Education Centre in the park to meet the park rangers who were looking after us.

We started the day with tea and cakes, before receiving our instructions for the morning.  We were each given a pair of gloves, and then we had to choose either a saw or a pair of loppers.  We set off for our destination above Dunsappie Loch.  Our task was to remove trees – all reasonably small and self-seeded.  It seemed wrong to be getting rid of trees, until it was explained why we were chopping them down.  The area was terraced by farmers during the bronze age.  It wasn’t obvious where the terraces actually are, but the tree roots are undermining the structure of the terraces, and as they are a scheduled ancient monument, they have to be preserved – hence the tree felling.

After a good mornings work, we headed back to the education centre for a  picnic lunch.   We had all contributed to a magnificent spread.  It was so nice to sit outside in the sunshine, looking out on Arthur’s Seat, without the pressure of work.

After lunch we were all given  litter picking tools and we headed off for a guided walk with the rangers, picking litter as we went.  We had a very interesting and informative walk, with the litter licking becoming quite competitive!  An elderly man who was visiting Edinburgh for the first time in fifty years stopped to tell me how impressed he was with how clean Edinburgh was!  Perhaps he thought there were gangs like us, out litter picking all over the city!

We headed back to the education centre for more food!  I then had to run off as usual to catch my train, as I was on badminton duty, while my colleagues were heading to a local hostelry.

I was one of the committee parent helpers again for badminton (though only BB’s class), and was able to catch up  with our Chair and Secretary.  As the new treasurer, I came away with a lot of cheques and the task of finding out who has, and who has not, paid their fees.  That will be a job for the weekend.

The downside of today was that I forgot my camera – so many great blip opportunities missed, so instead a pretty poor blip.  This sign is nearby – The Tour will be passing the end of my road on Sunday!