MYSTERY OBJECTS

[David Whipp]

Low tech, but effective, diversion of flood water begun by Alison in the early stage of our defence of Ghyll Meadows on Boxing Day. (Based on her beach honed skills of water management.)

The very first channelling of water used whatever there was to hand; mainly clods of earth scoured from the verges.



Hence the area was named 'Sod-It Corner' by residents.

Sandbags reinforced the structure during the day and before the expected Storm Frank, when the suitably mysterious original picture was taken.

Despite being on their uppers, Rolls-Royce speedily acted to have a permanent drain installed to encourage the water in the right direction.

[Tizer]

A lovely example of a simple low-tech and rapid temporary solution to a problem and a good response from Rolls too. (I'm sorry if I sounded cynical rather than humorous in my comment above, I didn't mean it to be so!) I've had to apply something similar to your Sod-It solution in the field behind our house to redirect water away from our property. The field, an old orchard, slopes gently towards our house and you can still see old ridges running down it. I dug a small ditch in the field along the outside of our fence to take the water sideways and into the farm track. I prised up sods with a spade and tipped them backwards against our chain link fence to create a double barrier. There is less of a problem now - we had the most trouble when the field was used for some years as a horse paddock and the soil became compacted and the grass didn't get much chance to grow. Now the horses are gone the soil absorbs water more easily and the grass transpires it into the atmosphere.

[Stanley]

But where was the site of the original question, Gill Meadows or Eastwood Bottoms?

[David Whipp]

Nears the end of Ghyll Lane, Stanley; it's the entrance to the Rolls-Royce sports ground...

[Stanley]

Oh good, I can sleep now....

[David Whipp]

[Stanley]

I'll guess at a neglected culvert completely blocked by trash in the Eastwood Bottoms area.....

[David Whipp]

Nah, sorry Stanley, too high for flooding...

[Pluggy]

Its an animals den in a brick building somewhere or other.

[Tizer]

The hideout of the famous Barlick bandits!

[David Whipp]

I'd agree with calling the users of this den bandits!

There's a very good clue to what's been using this hideout in the picture...

[PanBiker]

Urban Fox?

[Wendyf]

Birds of some sort...pigeons perhaps?

[David Whipp]

It's in the eaves above where I'm sat; I'd glad it's not a fox making itself at home!

Wendy is on the button with birds - just need what sort now...

[PanBiker]

Jackdaw?

[PostmanPete]

Magpies?

[David Whipp]

Ian's (probably) there with jackdaw... it's certainly some sort of crow that's been nesting in a roof void for the last three years. There's an un-hatched egg in the centre of the picture which might aid accurate identification.

The crows have been getting in to the space through a gap we failed to fill when we put a new pipe through the wall. Apart from making a bit of a racket, they haven't caused any problems. Well, not until we needed to access the space to connect a fresh ariel to the booster we have there...

We sent Tom in to clear out the nest. Five bin bags and three vacuum bags later and we're back to bare boards. We're in two minds about blocking off their nesting site. Alison wondered if we could fix a giant nest box on the wall for them to use instead.

[Stanley]

I'd favour Jackdaws, the sort of material in there is just what they stuff down your chimney if they get a chance. They blocked my chimney and it took my friend Philip and myself three hours and five bin bags to clear it. God knows why but they favour quite large twigs, not the ideal nesting material one would think. Harold Duxbury once told me that they had a regular job each year cleaning the flue on the heating system at Gill Church, it had a slot for the exit and the jackdaws posted twigs through it.... We have a thriving jackdaw population in East Hill Street area.

[PanBiker]

We do too around the Croft. I am just watching a pair in and out of a large terracotta modern pot on one of the stacks on Ash Grove. They don't seem to be fetching anything so maybe a recce operation.

[Wendyf]

Not so much a mystery object as a mystery occupation. A chap came into Colne library this morning trying to find out about a photograph which is on display in Cafe Cargo in Foulridge, and from the description he gave I realised that the same photo had been posted on the Colne Then & Now facebook page a while ago. No one as yet has been able to identify the work going on in this photo...so I've pinched it to see if anyone on here has an answer! It is thought to be of a mill in Foulridge.

[Cathy]

Are they sorting/recycling building materials and metals?

[Stanley]

I'm fairly sure it is bobbin turning. Making the wooden spindles and bobbins needed by the textile trade. Bobbin turners were also expert in making other shapes out of wood. The bloke in the foreground looks as though he is doing an operation connected with making butter pats, most likely putting the grooves in the face. Some bobbin turners also made shuttles. The rawhide bins and baskets were typical in bobbin mills.

[plaques]

Wasn't there an engineering place in Foulridge called 'Westerns' (not the Weston we know now). I can't understand why they seem to be weighing the parts. Also most of the workers, to put it gently, appear quite senior. Could it part of the war effort in say making the tail flights for bombs?

[Tizer]

I've done a web search and the bird eggs look more like jackdaws than rooks or crows. Have a look at this pic and be prepared to go "Aaah!":
Jackdaw eggs

[David Whipp]

Aaah!

I'm nearly feeling bad about clearing out the nest...