Achey Breaky Thighs

I've spent the day wading through stinking mud and debris along the old outlet channel. We were aiming to remove trees along the edge of the island, as well as some of the willows growing out in the marshy water. We had two fires burning. We had to use the winch at one point to get the larger trees out - the land rover struggled at first, then seemed fine until the engine cut out and would not restart. A few goes with the jumpleads got it running again, but the winch seemed a little worse for wear and refused to continue, so we had to drag them out by hand.

My size 12 waders were a little ungainly, to say the least. Although highly unflattering, they did keep me dry and surprisingly warm (due to the three inch air pocket at the toes!) even when I had to wade out through the ice to saw down a couple of willows. The sound of the ice cracking and breaking was a little unsettling - you're never quite sure what you're walking on and how deep you might sink. Luckily I remained balanced and dry, though there were a few near splashes when throwing large logs onto the fire.


The downside of such large boots meant that everytime I had to pull my foot out of the mud, the boot tended to remain enveloped in gunk while my foot slid cleanly out. There are only so many times I can fight my way out and risk popping my leg out of socket before it starts to become tiresome. As a result I now have no strength left in my legs and my thighs are acheing badly - but that serves me right for being inactive for three weeks. The pain is just the welcoming sign of my return to work!


And now, a bath....